Enrolment Procedures

• Leaving Certificate  and  Leaving  Cert  Applied  students  are  eligible.    Students  without  educational qualifications but with relevant experience/interest in an area will be considered. A copy of results will be required on enrolment, Interviews are held to determine eligibility.  Mature students and students presenting alternative qualifications are welcome.
• PLC students  wishing  to  enrol  in Longford College  of  Further  Education  must  complete  an  online Application Form. Code of Behaviour must be read and accepted by all students wishing to enrol. Acceptance will be based on interview to determine suitability for the course.
• In the event of excess applications, places will be allocated on the basis of a waiting list.
• All  applicants  are  expected  to  have  reached  minimum  standards  of  The  National  Standards  of Qualifications (NFQ) at Level 5 before enrolling for a PLC course. A lot wouldn’t have minimum standards.
• In order to progress from Level 5 to a Level 6 programme all applicants must provide evidence of their Level 5 qualifications.  Applicants who wish to have exemptions considered must provide original copies of certificates at interview.

Admission Policy:

International Applicants
The College welcomes applications from qualified international applicants. International (non-EU) students must comply with Irish immigration requirements and must present an  Immigration Certificate of Registration / GNIB Card in order to register.
Non-EU students will be required to pay a more substantial fee (known as the economic fee) than EU students for each year of their attendance at LCFE. The economic fee for the current year is €3654. In addition students will be required to pay the course fee for their chosen programme. For further details, please contact the College office.

Garda Vetting
A number of the colleges programmes especially in the area of Childcare and Community Work require students to undertake placements that will bring them into contact with children or vulnerable adults in which they will assume positions of trust. Having regard to the protection of the public, the college is committed to ensuring that only suitable candidates are allowed to undertake these programmes

Criminal Convictions
All applicants are required to disclose any relevant conviction when applying to the college.  If information relating to offences is not given or is given in incomplete form, then the college reserves the right at any stage (including after an offer of a place has been made, or after registration) to reject the application. Applicants also agree where required to submit to additional criminal record checks and submit to the ETB’s policy on Garda Vetting.

A relevant Criminal Conviction is:

(a)  Any conviction in Ireland or abroad for an offence against the person, whether of a violent or a sexual nature (whether or not a custodial sentence was imposed in respect of such conviction); or

(b)  Any conviction in Ireland or abroad for an offence involving unlawfully supplying controlled drugs or substances where the conviction concerns commercial drug dealing or trafficking (whether or not a custodial sentence was imposed in respect of such conviction).

Where an applicant has declared or disclosed a relevant conviction to the college, the applicants case will be considered initially by the college management and the relevant academic staff. If the applicant’s case is straightforward it may be decided at that stage that an offer will not be refused because of the relevant conviction.

Exceptional Circumstances
The Board of Management wishes to state that it reserves the right to refuse an application for admission in exceptional circumstances. Such an exceptional case could arise when either:

• The student has special needs such that, even with additional resources available from the Department of Education and Science/HEA, the college cannot meet such needs and/or provide the student with an appropriate education.
• In the opinion of the Board of Management, the student poses an unacceptable risk to other students, to school staff or to college property.

Right of Appeal
Parents and students over 18 years of age have the right to appeal a refusal by a school to enrol a student under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 as restated in Circular Letter M48/01 of the Department of Education & Skills.

Academic/Learning Support
Longford College of Further Education welcomes students with Special Educational Needs to enrol on courses. A dedicated member of staff attends to the needs of students enrolling and entitled to learning support. The guidelines for accessing support within the college are laid down by the Higher Education Authority and students may access supports by fulfilling the criteria set out. Students may attend a learning support class and may also be entitled to services and supports deemed suitable by Longford College of Further Education.
An excellent communication network exists on the teaching staff whereby teachers are alerted to the specific needs of individual students.  Students are advised to discuss needs with their co-ordinator and to furnish the college with the relevant documentation on enrollment

Mental Health
Students must inform the College of health issues, including pregnancy which may impinge on work experience and course participation.