Study at UCD

Undergraduate Offer Holders

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Congratulations!

Welcome to University College Dublin and congratulations on being offered a place to study in Ireland in one of Europe's leading research-intensive universities. Upon entering one of our programmes you will begin on a path of intellectual stimulation, acquiring new knowledge and skills enabling you to become a highly-qualified graduate in your chosen discipline. In broader terms, you will also find studying in UCD a life-changing experience, where you will be helped to grow both personally and professionally, preparing you for a rewarding career.

The following information will help you prepare to attend UCD - everything from housing to financial aid to registration and beyond will be covered on this page. If you have any questions once you've looked through everything, feel free to contact the representative for your region - find your rep!

There are a lot of steps you'll need to take to prepare for your first day of classes at UCD!  The information below will provide direct links to all of the information you need. 

To get an idea of what comes next, please review the North America Admitted Student Timeline 2024

You can also get a jump start on packing with our recommended North America Packing Suggestions 2024

You can also review this information in expanded PDF form in the Offer Pack:

UCD 2024 Offer Pack

 

UCD is hosted a virtual webinar for Admitted Students to walk through what to expect going forward. You can view the recording here: https://youtu.be/XMvWyWPVENM

Follow all UCD’s latest news, events, and updates!

Facebook at UCDGlobal

Twitter @UCD_Global

Instagram @UCDGlobal

 

 

Types of Offers:

An Offer (sometimes called Unconditional or Full Offer):
-means that you have met all the entry requirements for the course.

A Conditional Offer:
-means that you will be accepted if you meet certain additional requirements as laid out in your offer letter. These conditions are typically graduating from your current school with an equivalent academic record as when you applied or achieving certain marks on AP/IB exams or other standardized tests in progress.

Acceptance Deadlines:

Undergraduate Students - Accept by May 1st

Graduate Students - Accept by June 1st

To Accept Your Offer:

Please log in to your application account (at www.ucd.ie/global/apply). Upon logging in, you will see that your application to MAJOR appears with the status of ‘Offer/Conditional Offer’. Click on ‘Accept or Reject’ and it will bring you to the page where you can either accept, and pay the deposit if appropriate, or decline the offer.

Your acceptance will not be complete until you successfully record your acceptance and, where appropriate, pay the deposit.

Deposits:

Most courses have a deposit of €500 and is required to secure your place. Deposits are non-refundable. The deposit amount will be deducted from your fees due in the fall.

Deferring Offers:

If you are considering deferring your offer, please contact a member of the NAGC.  Deferrals will not be available in all cases and require you to meet all conditions of your offer and submit a deposit (which will be applied to the fees for the subsequent year).

As an American student, you are eligible to use US Federal Loans to help cover the cost of study at UCD. The first step is to fill out a FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/ and send it to us at code G10188.

You must submit an additional application for Federal Aid to UCD after you complete the FAFSA. This application is due by July 31st, 2024. 

*Note: Foreign schools are not Pell-eligible at this time, so the only federal aid that is applicable are Direct Loans and PLUS Loans.

Please check your email after you accept your offer, as we will be sending regular updates. For more information please visit our Financial Aid page.

 

For further guidance, please view our US Federal Loan Overview from Spring 2024. 

UCD offers exceptional, high quality on-campus accommodation to international students. On-campus living means single rooms in apartment style suites, with a variety of living options all right on campus!

UCD seeks to guarantee on-campus accommodation for all first-year undergraduate international students, and accommodation is also available for graduate students on a limited basis. Our Residences website with information on accommodation types and availabilities can be found at http://www.ucd.ie/residences/

Accommodation booking is open to students that have accepted their offer and paid their course deposit. After accepting your offer, check the email you used when applying to UCD often, as we will be sending important information to that email. You can also view the instructions to book accommodation on the UCD Residences Site for New International Students.

You can view all of the on-campus residence options in preparation for the housing application. Virtual tours of all residences can be also seen online

*Please email all questions about accommodation booking to residences@ucd.ie

Many postgraduate students and some undergraduate students choose to live off-campus during their time at UCD. We suggest starting your search by visiting http://www.ucdaccommodationpad.ie/Home (more details here). UCD also advertises these websites as good for off-campus housing search:

www.daft.ie
www.independent.ie
www.let.ie
www.myhome2let.ie
More found here.

Areas close to campus to search:

DUBLIN 4: Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount
DUBLIN 6: Ranelagh, Rathgar, Rathmines
DUBLIN 14: Clonskeagh, Dundrum, Goatstown
DUBLIN COUNTY: Blackrock, Booterstown, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Dun Laoghaire

Book your flights as soon as you can to avail of the best prices. Many international airlines fly to Dublin every day, so there are many options.

If you book a round-trip ticket to return home at the end of the fall semester, ensure that you will be on campus for the entirety of the Final Exam period. See Key Dates here: http://www.ucd.ie/students/keydates.htm

 

Upon graduation, you must send us an official copy of your final high school and/or university transcripts. The transcripts can be sent:

Via email to northamerica@ucd.ie directly from a guidance counselor or university

Via mail to:

University College Dublin
12 E. 49th St.
11th Floor
New York, NY 10017

If you have a condition of receiving specific AP exam scores, please make sure to send a copy of your test scores to UCD when they become available. Our College Board AP exam code is 6675.

Non-EU students must obtain private health insurance. You can purchase insurance in your home country or use your current insurance plan, however you will need to ensure that it is valid in Ireland and in any other countries you plan to travel to. There are different levels of private health insurance available; students are advised to read their policy documents carefully and travel with a full printed copy of their insurance documents (not just the insurance card). 

Basic medical insurance which satisfies the visa requirement for private health insurance can be obtained before students arrive in Ireland. UCD Global has more information including recommended providers at our Health Insurance site.

Throughout the summer, UCD will use the email address you applied with. If your email address changes at any time before starting at UCD, please log in to your application, click "Add/Edit Personal Details" and input your current email address.

Your UCDConnect email account will become available in September and will be used to send communications throughout your time as a student.  In September, please visit www.ucd.ie and click on “UCD Connect.” To log in:

Your username is your UCD student number.

You will need to register online before you can begin your undergraduate studies at UCD.  Registration allows you to obtain your student ucard and gain access to the wide range of facilities available to our students. Registration for the majority of programmes takes place in August and is done online. You will receive notification via email when Registration opens. Typically for courses starting in September, registration will open in August. Please see www.ucd.ie/students/registration.html for further details on Registration such as times, guides (including video guides) to registration and other support information. This website will be updated near registration open time in August.

Fee payment is easy and can be done online. Fees are usually not due until September. Up-to-date fee payment deadlines can be found here.

You can pay in three different ways. Please visit here for details on all three methods. Problems paying your deposit? Please check our list of commonly found payment problems here.

If you are taking out Federal Loans from the US Department of Education, you can elect to have your fees and UCD Residences costs (if applicable) deducted from your loans before disbursement to your bank account. Refer to your Federal Loan Instruction Document for more information.

In order to open an Irish bank account with one of the main banks in Ireland, you need to have an address in Ireland, have completed your online registration at UCD and received your Certificate of Attendance. You can open an Irish bank account in person after arriving in Dublin. 

To make an appointment to open a bank account, see links for Allied Irish Bank (AIB) and Bank of Ireland (BOI) listed below. Whilst different bank branches can be used for opening an account, the AIB branch in Clonskeagh is closest to the Belfield campus, and Blackrock for the Smurfit campus. BOI has branches on the Stillorgan Road and in Blackrock.

On the day of your bank appointment, you will be required to show the following documents:

  • Valid Passport/National ID Card.
  • Certificate of Attendance that lists both your permanent and Irish addresses. (Please check that your correct addresses are on your SISweb account, as this information will be included on your Certificate of Attendance).
  • UCard (UCD student card) is required by Allied Irish Bank.

Allied Irish Bank 

Bank of Ireland

Alternatively, you may wish to open a digital bank account such as Revolut before coming to Ireland. One Irish company which offers this service is Money Jar. It provides you with an Irish IBAN so you can get paid into your Money Jar account plus pay all of your day-to-day bills, make mobile and online payments with your MJ Mastercard.

To open an account with Money Jar, you need a valid government issued identification document (from any country) and an Irish postal address (to receive your card in the post, it doesn’t have to be your permanent residential address), and you’ll have a digital current account set up in minutes. All Money Jar client funds are held in a tier 1 Irish bank and are fully regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. 

You can sign up from anywhere in the world by downloading the Money Jar app from your smart phone app store. UCD students can use the sign-up code 71678 to set up an account. Further details are available in the Money Jar - Guide for UCD Students

All students from outside the EU/EEA, whether you require a visa or not, must register with Irish Immigration Service after they have registered with UCD and before the expiry date stamped on their passport by immigration officials at the airport. 

Registration is mandatory and must be done in due time. If you are resident in Dublin city or county and wish to register a permission for the first time, please call Freephone 1800 800630 and attend the Burgh Quay Office which is located in Dublin City Centre. If you are residing outside Dublin, you will be registering with Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). 

Please be aware that your biometric data such as fingerprints and photo will be collected as part of your registration process.

You must have the following when you go to register:

  • Your passport
  • Certificate of Attendance (All students can access an electronic Certificate of Attendance online via SISWeb
  • Proof that you have paid at least €6000 in course fees (an online copy of your Fee Receipt (known as a Fee Statement) is available through SISWeb)
  • Proof of scholarship funding (if relevant)
  • Proof that you have private medical insurance 
  • If you did not need a visa to come to Ireland, you must also prove that you can support yourself financially while you are in the country. You can do this by showing you have direct access to:
    • €4,500, if you are staying for more than 6 months
    • €500 per month or €3,000 (in total) if you are staying 6 months or less
  • Please see further information about evidence of finances on the Irish Immigration website.
  • A credit/debit card for payment of €300 registration fee (or Bank Giro obtainable from INIS office)

You can check all requirements for first time registration on the Irish Immigration official website. If any of the documents are missing, your application will be rejected.

Please note that students under the age of 18 must have their guardian present at the time of first registration.  Guardians must have their own passport, written authorisation from the students parents (proof of guardianship) and proof of residence in Ireland. The 300 euros fee is waived for these students.

On successful completion of your ISD registration, you will be issued with an Irish Residency Permit  (IRP) card which is your registration certificate. This will be sent to you by post/mail within 10 working days. This is valid for one year, or for single semester students, until the end of their course. Your IRP is a very important document and you must carry it with you at all times.

If you do not receive the card within 10 working days, contact ISD at burghquayregoffice@justice.ie with your full name, registration number (if available), nationality and date of birth.

Orientation is the time to ask all questions, to meet other students, have fun and dive into Irish culture! Orientation introduces you to the University and key staff members, and provides you with crucial information and advice that will assist you in adjusting to the living and learning environment of the University. You will receive academic advice about your course and support in how to enroll in the correct units of study. For more information, visit our Orientation Page

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