Top universities in Ireland

TU Dublin is one of Ireland’s first technological universities, founded in 2019. The school specialises in STEM fields. 

Technological University of Dublin is incredibly diverse with over 28,000 students of over 140 different nationalities. It has five campuses in total: three within the city of Dublin and two more located in the nearby areas of Blanchardstown and Tallaght. 

Maynooth University was originally established as an autonomous university in 1997 but traces its origins back to the foundation of The Royal College of Saint Patrick in 1795. 

Today, the school teaches over 15,000 students from over 100 countries. It is incredibly internationally focused, offering a wide range of international programmes and partnerships.

Dublin City University was founded in 1975 and has five campuses, three academic, one innovation campus and one dedicated solely to sports, all within 2.5km of each other. 

Dublin City University is focused on increasing students’ employability and building transferable skills. It was Ireland’s first higher education institution to integrate workplace internships into its undergraduate courses. It may also be noted that Dublin City University received a particularly high score in the sustainability indicator.

Located on the west coast, along the River Shannon, the University of Limerick enjoys unspoilt natural surroundings. 

The University of Limerick also has strong links to business and industry and, as a result, its graduates experience a 15 percent higher employment rate than the national average. The school pioneered the concept of Cooperative Education in Ireland and places over 2,000 of its students in paid work experience placements, 30 percent of which are located abroad. 

The University of Galway was founded in 1845. Since then, it has grown massively in both size and reputation, now having a student population of over 18,000.

The University of Galway offers an extensive list of both undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as part-time degrees, flexible learning and online learning options. It also places a focus on the employability of its graduates with 96 percent working or in further education six months after graduating. 

University College Cork is significantly older than some of the other Irish universities featured in the rankings thus far, having been founded in 1849. It now has a student population of over 20,000. 

University College Cork has scored particularly highly this year in the sustainability indicator. This is partly due to the introduction of its Green Campus Programme, led by students, to increase sustainability and environmentalism across their teaching, research, and outreach.  

In 2020 it received a green flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education which it has maintained for the last four years. 

University College Dublin teaches over 38,000 students including over 10,000 international students from 144 different countries. 

The school earns one of Ireland’s best scores for academic reputation. University College Dublin’s flexible curriculum and research-led learning taught by top academic staff mean that students graduate with an internationally accredited degree from a university which is within the top one percent of institutions worldwide. 

Trinity College Dublin did well across all indicators in this year's rankings including academic reputation, international research network and employment outcomes.  

Founded in 1592, the university is steeped in history with a reputation for excellence in education, research, and innovation. It is the only Irish member of the prestigious League of European Research Universities and boasts an impressive list of alumni including writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett, scientists William Rowan Hamilton and Earnest Walton and political thinker Edmund Burke. 

Learn more about studying at Trinity College Dublin by chatting to a current student about their experience.