The National College of Ireland (NCI) has begun its move from Ranelagh to a new campus in the International Financial Services Centre, Dublin.
The new 210,000 sq. ft. college will be located at Mayor Street and will be more than six times the size of the Ranelagh facility.
The college had been in the south Dublin suburb for 50 years. According to the president of the National College, Prof Joyce O'Connor, the new campus will form a bridge between the local community and business.
Ten per cent of full-time places will be reserved for people from the Docklands area, and the figure may increase to 30 per cent in the future.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority provided a free site of 1.3 acres for the college as part of its commitment to improve access to education for local people of all ages.
A thousand full-time and more than 3,000 part-time students will study at the new IFSC campus. A further 3,500 will attend part-time courses run by the college using on-line and distance learning facilities and attending 40 off-campus centres located across the country.
Up to one-third of all full-time students at the college will be able to live in campus accommodation while all students will be able to avail of its crèche and gym facilities.
The €70 million campus was partly funded by proceeds from the sale of the Ranelagh campus as well as fund-raising efforts and supporting grants from the Exchequer.
The new campus will open on a phased basis beginning this month. Its Research Foundation, which will open in January, will include centres for early learning, teaching and learning, corporate responsibility and policy research.
Incubator units will be established to help in the creation of new businesses.
Prof O'Connor said the move was "a historic development" for the NCI.
"Our new location will not only provide our students with the most advanced facilities of any third level institution in the country," she said, " it demonstrates the unique relationship which exists between the National College and the business community, both here in Dublin and through our off-campus centres across the country."
