University College Dublin

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN (UCD) is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities where undergraduate education, postgraduate masters and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement form a dynamic continuum of activity.

The University was established in 1854 by John Henry Newman whose classic work The Idea of a University is one of the most enduring texts on the value of higher education and a source of inspiration for UCD’s current educational philosophy.

Today UCD is Ireland’s largest university with almost 25,000 students. It is the most popular destination for Irish school-leavers and actively promotes university life as a journey of academic and personal discovery through its highly innovative and flexible UCD Horizons undergraduate curriculum.

UCD is Ireland’s leader in postgraduate education with almost 7,000 postgraduate students, representing approximately 28% of the UCD student population, and almost 2,000 PhD students. Over 50% of UCD undergraduates progress to postgraduate studies.

UCD is home to almost 5,000 international students and, in addition, places great emphasis on the internationalisation of the Irish student experience – preparing all UCD students for future employment and life that crosses borders, boundaries and cultures.

The role of UCD within Irish higher education is underscored by the fact that UCD alone accounts for over 30% of international students, over 25% of all postgraduate students and almost 28% of all doctoral enrolments across the seven Irish universities.