r/UCD

Hi, I have submitted documents on 31st july, dispatched to delhi embassy on 5th august, got my fee receipt after submission and submitted that as additional documents (without the embassy requesting for it) on 17th august. Does this delay my visa? My course starts sept 7th DCU, and they have agreed for extenstion for couple weeks post that date as my classes only start on 15th. the registration deadline on their website is 25th sept, i have not contacted them further about the extension, should i ? my_qualifications are 12th graduate, applied for Bsc Psychology and Mathematics DCU

Hey everyone, I recently applied for an Ireland student visa and realized I might have made a paperwork mistake regarding my education loan. My primary sponsors are my parents, and my financials consist of a ₹30 lakh education loan plus ₹10 lakh in liquid savings. Because my father works in Saudi Arabia as an NRI, the bank mandated a resident Indian co-applicant/guarantor, so we included my uncle on the loan application. (IN EVERY FINANCIAL SUMMARY FORM/CONSENT FORM ITS JUST MY PARENTS MOM AND DAD WHO ARE MY MAIN AND ONLY SPONSORS NOT MY UNCLE)
His name is now visible on the final loan sanction letter. However, since my uncle isn't providing any actual financial assistance, I didn't include his ID proofs or mention him in my visa cover letter or financial forms. Has anyone been in a similar situation where they omitted a passive bank guarantor's documents? Did it cause an INCO/ID refusal, or did you get a direct approval via benefit of thea doubt since the core funds were strong? Thanks!

I'm staying in Merville. Given the fact that I'm moving halfway across the world in a week, I'd kinda like to know who exactly I'm going to be living with for the next year prior to going.

I’m starting my Master’s this September and I’ve just realised that the class I have on Fridays will clash with a holiday I’ve booked in October… I booked the holiday before I knew my timetable because I knew I’d only be on campus 2–3 days a week, and there was no way for me to know what days I’d have classes. I would only be gone for the weekend. Unfortunately, the holiday is already booked and I can’t really change it now. I’m pretty sure this particular module has an attendance requirement, so I’m wondering how strict lecturers tend to be about missing one class?

Would it be best to just be upfront with the lecturer and say I have a pre-existing commitment/holiday booked, or is missing one Friday class generally not a huge deal? I obviously don’t want to start the year off looking irresponsible, but I also don’t want to make a huge thing out of missing one class.

If anyone has experience with attendance for Master’s modules here, I’d really appreciate knowing how strict it actually is and what you’d do in this situation.

Hiii everyone! I'm coming to UCD for exchange from sept to dec 2026. And I had a few questions:

1. What is the weather like? And what to pack for this weather? Are there any brands that you would recommend for jackets and warm clothes?
2. How easy is it to meet people and make friends as an exchange student?
3. How is the social scene in UCD and in Dublin? Also, how accessible is Dublin city center from the UCD campus?
4. Any other tips or advice?

Thank you very much and would appreciate any advice :)

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student from India and I’m considering doing an MSc Information Systems at University College Dublin (UCD) for the 2027 intake. I’m trying to understand whether this would actually be a sensible career move for someone coming from a non-technical background, especially if my goal is to work and eventually build a career in Ireland.

A little about my background:

• I have a BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration.
• I have around 6 years of professional experience.
• Most of my experience is in hotel/airline revenue management and consulting, rather than IT/software.
• I currently work in a consulting environment and have some exposure to project management, but I would still consider myself a beginner in the technical/IT side.
• I don't have a traditional computer science or engineering background.
• I’m currently planning to learn SQL, Power BI and Python to build some technical/data skills before starting the Master's.
• My longer-term goal is to transition into a role such as Business Analyst, Technology/IT Consultant, Data/Business Analytics, Product/Project-related roles, depending on what is realistically achievable.

My main concern is whether MSc Information Systems is actually the right bridge between my existing experience and the Irish job market, or whether I would be better off doing something like Management/Consulting/Project Management.

I would really appreciate perspectives from people who are studying or have graduated from UCD's MSc Information Systems, or people working in Ireland in related roles.

A few specific questions:

1. Is MSc Information Systems at UCD suitable for someone without a technical/CS background?
2. How difficult is the technical side of the course for someone coming from a business/hospitality background?
3. What kind of jobs do graduates realistically get after this degree in Ireland?
4. Would roles such as Business Analyst, IT Business Analyst, Technology Consultant, Data Analyst, or Product-related roles be realistic targets?
5. How is the current Irish job market for these roles, particularly for international graduates who require an employment permit?
6. Does having 6 years of prior professional experience help, even though it isn't IT experience?
7. Would my hospitality/revenue-management background be useful for getting into any particular area of technology or business analysis?

I’m not expecting the degree itself to guarantee a job. I’m more interested in understanding whether it gives someone with my background a realistic pathway into employment in Ireland, and what I would need to do during the Master's to make myself employable.

Thanks!

Hey guys.

I still have a conditional offer for my undergraduate which required me to just meet the a level requirements for my course. I uploaded a digital scan of my official results on my application's "additional files" however I don't know when UCD will check them and change my conditional offer.

I was told that I cannot proceed with registration for my classes if my conditional offer doesn't change. So what am I supposed to do?

I'm worried that I'll miss the registration to pick the classes I want. Idk

Any advice?

Hello everyone,

I am looking to apply for a Master at UCD next year. I know EU postgraduates are pretty unlikely to receive accomodation by the university.

Does anyone have any experience with applying for Housing with a disability? I am aware there is accessible rooms, however I do not need one those. The most helpful thing would just be to have a place to stay, as close to classes as possible.

I know you can hand in further information about disability when you apply.

Has anyone here, who has a disabillity that does NOT require an accessible room, done that and received an offer? Are you more likely to receive housing with a disability?

For the record, I don't want an accessible room as I don't want to take it from people who are in actual need.

Any reply would be helpful :)

Before anyone asks, I have Crohn's disease ☺️

Since we hear back from the uni acomm 28-30 of august it worries me cause in theory we would need to be moved in and ready for orientation 1 of sep no? lmk how you guys are dealing with this! like moving in and staying a hotel for a few nights or.

hello, i am an incoming exchange student coming this fall, is UCD strict on attendance? As i am planning to travel and may miss some lectures or tutorials, and i was wandering if that will affect my grades? I am taking mostly BSEN, school of bioscience and engineering modules!

Hi all, hoping for some local knowledge since I have been doing this search more than 2 months from abroad and I still cant find anything. The hardest part is not finding place, it is that nobody answer.

I'm a 4th-year CS student coming to UCD for an Erasmus exchange semester (28 Aug – 26 Dec 2026). Budget is around €600-850/month all-in (bills included), and ideally somewhere I can walk or cycle or ride to Belfield in under 30-60 min.

So far everything student-accommodation-branded (Aparto, Yugo, etc.) is coming in at €1,000+/month even for the "budget" options, way outside what I can afford. I've been going through Daft, CollegeCribs, digs, HomeStay, AccommodationPad and Hosting Power with mixed luck — a lot of no-replies.

A few questions for anyone who's been through this:

• Do you have any dorm for students in Dublin and do they accept students from other unis?
• Is there actually any realistic dorm option in my price limit?

Really appreciate any pointers — trying to find something with under two weeks left before I fly out. Thanks!

Hi all! I am a mature student that accepted an offer to attend UCD as an undergrad in September! I accepted the offer and went to an informational day a few weeks ago and they said that I would receive emails about registration and all the admin stuff in the coming weeks.

I have slight anxiety because I haven't received any emails since that day, and I'm just wondering if that is normal. Should I have recieved anything about registration yet or am I just to eager?

I have a date to attend an open day on September 1st and I assumed I'd get emails about registering or student card details or something. Thanks for any answers

What’s the number I should add for immigration from ucd’s side I’ve emailed them but they haven’t replied and I need to apply for my visa asap

Hey guys, will be flying in on 1st of September and was wondering what mobile network should I go with, along with some data plans. Also will I be able to get it at the airport?? Would love to get some suggestions 🙏🫡

Hi everyone, I’m currently deciding between UCD Graduate Entry Radiography (2.5 years) and Portobello MSc Physiotherapy (2 years).

I’m more interested in physiotherapy, but I’m concerned about the quality of clinical placements at Portobello and whether this could affect getting the first hospital job after graduation.

For anyone working in radiography/physiotherapy in Ireland, which would you choose for long-term job stability, career progression and flexibility, and how important are placements for getting that first job?

Would really appreciate honest advice. Thanks!

I’ll be beginning the first year of my undergraduate next month in Dublin. Im turning 23 soon and im curious if other started around this age or older. How did it go for you? Was there a mix of ages or was it very 18 year old dominated?

Also just wondering about clubs and societies, kinda worried I’d end up being the only “old one” in the room. Can anyone share their experiences and how they navigated it? Thank you!

I will be 23 soon and have never gone to university. Im not sure what to expect, would there be many students like me starting a few years later?

I’m planning to apply to UCD Medicine in Dublin and had a few questions, so if anyone could help me out, I’d really appreciate it. I’ve heard that the SAT isn’t required for UCD Medicine and that it’s test-optional, but a few of my friends from the Class of 2026 applied, and the people who were accepted wrote the SAT. I didn’t give myself much time to prepare because I have some other things going on right now, so I’d prefer not to take it, but if it makes a significant difference to my application, I’ll try my best to study for a week straight.

A friend of mine also told me that the SAT is mainly useful if you have average grades or are barely meeting the academic requirements. I’ve checked and I’m confident that I’m okay academically, but I still wanted to ask: does the SAT make a significant difference for UCD Medicine? And if not the SAT, what do you think made the biggest difference in your application? I’m confident in my GPA and my ability to write a good essay. My extracurriculars are decent—mostly volunteering and some research, nothing crazy—but I’d still like to know what I could do to strengthen my application. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, if it isn’t too much to ask, do you regret going to UCD?

How is the market currently for someone with 4 years of IT experience at a company like Capgemini, especially while pursuing an MSc in Computer Science at UCD?

Is it realistic to find internships/part-time tech roles during the course and a full-time software role after graduation?

How much does prior experience help in the Irish job market?