Terms and Conditions

General Terms

The minimum age for student enrolment is 18.
The maximum class size is 15 students, although we aim for an average of no more than 13 students per class.
DCAS Student Handbook and all school policies must be observed and followed.
Cancellation, Deferral & Refund Policy applies to all bookings.
Students cannot transfer their enrolment, credit notes, or course to any third party.
If you cannot attend your course you may postpone it. All postponements must be made in writing at least 14 days before the course start date. A course may be also anticipated if the new start date is not within 14 days from the request date. A course may be postponed or anticipated once without a charge being applied. Additional postponements/anticipations will be subject to a €100 administration fee, on each occasion. New invoices for postponed courses will be issued and the rates applied will depend on the revised start date.
Advance payment is required for all courses. Tuition fees do not include costs that are incurred on the student’s behalf, such as examination fees, transport fares, or the cost of paid social events.
The school is not wheelchair accessible.
DCAS English language programmes take advantage of technology in class. Students are required to have a mobile phone or a laptop that has the minimum requirements to run Microsoft Teams and Microsoft OneNote. Students should login into their DCAS student account from the school's Microsoft 365 for Education platform. For the best experience with Teams and OneNote, use the latest version of iOS, Android, Windows 11, or macOS.
Your class period can only start once Student Induction and Placement are completed. Commencement of classes for long-term students (12 weeks or more) may take up to 2 weeks from arrival; this is not the case for short-term students (1 to 12-week courses).
DCAS is closed for Christmas break, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day week(s) - typically 2 weeks in the year. There are no classes during Christmas break, which are not counted towards the total booked class weeks.
DCAS also closes on other public holidays in Ireland and Good Friday. These days are counted towards the total class period and are not refundable. The list of these 8 days each year is as follows:
- St. Patrick's Day (17th March) – If this day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the public holiday is observed on the following Monday
- St. Brigid's Day (the First Monday in February, except where St Brigid’s Day, the 1st of February, happens to fall on a Friday, in which case that Friday, the 1st of February, will be a public holiday)
- Good Friday (Friday that precedes Easter Sunday)
- Easter Monday (Monday after Easter Sunday, typically in late March or mid-April)
- May Bank Holiday (First Monday in May)
- June Bank Holiday (First Monday in June)
- August Bank Holiday (First Monday in August)
- October Bank Holiday (Last Monday in October)
In the unlikely event that a programme is cancelled by the school, the student will have two options: DCAS may make arrangements, with the consent of the student, to join another college for the same or similar course; or the tuition fees will be refunded by DCAS.
Please note that we enrol students on a weekly basis, so the composition of classes may change from week to week.
DCAS reserves the right to change teachers, times of lessons and locations of courses and to combine classes if: student numbers for any particular class are low; we have to attend to building or maintenance work; or a teacher is not available due to emergencies.
Students should be respectful at all times. Students who disrespect the teacher, other students, or school staff will be subject to a warning. Should a student receive 3 warnings, the student will be expelled from the school. In most serious cases, the student may be expelled immediately.
Absences due to medical reasons are not compensated by the school by way of refund, credit, or additional course(s)/lessons. The school can provide written confirmation of absence which, together with doctor’s notes, can be used for the purposes of a personal insurance claim.
We invite students to share any comments or feedback. Students must raise any issues with us when they arise.
Students must keep their contact details up to date by informing DCAS Administration (admin@dcas.ie) of any changes. Email communication from DCAS is our official means of communication, therefore students are asked to check their email accounts on a daily basis.
The fraudulent duplication or amendment of DCAS official documents is a criminal offence. Any such action will be reported to An Garda Síochána and other relevant authorities, such as Immigration Service Delivery from the Department of Justice.
Terms and conditions are updated each year during September and apply for the following 12 months. Where a student continues their study period from one academic year (September to August) into the next, the updated terms will apply from the 1st of September in the new academic year. In the event that new government legislation or amendments to existing Irish legislation contradict these terms, then the new legislation must immediately take precedence. Agents and service providers working on behalf of the school will be deemed to have agreed to all terms and conditions without variation.
DCAS will not retain your personal data for more than 5 years after your enrolment has ended.

International Students (non-EEA nationals) on an Irish Study Visa through DCAS

We recommend that all Non-EEA/EU students verify the most up-to-date visa and Immigration requirements at www.irishimmigration.ie before booking their course at DCAS.
DCAS offers English courses eligible for a Study Visa (15 hours or more of tuition per week) in the morning and the afternoon daytime. Check your Student Handbook and email communication from DCAS Administration (admin@dcas.ie) after your induction for specific information. Visa students who miss the induction for 4 weeks in a row, frontloading study holidays, are in breach of immigration rules and will be Exited from the course due to no attendance at the school, regardless of class commencement.
Study Visa English Programmes at DCAS cater for students from Beginners (A1 level on the CEFR) to Advanced (C1) levels. Beginners (A1) level is only available in the afternoon.
Students are expected to maintain a minimum accumulated attendance of 85% throughout their course, as required by ISD (Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice). DCAS is required to report students’ attendance to ISD and/or other Irish authorities.
A Learner Protection Scheme is included in the 25-week full-time time English course fee for Non-EU/EEA students. This insurance ensures that those students’ fees and courses are guaranteed, in the unlikely event that DCAS 25-week full-time English language programmes become unavailable.
All full-time non-EEA students are required to have private medical insurance, obtained either personally or through a group scheme operated by their school, at the time of their registration. DCAS provides a group private medical insurance scheme.
International Students are allowed to take up casual employment to supplement their income while studying in Ireland, during their Study Visa period: work up to 20 hours per week, from 16th January to 31st May, and from 1st October to 14th December is allowed. Additionally, students can work up to 40 hours per week from December 15th to January 15th and from 1st June to 30th September, whenever holding a valid Study Visa during that time.
For international students who need to apply for a Study Visa prior to arrival in Ireland, if your visa application is approved, you must send a copy of the passport stamp and confirmation to us immediately. Likewise, if the visa application is refused, DCAS must be informed immediately. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the school about the visa application outcome or status before the course start date. Failure to do so will result in additional charges, such as a new medical insurance to be issued, or tuition fees difference if the visa application process extends to a new academic year with different tuition fees.
If DCAS in-person classes are switched to online classes due to government guidelines on public health safety advice, all the other rules and requirements of an international student on a Study Visa are maintained, except for the obligation to attend classes physically on the campus. Online classes are also mandatory in such instances and are counted towards course attendance, which should be kept at 85% or above.

On Campus

Learning materials: Coursebooks are available during class time through your teacher, who distributes the resources to be used in class. The coursebook cannot leave the classroom, as it might be used by teachers and students in the other study period. Important to remind you that these books are shared resources, so writing (using pen or pencil) on the book is completely forbidden. Make sure you and or your classmates keep the books in good condition, as they will be used by other students, the same way you will be using other books when progressing a level. Additional learning materials may also given by the teacher to students.
Smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited on the DCAS premises. Any student found guilty of disregarding this rule will be suspended or will face other disciplinary action.
Downloading restricted material from the school internet is prohibited.
Food and drinks are not allowed in the classrooms. Keep the classroom clean and dispose of waste accordingly. Littering is not tolerated.
It is Strictly Forbidden to enter any DCAS campus with e-scooters or bicycles, mounted or on foot. Any person bringing these items to DCAS will be asked to leave the building to park/store them elsewhere. Bicycle and e-scooter parking is at your own risk. DCAS is not responsible for any loss or damage to these items.
DCAS reserves the right to allocate your classes to either of the campuses in Dublin City Centre. You might have to relocate your classes from one campus to the other while studying at DCAS.

Online

All students attending online lessons are responsible for ensuring that they have the correct equipment and software required to participate in the lessons. Students should also ensure that they have a good internet connection to enable them to effectively participate in the lessons.
Class times informed are based on Irish Standard Time (IST) / Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone.

Accommodation and Airport Pick-up Services

DCAS and its service provider partners reserve the right to move a student from his/her accommodation or refuse to accommodate any student should we find his/her behaviour unacceptable, for example being disruptive or abusive, or if the hosts request the student to leave, with a valid reason.
Should any student not be satisfied with his/her accommodation, DCAS will relocate the student to accommodation of a similar standard as soon as possible. In this case, a 1-week notice period should be given to the host and to DCAS. It is the student’s responsibility to inform DCAS of any dissatisfaction and follow the terms of the notice period. In cases of absolute emergency, the 1-week notice period may be waived.
If a student decides to move out of a homestay into his/her own accommodation, the student must give 2 weeks’ notice of departure. There is no refund for early departures.
If the host decides that they want the student to leave, they must give the student via DCAS a week’s notice, unless in special circumstances.
All requests for airport transfers must be made in writing giving full flight details. DCAS will not accept responsibility where incorrect information has been provided. DCAS will seek to recover all costs arising where incorrect information has been provided.
DCAS will charge for all "no-show" accommodation/pickup bookings, except where the service provider is clearly at fault for the non-collection of the student. In "no-show" cases, the accommodation service booked is forfeited. There is no refund for "no-shows".
DCAS undertakes that all the service provider's drivers will be familiar with its guidelines on meeting and collecting students at airports.
In the event of a student cancelling their stay, a minimum 14 days’ notice is required. An administration charge of €50 is charged and DCAS will issue a credit note to cover any "unused" accommodation. In lieu of notice, two weeks of accommodation is charged from the date of cancellation.
All accommodation and airport pickup refunds are given at the discretion of the service provider's management.
Once the accommodation is confirmed, if the student needs to change the student’s dates, or the booking needs to be cancelled, the student must give DCAS two weeks’ notice in writing prior to the arrival date. Last-minute changes without two weeks’ notice will be charged from the original start date. Cancellations without notice are charged a two-week accommodation fee.
Cancellations must be received within business hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
The student must aim to provide DCAS with an arrival time at least 4 days before the student’s arrival date so arrangements can be made with the host family to receive them. Failure to inform DCAS of the arrival time may result in delays in welcoming the student and DCAS cannot be held responsible in any manner as a result of this non-information.
Students are not allowed to negotiate directly with the families. All families have a contract with our service provider and therefore if they attempt to accommodate the student directly without DCAS involvement they will be in breach of that contract. This is to protect the interest of all parties and to avoid confusion in our booking procedure. If the student approaches the family for a direct agreement, DCAS may refuse to re-accommodate the student. Students should not discuss any monetary issues with the family; all transactions should take place via DCAS.
Accommodation and airport pickup bookings must be fully paid no less than 30 days before arrival. Last-minute (less than 30 days) bookings and payments do not guarantee the service will be provided, and payment will be refunded in case of no service availability. The accommodation booking fee is not refundable unless the school cannot offer the accommodation requested with a valid notice (30 or more days).

Legal Notice

DCAS reserves the right to change the details of its services, including courses, facilities and course dates where circumstances beyond the school’s control necessitate such changes or where the number of enrolments is not enough to operate a course viably. The right is also reserved to decline any person at any time without liability. DCAS gives notice that all arrangements for transport, activities or for accommodation are made by DCAS as an agent upon the express condition that they shall not be liable for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of any defect in any vehicle or through the acts of default of any company or persons engaged in conveying the passenger, or in carrying out the arrangements of the programmes, or otherwise in connection therewith of any family member. No responsibility is accepted for losses or additional expenses due to delays or changes in air, sea, rail, bus or other services, sickness, epidemic, pandemic, weather, war, quarantine, strikes, or other liability. DCAS’ public digital content (website, social media, etc.) and printed media are intended for information purposes only and do not constitute a contract between the school and any student or third party. DCAS reserves the right to make changes which may affect courses, curriculum of courses, programmes or any other content announced in the publications, without prior notice. DCAS reserves the right to close the school on certain days to ensure student and staff safety, such as status red/amber weather warnings and/or if directed to do so by the Department of Education or Government Authorities. Classes missed in this instance are non-refundable. Permission is given for the use of student comments or testimonials and photographs/images of students in the official promotional material for DCAS by the student with acceptance of these terms and conditions.

Please note that some of the facilities, services, and fees advertised in our promotional materials may be subject to change or availability.