University College Dublin
Quick facts
- City
- Dublin
- Country
- Ireland
- Type
- Public
- Founded
- 1854
- Students
- 38,000
- International students
- 30 %
- National ranking
- #2
- International ranking
- #100
- Tuition (local students)
- €2,500
- Tuition (international)
- €21,520
- Guide score
- 8.0/10
Official website: www.ucd.ie
Overview
University College Dublin (UCD) traces its origins to the Catholic University of Ireland founded by John Henry Newman in 1854 and is today Ireland's largest university, with over 38,000 students (approximately 27,000 on the Dublin campus plus students on overseas and online programmes). It is ranked 100th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (up from 118th in 2026), second in Ireland behind Trinity. UCD is the leading destination in Ireland for international students, who make up roughly 30% of the student body (approximate), drawn from more than 150 countries.
Unlike Trinity, UCD is a purpose-built campus university: the 133-hectare Belfield campus lies about 4 km south of the city centre in Dublin 4, with parkland, lakes, woodland walks and modern academic buildings. Frequent Dublin Bus routes (including the 39A, 46A/C1 and 145) connect Belfield to the centre in 20-30 minutes, and many students cycle. EU students pay only the student contribution (EUR 2,500 from 2025/26 after the permanent EUR 500 reduction in Budget 2026, plus a Student Centre Levy of EUR 254), with tuition covered by the Free Fees Initiative. Non-EU undergraduate fees for 2025/26 are approximately EUR 21,500 for Arts and Social Sciences, EUR 26,000-28,000 for Science, Engineering and Business, and over EUR 55,000 for Medicine.
Academic programs
UCD is organised into six colleges: Arts and Humanities; Business; Engineering and Architecture; Health and Agricultural Sciences; Science; and Social Sciences and Law. It is the only Irish university offering Veterinary Medicine and one of the few with Architecture and Agricultural Science, and its Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School (based on a separate campus in Blackrock) is triple-accredited and consistently ranked among Europe's top business schools. UCD Quinn School of Business hosts undergraduate business degrees, while Computer Science, Engineering, Law and Medicine are also flagship programmes.
Teaching follows the UCD Horizons modular system: each 5-credit module is worth 5 ECTS, a full-time semester is 30 ECTS, and students can take elective modules from across the university. The year runs in two semesters (September to December, January to May) with exams at the end of each, and continuous assessment is widespread. Facilities include the O'Brien Centre for Science, the Sutherland School of Law, the Conway Institute and the NovaUCD innovation hub for start-ups.
Campus life
Belfield is a self-contained student town. There are more than 70 student societies (including the historic Literary and Historical Society, a large international students society and strong drama, music and film scenes) and around 60 sports clubs run through UCD Sport. Sports facilities are the best of any Irish university: a 50-metre swimming pool, a large gym, an indoor sports centre, an all-weather running track and dozens of pitches, with GAA, rugby, soccer (UCD AFC plays in the League of Ireland) and rowing among the most active clubs. The Student Centre has a cinema, debating chamber and cafés, and the campus hosts a weekly farmers' market and regular gigs and balls.
UCD Residences is Ireland's largest on-campus housing operation with roughly 4,000 beds spread across Merville, Belgrove, Glenomena, Roebuck, Ashfield, Village 1-3 and the newer Blackrock residences. Prices for 2025/26 range from about EUR 5,700 per academic year for a shared bedroom in Village 1 to about EUR 11,900 for an en-suite single in Village 3 (roughly EUR 160-330 per week); UCD is the most expensive on-campus provider in Ireland but demand far exceeds supply, so applications open early in the year and exchange students should apply as soon as their nomination is confirmed. Off-campus, students live in Donnybrook, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Stillorgan and Dundrum, typically paying EUR 800-1,200 per month for a room.
Exchange programs
UCD Global runs Ireland's largest student mobility programme, with over 400 partner universities in more than 40 countries through Erasmus+, bilateral exchanges and the Universitas 21 network. Incoming exchange students are nominated by their home university (typically by April for semester 1 or a full year and by October for semester 2, though dates vary by year), then complete an online application and choose modules, subject to a minimum English level (usually IELTS 6.5 or a B2/C1 certificate). Erasmus+ students pay no tuition to UCD; there is also a fee-paying Study Abroad option for students from non-partner institutions.
Spain is one of UCD's largest Erasmus+ markets. Partners include Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE), Universidad de Navarra, Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad de Granada and Universidad de Valencia, with the exact list depending on the college (Business, Law, Engineering and Arts each hold their own agreements). Exchange students are welcomed with an orientation week, a Global Lounge, the Peer Mentor programme and the option to take an academic English module; most can register for modules across colleges, although Business and Law modules have capacity limits.
Academic programs
- Business
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Law
- Medicine
- Veterinary Medicine
- Agriculture
- Architecture
- Natural Sciences
- Humanities
- Social Sciences
- Nursing
Application deadlines
- fall: February 1
- spring: October 1
Exchange
Ireland's largest exchange programme, with Erasmus+ and bilateral partners across 400+ universities in 40+ countries, including many Spanish universities (e.g. Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universidad de Navarra, Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad de Granada). Partner nominations typically close in April for semester 1 / full year and in October for semester 2.