About Trinity College

Welcome from the Provost

I hope that you will consider joining us as a student at Trinity College Dublin.

Trinity College Dublin is recognised internationally as Ireland’s premier university and as one of the top universities in the world*. Founded in 1592, it is the oldest university in Ireland. Today the College has a vibrant community of 16,837 students representing every county in Ireland, 122 nationalities, and a wide range of social backgrounds and age-groups. Some of the most famous people in Irish history have been educated at Trinity College; writers like Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett; scientists like William Rowan Hamilton and E.T.S. Walton, who won the Nobel Prize for his work on the atom, as well as two Irish presidents and many industry leaders.

Trinity College has a number of important priorities for its students. Each incoming student is assigned a Tutor, a member of the academic staff, who is there to advise you and help if any personal problem arises. This tutorial system is unique in Ireland. In addition, a student-to-student mentoring programme for first year students has been initiated. Other high quality student services include the Careers Advisory Service. There are also possibilities of studying abroad in other leading universities through Trinity College’s partnership agreements.

Students benefit from a scholar-teacher model where you have the opportunity of being taught by world-leading experts in their field. Offering a unique educational experience across a range of disciplines in the Arts, Humanities, Engineering, Science, Human, Social and Health Sciences, TCD’s curriculum is aimed not just at acquiring knowledge but at developing critical thinking and facilitating research at every stage of the undergraduate programme. You will learn to think for yourself, to learn from your mistakes, and refine your mind to be able to manage whatever the changing world may throw at you. These skills are for life.

Located in the heart of Ireland’s busy capital city, TCD students can avail of the many attractions and facilities Dublin has to offer. The campus’s state-of-the-art facilities include a modern Sports Centre, the Science Gallery – which is the first of its kind in the world, and the Trinity College Library, the largest research library in Ireland. In addition to collections gathered over four centuries, the College has had 200 years of legal deposit, allowing Trinity College to claim a copy of every book published in Ireland and the UK. It is also home to an extensive collection of manuscripts, the most famous being the Book of Kells.

The ‘Trinity Experience’ is a chance in a lifetime for personal development in the broadest sense. Trinity College has many diverse and colourful societies and clubs which contribute much to the life and fabric of the University and community. There are some 50 sports clubs and almost 100 student societies to participate in, with something to suit all interests.

Committed to excellence in teaching, research and innovation, Trinity College Dublin guarantees a distinctive all-round undergraduate experience that will change your life forever. As a student you feel a great sense of history, of walking in the footsteps of famous graduates, many of whom have and are helping shape the history of Ireland and the wider world.
I hope you will consider joining us to study here and look forward to welcoming you on campus for an exciting new journey that will open your mind to new experiences, ways of thinking and friendships, many of which will last for a lifetime.

Patrick Prendergast
Provost
July 2011

* Trinity College Dublin is ranked in 65th position in the top 100 world universities and 20th position in the top European universities by the QS World University Rankings 2011. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, TCD is ranked 76th in the top 200 world universities and 14th in the top European universities.