UCD Access and Lifelong Learning works to engage and build relationships between communities that are ‘distant’ from higher education, and the University community. This is achieved by:
- Fostering access and participation through outreach initiatives and tailored supports for prospective, incoming, and current students. We are proud to support a diverse student body, including students with disabilities, mature students, part-time learners, and those from communities experiencing disadvantage. Currently 38% of undergraduate students are drawn from access cohorts, exceeding the University KPI of 35%.
- Expanding pathways to education by developing flexible and part-time lifelong learning programmes that offer accessible opportunities for our wider communities at all stages of life to engage with university learning.
- Embedding Universal Design across UCD, working collaboratively with staff and students to ensure that access and inclusion is everyone’s business.
Commitment to Sustainable Practices
UCD Access and Lifelong Learning is committed to embedding sustainability into every aspect of our work — including how we plan, organise, and deliver our events and programmes. We recognise that even small actions can have a meaningful impact. That’s why we strive to make our events more environmentally responsible by reducing waste, minimising energy use, and making thoughtful choices about catering, materials, and venues.
This commitment reflects our broader values: to support lifelong learning in ways that are not only inclusive and empowering, but also mindful of our shared responsibility to the planet. As we engage learners from all walks of life, we aim to lead by example — fostering awareness and action toward a more sustainable future.
