Dublin City University
When is Open Day: November 18th and 19th.
Registration details: dcu.ie/studentrecruitment/NovOpenDay-Reg
What makes the university unique? At DCU, 95 per cent of students have the opportunity to undertake a work placement or study abroad as part of their course. There is a strong focus on allowing students to unlock their full potential through internships, Erasmus programmes, and club and society engagement.
Accommodation: DCU offers on-campus accommodation and individuals are welcome to tour the offering on the open days.
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What students should not miss: While on campus, students should make sure to attend any course talks they have an interest in and speak to as many DCU students as possible. There will be food trucks on campus, too.
National University of Ireland, Galway
When is Open Day: The university will hold an open day on March 25th.
Registration details: universityofgalway.ie/opendays/
What makes the university unique: Galway is a global hub for medical technology, data and IT, and a city renowned for its friendliness, culture and creativity. Over 80 per cent of the university’s undergraduate courses offer a work placement or study abroad opportunity.
Accommodation: There are almost 1,200 beds available in the on-campus student residences; Corrib Village and Goldcrest Village. A new 650+ bed, on-campus student residence, Dunlin Village, is due to open in September 2023 on time for incoming students.
What’s new: In the last few years University of Galway has launched new programmes in Geography & Geosystems, Global Media, Law, Criminology & Criminal Justice, Law & Human Rights and Genetics & Genomics.
What students should not miss: The open day is spread across eight zones and includes five exhibitions and over 60 talks. The tours taking place throughout the day are well worth attending: join the university’s student ambassadors to go around the campus, drop into the campus residences to view student apartments and facilities, visit the engineering labs or the nursing and midwifery facilities, or participate in a tour as Gaeilge.
Maynooth University
When is open day: There are two open days coming up on November 25th (Friday) and November 26th (Saturday).
Registration detail: maynoothuniversity.ie/study-maynooth/undergraduate-studies
What makes the university unique: Maynooth University offers a unique curriculum with more subject choices than ever, which gives its students many opportunities to personalise their degree programme. Maynooth is in one of Ireland’s only “university towns”, making it a very student-friendly, vibrant place to call a “home away from home”. Just 25km outside of Dublin, Maynooth University is a short distance from the capital.
Accommodation: Maynooth University has on-campus accommodation, half of which is reserved for incoming first-year students. Maynooth University also has a Homefinder Service, which lists private accommodation available locally for existing and new or prospective students of the unviersity.
What’s new: The university has two new degree programmes beginning in 2023: Business with sport science and international economics. The campus also has a new state-of-the-art academic building, the Technology, Society and Innovation building, which was officially opened in September.
What students should not miss: Students should make the most of the opportunity to sit in on various subject and degree talks that interest them and ask our friendly academics and staff any questions they may have about courses or campus life. Also not to be missed: Maynooth University’s ‘library cat’, often found sleeping in the sun outside the library.
Trinity College Dublin
When is open day: November 5th from 10am to 5pm
Registration: tcd.ie/openday/undergraduate/
What makes the university unique: Trinity College Dublin, founded in 1592, is Ireland’s oldest university. Its historic campus right in the heart of Dublin is home to a vibrant community of 20,000 students and 3,500 staff. Its course offering encompasses all major academic fields and the university is ranked 1st in Ireland and in the top 100 world by the QS World University Rankings.
Accommodation: Trinity College has roughly 1,500 fully-owned student rooms, with 258 more due to open shortly. Around 500 rooms are reserved for first years at Trinity Hall in Dartry (Dublin 6). An affiliated accommodation provider, Kavanagh Court, also keeps 489 rooms for Trinity students.
What students should not miss: Reflecting the university’s steps to become more sustainable, Trinity has committed to making its undergraduate prospectus and event guide available on the day via QR code online. Attendees can also take an immersive guided walking tour through any of our campus tours, Irish tours and library tours, which will run every 30 minutes, starting at 10am.
University of Limerick
When is open day? Open days were held earlier in October. Prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students seeking more information about UL should visit the website listed below.
Registration: ul.ie/courses/open-days
Accommodation: UL has eight student villages available to students.
What makes UL unique: Co-op work experience is a part of every programme, meaning graduates will be career-ready upon completion of their degree.
What students should not miss: Each day will have a variety of events. There will be presentations on all undergraduate courses on offer, interactive displays from the science and engineering faculty and tours of the state-of-the-art library, which UL says is one of the largest campus libraries in Ireland and one of the most digitally advanced in the world.
University College Dublin
When is open day: The UCD undergraduate open day will take place on November 12th.
Registration: ucd.ie/openday.
What makes UCD unique: UCD has been ranked the number one university in Ireland for graduate employability in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings for five consecutive years. Outside of academic, UCD has a variety of facilities such as over 8km of woodland walkways, and a vast range of clubs and societies. Some of the more unusual sports on offer include Trampoline, Sepak Takraw, Ninjutsu and Ultimate Frisbee. The main Belfield campus offers students a wide range of services, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a state-of-the-art 3D cinema, debating chamber, TV studio, radio pod, medical and counselling centre, pharmacy, restaurants, cafes, shops, a campus bookshop, a bike shop and a barber shop.
What’s new: UCD has added two new degree programmes for entry in September 2023: BSc Criminology with Psychology and BEd Education with Gaeilge and/or Modern Languages
Accommodation: Some 4,000 students live on campus, with priority given to first years for on-campus places. The new student village includes a gym, student health centre, a range of catering outlets and social spaces.
What students should not miss: There will be a full schedule of programme and subject-specific talks taking place in eight locations on campus throughout the day. Prospective students can learn more about the courses they are interested in, chat to our academic and support staff, and hear from current students. There will also be opportunities to experience life at UCD such as the societies and sports, the facilities and campus at our stands in O’Reilly Hall, the central exhibition hall.
University College Cork
When is the open day: UCC is hosting a virtual event on its website on 18th January. For more details visit: ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/events/opendays/virtual-open-day/
What makes the university unique: UCC is Ireland’s leading university in the areas of sustainability and climate research. It is also a leader in extra-curricular activities. With more than 100 clubs and societies to choose from, most of the university’s students actively participate in at least one. Along with the traditional offerings, students can also get involved in powerlifting, motorcycling, ultimate frisbee and hot beverage enjoyment.
Accommodation: UCC has a dedicated first-year placement service to assist incoming first years in finding suitable accommodation. UCC reserves an allocation of bed spaces for first years and will continue to offer any cancelled beds through the lottery system for those who have already applied, where possible. The university advises that students engage with StudentPad, the official UCC accommodation search engine, and its accommodation and community life office, both of which can assist students in finding suitable accommodation.
What’s new: UCC has developed a state-of-the-art student service centre called the Hub. Located in the heart of UCC’s main campus, the historic 170-year-old Windle medical building, previously used for training generations of doctors, has been conserved and transformed into the Hub — a single point of contact for academic and student services, student support services, student clubs, and societies. It also provides new flexible study, learning, teaching, and event space.
Dublin Royal College of Surgeons Ireland
When is open day: RCSI will host an in-person undergraduate open day early in 2023, details of which will be available soon. For prospective students interested in graduate and mature entry routes into its programmes, there will be a virtual open day on November 5th.
Registration: rcsi.com/dublin/undergraduate/meet-rcsi/undergraduate-open-day
What makes the university unique: Founded in 1784, RCSI was the professional body for surgical training in Ireland and has evolved into a global leader in healthcare education and research. The college’s programmes are focused exclusively on the health sciences. The university describes its curricula and approach to teaching as “innovative, learner-centred and future-focused”. Home to Europe’s most advanced clinical simulation facility, RCSI’s city centre campus is also steeped in history and offers an exciting and immersive learning experience.
Accommodation: RCSI welcomes students from all over Ireland and every corner of the world, aiming to create a ‘home from home’ for all residents. There are options to live both on- or off-campus. The university’s on-campus accommodation at Mercer Court and New Mill Street is popular with students who are joining university for the first time. On-campus accommodation provides an easier transition into life away from home and cultivates a community of students in the same situation. Some students prefer to live off-campus and the university has a dedicated student services team to help students find suitable accommodation in Dublin
What’s new: RCSI has just launched a new undergraduate course in advanced therapeutic technologies, which is aimed at equipping graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, create and implement innovative solutions to complex healthcare problems. The programme development has been funded by a €7.8 million grant from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Human Capital Initiative to the RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, to expand the school’s focus on emerging and future pharma technologies. Development of the campus at 118 St Stephen’s Green is also under way with a €95 million expansion project, known as Project Connect. It will be home to the new RCSI School of Population Health, the RCSI Graduate School of Healthcare Management, and a 50-square metre virtual reality surgical training space for the National Surgical Training Centre. It will allow for the introduction of new concepts such as learning communities and includes small group teaching spaces and flexible flat-floor teaching spaces.
What students should not miss: The virtual open day will be packed with talks and live interactive sessions with faculty, students and alumni. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about programmes, admissions essentials, RCSI’s world-class facilities, student life and the career supports available to RCSI students. There will also be a chance to learn about students’ social experiences, participate in live Q&A sessions and meet the RCSI student ambassador team. For anyone who could not attend the virtual open day in October, all of the talks, interactive sessions and other material available will be made available online.
