Institute have not applied for a UEFA Licence and will therefore NOT play in next month's Europa League playoffs if they secure a seventh place finish in the Danske Bank Premiership.
The North West club currently lies eighth in the table, just two points below Glentoran with only Saturday’s final round of fixtures to play.
By a quirk of fixture fate, Stute travel to face the Glens in the last league game of the season this weekend.
The club that finishes seventh - top of the bottom half of the division - is normally rewarded with a berth in the league's end-of-season playoffs for the Europa League.
Newry City pair axed following 'breach of club discipline'
Institute’s decision not to apply for a UEFA Licence, which would permit them to play in European competition next season, was confirmed by the Irish FA.
Warrenpoint Town’s application for a UEFA Licence was also refused, while Armagh City and Portstewart were both refused Championship Club Licences.
The association’s Licensing Committee met on Wednesday to consider applications for UEFA, Premiership, Promotion and Championship licenses for 2019/20.
Applicant clubs were assessed in five key areas;
Sporting
Infrastructure/Safety
Personnel & Administration
Legal
Financial.
Based on this, licences were granted or refused to the following clubs:
UEFA CLUB LICENCES GRANTED
Ballymena United FC
Cliftonville FC
Coleraine FC
Crusaders FC
Dungannon Swifts FC (Solitude, Belfast)
Glenavon FC
Glentoran FC
Linfield FC
UEFA CLUB LICENCES REFUSED
Warrenpoint Town FC
PREMIERSHIP CLUB LICENCES GRANTED
Ards FC (Bangor Fuels Arena, Bangor)
Ballymena United FC
Cliftonville FC
Coleraine FC
Crusaders FC
Dungannon Swifts FC
Glenavon FC
Glentoran FC
Institute FC (Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Derry)
Linfield FC
Newry AFC
Warrenpoint Town FC
PROMOTION CLUB LICENCES GRANTED
Ballinamallard United FC
Ballyclare Comrades FC
Carrick Rangers FC
H&W Welders FC (Dixon Park, Ballyclare)
Larne FC
Portadown FC
CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB LICENCES GRANTED
Annagh United FC
Ballinamallard United FC
Ballyclare Comrades FC
Banbridge Town FC
Carrick Rangers FC
Dergview FC
Dundela FC
H&W Welders FC
Knockbreda FC
Larne FC
Limavady United FC
Lisburn Distillery FC
Loughgall FC
Portadown FC
PSNI FC
QUB FC
CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB LICENCES REFUSED
Armagh City FC*
Portstewart FC*
*No documentation submitted beyond initial application form.
Clubs who have been refused a licence have the right of appeal, with any such appeals tentatively scheduled for May 9.
Club Licences are valid for one season only, namely 2019/20.
The IFA has congratulated those clubs granted a Club Licence and “acknowledge the efforts of many key personnel at each club for the time and contributions they have made towards the successful application”.
Licensing Committee Chairman Allen McKinstry said: "As always, I want to pay tribute to the efforts of the many people working hard behind the scenes at our clubs to ensure successful licensing applications are produced.
“With Club Licensing now an established part of the football landscape in Northern Ireland, the ongoing nature of the process means that high standards must be consistently maintained.”
Meanwhile, the IFA continues to assist Ballinamallard United in submitting an ‘extraordinary’ UEFA Licence application (for non-top flight clubs) to the UEFA Licensing Administration ahead of the Irish Cup final.
The Championship club face Crusaders in the blue riband final on May 4, with a spot in the Europa League the prize for the winners of the competition.
