University College Dublin

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.

About University College Dublin

UCD began as the Catholic University of Ireland, opened in 1854 with John Henry Newman as its first rector.^[6][1] It later became the Royal University, and in 1908 it became University College Dublin and a constituent college of the National University of Ireland (NUI). In 1997 UCD became an autonomous university within the loose federal structure of the NUI, and UCD students are awarded degrees of the National University of Ireland.^[7]

The main campus is at Belfield, about six kilometres south of Dublin’s city centre, and covers 133 hectares.^[6] UCD is organised in six colleges: Arts and Humanities, Business, Engineering and Architecture, Health and Agricultural Sciences, Science, and Social Sciences and Law.^[6]

UCD’s figures page counts 12,250 graduate students, 2,008 of them PhD students, and 350,714 alumni across 183 countries. It also counts 5,243 international students in overseas operations, which are included in the total of 41,089.^[1]

How is University College Dublin ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, UCD is 100th in the world, up 18 places from 118th in the 2026 edition. Among Irish universities, Trinity College Dublin is 75th, University College Cork 220th and the University of Galway 275th in the same edition.^[2]

UCD’s figures page says it is “ranked within top 1% of higher education institutions world-wide” without naming a ranking, so treat the claim as UCD’s wording.^[1] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings. For the other Irish universities see our Ireland guide.

What can you study at University College Dublin?

UCD teaches in six colleges: Arts and Humanities, Business, Engineering and Architecture, Health and Agricultural Sciences, Science, and Social Sciences and Law.^[6]

The 2026/27 undergraduate fee schedule shows the breadth of the degrees. It includes BA and Humanities programmes, Law, Psychology, Commerce, Economics and Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Agricultural Science, Architecture, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Veterinary Medicine and Medicine.^[3] Graduate taught programmes include LLM, MSc Finance, MSc Marketing Practice, MSc Computer Science (Conversion) and MSc Data and Computational Science.^[9] Non-EU applicants can apply to a limited number of places in all courses except Nursing.^[5]

How much does University College Dublin cost in 2026/27?

Undergraduate, full-time, per year

The published fees include the Student Centre Levy of €254; a further AMLÉ student union levy of €5 is not included.^[10] The EU programme fee is the composite fee set by the Department of Education and Skills plus the student contribution and the levy.^[4] Across the full-time rows of the 2026/27 non-EU undergraduate schedule, rates run from €17,885 (transfer programmes) to €66,360 (graduate-entry Medicine).^[3]

If you started a multi-year programme on a non-EU rate in or after 2014/15, your fee stays at the level of your starting year as long as you stay on the same programme. Non-EU entrants to Veterinary Medicine (DN300) are subject to annual increases.^[3] Fees published by schools or on other sites are for guidance only; UCD says its Registry pages are the only official source.^[3]

Graduate taught, first-year fees, full-time

These rows come from UCD’s 2026/27 graduate taught schedules, which list 306 full-time non-EU rows; the highest non-EU rate in the list is €31,780.^[9]

EU students: free fees and the student contribution

Under the Free Fees Initiative the Irish Exchequer pays tuition for EU students registered for the first time on qualifying full-time undergraduate degrees of at least two years. Part-time and postgraduate programmes are not covered. Eligible students still pay the Student Contribution Charge and the Student Centre Levy.^[11] For 2026/27 the combined payment is €2,754.^[4] UCD notes that a change to the Student Contribution Charge was announced in Budget 2027 and that it will publish updates when the details are available.^[4]

Free fees are not available to non-EU students.^[5] For living costs and the wider picture see our Ireland guide.

How do you apply to University College Dublin?

The route depends on your fee status, which UCD assesses from your place of birth, citizenship, residence and previous study.^[5]

• Undergraduate, EU fee status: apply through the CAO (Central Applications Office), the national admissions system. Applications are assessed under CAO procedures and published criteria.^[5]
• Undergraduate, non-EU: apply directly to UCD at ucd.ie/apply. Non-EU applicants are not considered through the CAO, and applicants with EU fee status are not considered through the non-EU route. Qualifications gained outside the EU are assessed individually.^[5]
• Graduate: most graduate programmes use ucd.ie/apply. An admissions tutor reviews the application; most programmes have delegated the assessment of non-EU applicants to UCD Global.^[5] The normal requirement for taught programmes is a recognised bachelor’s degree at second class honours, grade one (2:1), or equivalent; some programmes ask for more.^[12]

Applications are generally assessed on a rolling basis. We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by programme. Check the course page before you start.^[5]

Which English level do you need?

Teaching is in English, and the minimum requirements apply to all applicants and all levels.^[8] Applicants with the Irish Leaving Certificate need H7/O6 in English; others show equivalent competency through their school-leaving exam or one of these tests:^[8]

Results must normally be no more than two years old (for entry in September 2027, obtained since 1 February 2025), and the scores must come from a single sitting. For some graduate courses the requirements are higher, so ask the school you apply to. A UCD Pre-Sessional or Pre-Masters programme with an overall grade of C+ (at least C- in all components) is also accepted.^[8]

More about studying in Ireland

• Ireland: best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

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