Learner protection in Ireland
If an Irish English-language school closes mid-course, "learner protection" insurance is what makes sure you either get your tuition refunded or get a place at another school. Here's how we surface that information.
Why this matters
Several Irish schools have closed in the past without refunding their international students. Under the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Act, any provider on the ILEP register must hold learner-protection arrangements — usually an insurance policy from a specialist insurer such as O'Driscoll O'Neil or Study & Protect. There is no public registry that exposes which school holds which policy, so we ask schools to upload their certificate and our team reviews it.
The four trust tiers
Every school card shows the highest tier it has earned.
Verified protection
The school uploaded a current insurance certificate and our team reviewed it. We re-check every year and remove the badge as soon as the policy expires.
Certificate on file
The school uploaded a certificate but it is still being reviewed by our team, or the review is out of date and they need to re-upload.
ILEP-listed
The school is on the official ILEP register of providers approved for student-visa courses. Being on ILEP requires having learner-protection arrangements in place — but we have not seen the certificate ourselves.
Self-declared
The school has told us they hold insurance but has not uploaded a certificate. Treat this as the school's word only, and ask them for the insurer's name and policy number before you pay.
Before you pay any school
- Ask the school for the insurer's name and policy number.
- Check the policy is in date and covers your full course length.
- Pay by card or transfer with a paper trail — never cash.
- If anything feels off, contact ICOS for free, independent advice.