For the 2012 academic year, UCD’s Orientation Week and International Student Welcome will take place between Tuesday 4th September to Friday 7th September.
Welcome to UCD – we can’t wait to meet you at the airport!
UCD International is delighted to announce details of our airport welcome for incoming international students. The team will be based at a courtesy booth in the Arrivals Hall of Terminal 2, Dublin airport from Monday 3rd September to Wednesday 5th September inclusive. Members of the team will also be in the Arrivals Hall in Terminal 1 and will direct you to Terminal 2. When you arrive in the airport look for members of the team who will be wearing UCD t-shirts. They will direct you to the UCD booth. The team will be on hand from 08:00 to 17:00 to answer any questions and assist you with your transfer to UCD.Transfer from the Airport to UCD
Dublin Airport is 10 km north of the city centre. Aircoach, a private bus service from Dublin Airport to the city centre and to destinations south of the River Liffey. Two routes serve UCD Campuses with the recommended route being the Leopardstown route which passes by the main entrance to UCD on the Stillorgan Road and also serves Muckross Residences.
This service departs Dublin Airport at the following times:
04:00 – 06:00 Every 20 minutes
06:00 – 20:00 Every 10 minutes
20:00 – 00:00 Every 20 minutes
00:00 – 04:00 Every hour
For UCD Belfield campus please depart the Aircoach at the N11 Montrose stop. For Muckross residence please depart the Aircoach at the Hampton Hotel stop. If you are staying in Blackrock residences you can take the Leopardstown Aircoach to UCD and then take a taxi to Blackrock. This will cost €10 or less. An alternative route is to take the Greystones Aircoach direct from Dublin Airport and depart at the Blackrock Village stop. Please note this service is not as regular and there is at least one hour between services.
An online discount rate has been negotiated with Aircoach. To avail of this discount please follow the instructions below:
1. Students should book two single tickets as opposed to a return ticket. This will ensure that you can avail of a discounted fare on your return home. In order to get the discount you must book two single tickets online between the 24th August and the 1st September.
2. Fill in details. Please see example of Aircoach booking form.
Origin - Dublin Airport
Destination - UCD Slip Road
Journey type - Single
Outwards date - select date that you will be arriving in Dublin
Discount code - UCD
3. In order to get the Aircoach discount for your departure from Ireland repeat steps above for the date when you will be leaving Dublin. Discount tickets that you purchase online can be used between the 3rd September - 3oth September (Dublin Airport to UCD) and 1st December to 23rd December (UCD to Dublin Airport)
For full details and the route map please see Aircoach.
Arriving late at night at the airport
If you arrive in the airport after 20:00, you should take a taxi to your destination. A taxi from the airport to the city centre costs approximately €25 and an additional €15 from the city centre to UCD, Belfield. Taxi drivers may add extra charges for each passenger and for luggage. If staying on the Belfield campus, you should advise taxi drivers to enter the campus via the Fosters Avenue entrance. The student residences are signposted.
International Student Welcome
The International Student Welcome and Information Fair will take place on Wednesday September 5th, where information will be provided about many student support services around UCD.
Orientation Programme by Categories
UCD International Orientation Programme September 2012
UCD International Graduate Orientation Programme September 2012
Erasmus Orientation Programme September 2012
Non-EU Exchange Orientation Programme September 2012
Centre for Study Abroad Orientation Programme September 2012
Pre-Masters Orienataion Programme September 2012
Call home with your free O2 Mobile Phone SIM card!
UCD International and O2 will be providing each international student with a free O2 SIM card when you arrive in UCD. O2 is a telecommunications and broadband provider based in Ireland.
A dedicated O2 staff member will be based in the UCD Global Lounge on Thursday 6th September from 12:-00 - 21:00 to answer any questions regarding the mobile phone provider. Each free SIM will contain €10 free call credit that can be used straight away. The free SIM will give you free calls and texts to all other O2 customers.
Unlock your phone
Your new O2 SIM card will be ready to use as soon as you receive it and is compatible with most international phones. Students can purchase a new phone when they arrive in Ireland or unlock their existing mobile phones. If you wish to use your existing phone, please ensure it is unlocked and is compatible to accept an international SIM card. Please follow the instructions below to unlock your phone.
-Contact your phone network. They can provide the phone unlocking code on request. Most networks will provide this if you have spent over a certain amount of credit. Once you have the code, Google your phone model to find unlocking instructions to guide you through the process.
-Go to an independent phone shop. Many provide a service to unlock phones at a minimal cost. Check online for the closest shop to you.
-Your phone may be unlocked already! You can check this by putting in a different SIM card to your current network and see if it works.
