About DCU
Dublin City University is an Irish university located 5km north of Dublin city centre, Ireland. Created as the National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin in 1975, we enrolled our first students in 1980, and were elevated to university status in September 1989 by statute.
Today DCU delivers more than 200 degree programmes across its five faculties: education, humanities and social sciences, science and health, engineering and computing, and business. Dublin City University has 20,000 students, based from three academic campuses located close to each other in north Dublin. We have over 100,000 alumni across the world who live our ambitious institutional values of ”changing lives and societies”.
A core component of the DCU Strategy 2023-2028 is to enhance international engagement, and further to this we are expanding the number of international students attending our programmes each year.
Dublin City University Ranking
Dublin City University is ranked in the ‘Top 350 Universities in the World’ per the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the definitive list of the world’s best universities, and is the only global university league table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching (the learning environment); research environment (volume, income and reputation); research quality (the outputs of research); industry (knowledge transfer) and international outlook (staff, students and research).
Internationalisation
As Ireland’s University of Enterprise and Transformation we value global research, teaching, exchange, and collaborative programmes. Dublin City University has an extensive global network of partner institutions, comprised of over 200 institutions across more than 50 countries. DCU offers students an immersive cultural experience and we pride ourselves on producing well-rounded graduates both academically and professionally.
Campus Facilities
DCU has three campuses, located within close proximity of one another in north Dublin. They are Glasnevin Campus, St. Patrick’s Campus (which houses our Institute of Education) and the All Hallows Campus.
Glasnevin Campus is our main campus, and all students attending International Academy courses will be based from there.
The campus is modern, safe and has undergone significant development in recent years as DCU has continued to grow, including the addition of the U Building, home to the Students’ Union, and the Polaris Building, a modern teaching and faculty space.
Set across 85 acres of parkland, DCU Glasnevin Campus offers a wide range of facilities for students, including:
Safety and Welfare
Ireland is regarded as a safe and friendly destination for international students. Ranked the friendliest country in Europe and the 9th friendliest country in the world. The Global Peace Index has ranked Ireland as the 8th most peaceful place on earth.
At DCU, student welfare and support is our priority. Student counsellors are available in-person on weekdays. We also operate a 24 hour assistance telephone service to assist students should they require out-of-hours help.
Friends of Dublin City University
As an institution of high national and international standing, DCU regularly welcomes famous faces to our campuses. Over the years we have welcomed well-known dignitaries from the worlds of politics, international relations, sport, literature and business, including:
| Name | Title / Recognition |
|---|---|
| Bill Clinton | 42nd President of the United States |
| Mary Robinson | Former President of Ireland |
| Enrico Letta | Former Prime Minister of Italy and recipient of an honorary doctorate from DCU |
| Volodymyr Zelenskyy | President of Ukraine; addressed students via video link at The Helix |
| Christine Lagarde | Former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) |
| Seamus Heaney | Nobel Laureate in Literature |
| Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca | Former President of Malta |
| Bertie Ahern | Former Taoiseach of Ireland |
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | Former US Secretary of State |
| Dr Amal Al Qubaisi | Former President and Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council |
| Miyagawa Manabu | Ambassador of Japan to Ireland |
| Junji Shimada | Former Ambassador of Japan to Ireland |
| Willie Walsh | Former Chief Executive of International Airlines Group |
| Joe Schmidt | International Rugby Coach |