Study in Ireland

Trinity College Dublin is Ireland’s oldest university, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin and consistently ranks among the world’s top 100 universities.

UCD is Ireland’s largest university, established in 1854 by John Henry Newman and now a public research university in Belfield, Dublin.

DCU (est. 1975 as NIHE Dublin; university status 1989) is the youngest of Dublin’s universities, noted for its enterprise ethos and strong business school.

UL began as NIHE Limerick in 1972 and was granted university status in 1989. It pioneered the “Co-Op” work-placement model in Ireland.

Founded in 1975, Dublin Business School specialises in the provision of career-focused education. The school has evolved over the years, expanding their offerings to meet the demand of various sectors. The extensive suite of programs include: business, finance, law, computing, media, arts, psychology and social science. DBS works closely with industry and professional bodies to ensure quality and relevance of material, and employability of graduates, to drive meaningful and impactful careers.

Trinity College Dublin offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses across all major disciplines such as arts and humanities, business, law, engineering, science, maths and health sciences. Trinity’s 47-acre campus is in the heart of Dublin, a safe and charming European capital city. The University’s central location allows students partake in a prestigious academic programme coupled with access to a variety of cultural and social experiences. An array of museums, theatres, cafes, restaurants and historic sites are in close proximity to the university. The University has a strong tradition of intellectual enquiry, scholarship and creativity, inspiring a love of learning for over 400 years. Notable alumni include scientists William Rowan Hamilton, Ernest Walton and William Campbell (Nobel laureates), political thinker Edmund Burke, writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett (Nobel laureates), and former President of Ireland and UNHCR Mary Robinson. Trinity is ranked as the 17th most international university in the world (Times Higher Education Rankings 2020). Students and staff hail from over 120 countries and 28% of students are from outside of Ireland, making it a truly international campus. International students can work part-time during their studies. On graduation, undergraduate students have the option to remain in Ireland to work for one year on the Third Level Graduate Scheme. Eligible postgraduate students can stay for up to two years. This provides students opportunities for work experience in industries and organisations in Ireland. Students may also be allowed remain in Ireland for a longer period if they secure employment that meets the criteria for a Work Permit. The US-Ireland Working Holiday Agreement provides a separate one-year work permit for US students, who can apply for this within 12 months of graduating.

UCC's first students arrived in 1849 and, from 1850, the institution formed part of the Queen's University of Ireland. In the 1880s it became part of the Royal University of Ireland, and by 1908 joined the federal National University of Ireland (NUI), where it was a founding member. The landscaped gardens and surrounds of UCC are known as ‘the quad’ and superstition holds that students crossing the quad before graduation risk bad luck and failure in exams. Alongside the quad, the university is centred around its Aula Maxima – the Great Hall, which acts as the ceremonial and symbolic heart of the university. The Hall's design, inspired by the great universities of the Middle Ages, was the work of renowned Irish architects Thomas Deane and Benjamin Woodward. Since 1908, UCC has grown exponentially, offering a research-led curriculum across 120 degree programmes in Humanities, Business, Law, Architecture, Science, Medicine and more. With a student body of some 20,000, including 3,000 international students, UCC returned to being a university in its own right again in 1997, retaining its original name. UCC’s alumni includes the prominent mathematician Professor George Boole, who most famously invented Boolean logic, as well as the feminist and politician, Mary MacSwiney. Among UCC’s many historical collections and artefacts are the ancient Ogam stones, thought to be the earliest written source of the Irish language.

IBAT College Dublin’s aspirations and purpose are expressed in the following sections. They describe the values that guide everything they do to meet their learner and other stakeholders’ needs. The values are what drive and shape the culture in IBAT College Dublin.