University College Dublin

University College Dublin was founded in 1854 and is the largest university in Ireland by student numbers. Unlike Trinity it occupies a parkland campus at Belfield, a few kilometres south of the city centre, with lakes, woodland and purpose-built faculty buildings.

Its subject range is broad, with well-established schools of business, engineering, computer science, agriculture and food science, veterinary medicine, law and medicine. The business school and the agriculture and food programmes both hold strong international reputations.

Undergraduate degrees are typically four years and many are structured to allow elective modules from outside the main subject, which gives more flexibility than a traditional specialised Irish degree.

Requirements are set per programme and published on each course page.

• Class 12 or equivalent at the level the course requires, with specific subjects for science, engineering, agriculture and health programmes.
• A recognised bachelor's degree in a cognate discipline for taught master's entry, at the stated classification.
• English proficiency at the published overall and per-section minimums.
• A statement of purpose and academic or professional references for postgraduate applications.
• A portfolio, interview or additional assessment for architecture, medicine, veterinary medicine and some creative programmes.

UCD sets non-EU fees by programme, and its large suburban campus gives it more accommodation capacity than Trinity — which affects the total cost.

• Non-EU rates set per programme and differing substantially from EU rates.
• A wide spread by college — engineering, science, medicine and business above arts and social sciences.
• A student centre levy and other charges in addition to tuition.
• Fees usually held for the cohort at the entry-year rate; confirm for your programme.
• On-campus residence is a real option here, which can be both cheaper and more predictable than the Dublin private market.

Work from UCD's fee schedule for your specific programme and fee status for your specific programme and year of entry — it is the only figure that will be correct for you, and it is republished every year. We will confirm the current cost and what it includes before you commit to an application.

UCD runs a global excellence scholarship programme for international students across its colleges, awarded on academic record and applied for once an offer is held. Individual schools add further awards of their own.

• Global excellence awards — the main international programme, decided on academic record.
• College and school awards — narrower, discipline-specific.
• Research funding — through supervisors and national research programmes.

Irish scholarship rounds are small and close early. Securing the offer quickly is what makes you eligible in time.

A large parkland campus at Belfield, a few kilometres south of Dublin city centre — a genuine campus university rather than a city-centre one.

• A single large green campus with lakes, a sports centre, its own shops and a substantial library.
• Significant on-campus residence, which is a meaningful advantage in Dublin's housing market.
• A wide society and sport programme, with strong Gaelic games alongside the usual range.
• Dedicated international student support and a large non-EU cohort.
• Regular bus links to the city centre, roughly twenty to thirty minutes depending on traffic.

The campus setting is the main difference from Trinity: more space, more on-site accommodation, and a slightly more self-contained student life, with the city a short bus ride rather than immediately outside.