You might come across these commonly used abbreviations when using the Education Ireland website, please use this glossary to find out what they mean.

A

• ACELS: The Advisory Council for English Language Schools
• AIT: Athlone Insitute of Technology

B

• BA: Bachelor of Arts
• Beng: Bachelor of Engineering
• BSc: Bachelor of Science

C

• CICE: Church of Ireland College of Education
• CIT: Cork Institute of Technology
• CAO: Central Applications Office

D

• DBS: Dublin Business School
• DCU: Dublin City University
• DOE: Department of Education and Science
• DKIT: Dundalk Institute of Technology
• DIT: Dublin Institute of Technology

E

• EI: Enterprise Ireland

F

• FÁS: FÁS is Ireland's national training and employment authority. It aims to promote a more competitive and inclusive knowledge-based economy by enhancing the skills and capabilities of individuals and enterprises. 
• FETAC:  The Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) is the national awarding body for further education and training in Ireland. FETAC gives people the opportunity to gain recognition for learning in education or training centres, in the work place and in the community.

G

• GCC: Griffith College Cork
• GCD: Griffith College Dublin
• GCL: Griffith College Limerick
• GMIT: Galway Mayo Institute of Technology

H

• HEA: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is the statutory planning and development body for higher education and research in Ireland. The HEA has wide advisory powers throughout the third-level education sector. It is also the funding authority for the universities, institutes of technology and designated higher education institutions.
• HECA: Higher Education Colleges Association
• HETAC: The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) is the qualifications-awarding body for third-level educational and training institutions outside the university sector. HETAC awards qualifications at all levels of higher education and training up to PhD level.

I

• IADT: Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Techology
• IBAT: Institute of Business and Technology
• ICOS: Irish Council for International Students
• IELTS: International English Language Testing System
• IOTI: Institutes of Technology Ireland
• IUA: Irish Universities Association
• IRCHSS: The Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences was established to develop Ireland's research capacity and skills base. IRCHSS operates funding programmes to support research at pre and post-doctoral levels. There are also funding schemes available for research opportunities for members of academic staff.
• IRCSET -Embark Initiative: The Embark Initiative is managed by IRCSET- the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, which was established to promote excellence in research across the sciences, engineering and technology. The Embark Initiative operates a number of research grant schemes.
• IPA: Institute of Public Administration

L

• LIT: Limerick Institute of Technology
• LYIT: Letterkenny Institute of Technology

M

• MA: Master of Arts
• MBA: Master of Business Administration
• MEI: Marketing English Language
• Meng: Master of Engineering

N

• NCAD: National College of Art and Design
• NQAI: The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) is responsible for establishing and maintaining a framework of qualifications for the further and higher education sector.
• NFQ: The National Framework of Qualifications
• NUI: National University of Ireland

P

• PAC: Postgraduate Applications Centre
• PLC: Post Leaving Certificate Course

Q

• QUB: Queens University Belfast

R

• RCSI: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

T

• TCD: Trinity College Dublin
• TEFL: Teaching English as a Foreign Language
• TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

U

• UCC: University College Cork
• UCD: University College Dublin
• UL: University of Limerick
• UU: University of Ulster

W

• WIT: Waterford Institute of Technology