The Irish school admissions process operates under strict legal guidelines and contains no «lottery» mechanism that privileges migrants or Ukrainian refugees over local students.
Social media posts circulating in Ireland allege that local families must enter a «lottery» to secure school placements, claiming Ukrainian refugees and other migrants are given priority.
In reality, Ireland has no such thing as a «school lottery». Student admissions are governed by national legislation and each school’s published admissions policy, which must be transparent and non-discriminatory. When applications exceed available places, schools allocate spots based on clear criteria — most commonly proximity to the school, whether siblings are already enrolled, and, in the case of denominational schools, religious affiliation.
According to Ireland’s Department of Education, Ukrainian children are enrolled in mainstream schools under the same criteria as all other students — with placement based solely on residence, not nationality. As of April 2025, 18,266 Ukrainian pupils were attending Irish schools, accounting for less than 4% of the total student population — a share too small to affect local children’s access to education.
Ukrainian refugees with temporary protection in Ireland are entitled to education, but they are admitted under the same criteria as all other students and hold no special priority over Irish citizens. In districts where demand exceeds capacity, all new students — including refugees — may encounter enrollment challenges. This reflects local resource constraints, not any policy of «reallocating» school places in favor of particular groups.
StopFake has previously refuted similar disinformation, including claims that Ukrainian men of military age living in Ireland were allegedly being served with extradition notices.
