Why This University?

At Ireland’s premier university, the pursuit of excellence through research, scholarship and teaching is at the heart of a Trinity education. Founded in 1592, Trinity College Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the older universities of Western Europe. On today’s campus, state-of-the-art libraries, laboratories and IT facilities stand alongside historic buildings on a city-centre 47-acre campus.

Trinity College Dublin (TCD) offers a unique educational experience across a range of disciplines in the arts, humanities, engineering, science, human, social and health sciences.

TCD has an outstanding record of publications in high-impact journals, and a track record in winning research funding which is among the best in the country. Students also benefit from a scholar teacher model where they have the opportunity of being taught by world-leading experts in their field.

Interdisciplinarity forms a key element in the College strategy in increasing Trinity’s international standing as a research-led university. TCD has developed significant international strength in research in eight major themes which include globalisation; cancer; genetics; neuroscience; immunology and infection; communications and intelligent systems; nano and materials science as well as Irish culture and the creative arts.

Most of the university’s activities are carried out on the historic campus located in the heart of Dublin. The west end of the campus is laid out in five quadrangles with distinguished buildings from the 18th century, notably the Old Library. The Library of Trinity College is the largest research library in Ireland and is an invaluable resource to scholars. In addition to purchases and donations accrued over four centuries, the College has had 200 years of legal deposit. By this right Trinity can claim a copy of every book published in Ireland the UK. The Library contains 4.25 million volumes, 30,000 current serial titles as well as an extensive collection of manuscripts, the most famous being the Book of Kells.

Towards the east end of the campus the recently built Hamilton, O’Reilly and Lloyd buildings house many of Trinity’s science and technology laboratories and complement the recently completed Dental Hospital. The Samuel Beckett Theatre is located towards the north of the campus and the Douglas Hyde Art Gallery to the south. The construction of the country’s first purpose-built building for a nanoscience research institute has just been completed which houses Ireland’s first Science Gallery. This new building also includes a state-of-the-art sports complex.


Trinity College launched its new Strategic Plan Update 2006 last year. The strategy is reflective of national policy and the objective of doubling the number of PhDs across all disciplines by 2013 in order to move towards a knowledge society. In order to achieve this, the College has received some of the largest allocations of Irish Government funding which have become competitively available to date. Trinity College has also embarked on a major fundraising campaign to fund the implementation of this Plan.

Trinity continues to attract intellectually strong students from Ireland and abroad. More than half of its incoming undergraduates have earned in excess of 500 out of a maximum 600 points in the national Leaving Certificate examination or the equivalent. The accessibility of a Trinity education to all students of ability is also very important. Trinity College was the first university in Ireland to reserve 15% of first year undergraduate places for students from non-traditional learning groups – students with a disability, socio-economically disadvantaged students as well as mature students. The College has met its target in this respect. There is also an exciting international mix of its student body where 16% of students are from outside Ireland and 40% of these students are from outside the European Union. TCD students also have an opportunity to study abroad in other leading European universities through Trinity’s partnership agreements.


People?
Many of Trinity College Dublin’s alumni have helped shape the history of Ireland and Western Europe. Two of Trinity College’s alumni have won Nobel prizes – Ernest Walton for physics in 1951 and Samuel Beckett for literature in 1968. The first president of Ireland, Douglas Hyde was a graduate as was the first female president of Ireland, Mary Robinson. Other notable alumni include authors, Jonathan Swift and Oliver Goldsmith; philosopher, George Berkeley; political philosopher, Edmund Burke; wit and dramatist, Oscar Wilde; historian, William Lecky; religious scholar, James Ussher; scientists, John Joly, George Johnstone Stoney and William Rowan Hamilton; and physicians, William Stokes and Denis Burkitt.


What do students say?
Postgraduate student, Haiyan Wang, from the Shandong Province in China completed a Masters degree in Economics and is currently doing a PhD also in Economics at Trinity College Dublin. Haiyan chose TCD because it is Ireland’s premier university and enjoys an international reputation for its high quality of teaching and competitive research strength, attracting students from all over the world. “I am confident that the internationally recognised education which I received at Trinity College Dublin will enable me to pursue my career both in Ireland and worldwide,” said Haiyan. She also found the College academic staff very supportive and accessible throughout her studies and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere in the department where she studied.