Support and Services
Whether you are already familiar with Trinity College, or are new to its facilities, services, culture and traditions, the start of graduate life can present many challenges. Student services can make a crucial contribution to your student experience. The mission of student services is to provide opportunities of the highest quality for student development in an inclusive, caring and cost effective way, consistent with the academic mission of College.
Here is a list of the Student Services available in Trinity. You will find more information on each service’s website.
The Student Counselling Service
The Student Counselling Service is a confidential, professional service available free of charge to every Trinity College student. It offers help in coping with any personal or emotional problems which may impact on your studies or progress in the university. Appointments should be made directly with the Counselling Service. Students may also like to contact the Peer Support Group 'Student 2 Student' which is a group of students trained in listening and helping other students. The Counselling Service is also home to the centre for Student Learning Development which provides learning support to help students reach their academic potential. Alongside extensive online resources which address a variety of topics such as Critical Thinking, Presentations, Exam Nerves and Publication, Student Learning Development also offer a series of short wokshops throughout the academic year and individual learning consultations by appointment.
College Chaplaincy:
Trinity College Dublin is non-denominational and as part of its commitment to enhancing the quality of student life, supports a chaplaincy service run by the four principal Christian traditions in Ireland. All share the College Chapel equally and the chaplaincy encourages a deeper spirituality and dialogue between all faiths and religious traditions. Chaplains offer pastoral and spiritual guidance through a programme of faith development, conversation and prayer groups and students are welcome to attend any of the seminars, days of reflection and weekends away. Tea and coffee are available all day in the chaplaincy in House 27 on weekdays during term time and a free lunch of soup and sandwiches is available each Tuesday in term time between 12.30 and 1.30. All students are welcome.
The College also maintains prayer rooms for Muslim students. Further details of these, other religious communities in the Dublin area and the times of services in the College chapel are available on the Chaplaincy website.
Sports and Recreation:
Trinity College recognizes the important role that sport plays in a well-rounded university education and has a full range of sports facilities on and off campus. All students are encouraged to participate. The new 6,500 sq. metre Sports Centre has a 25-metre, 6 lane swimming pool with a floating floor, a large fitness theatre with over 60 exercise stations, an 11 metre high climbing wall, a fitness studio and a spin studio, sauna and steam room and two large sports halls.
There are 50 sports clubs in Trinity College so no matter what your sporting preference you will find a club in Trinity to suit you or you may like to try something new – rugby, soccer, hockey, swimming, tennis, Gaelic games, basketball, volleyball, cricket and martial arts. Off campus there are extensive playing fields at Santry and the Trinity Boat Club has its boathouse on the River Liffey at Islandbridge. Get started, get active!
Careers Advisory Service
The Careers Advisory Service (CAS) offers a wide range of information, guidance, workshops and events for postgraduate students.
The Careers Information Centre contains employer, occupational and postgraduate folders, information on funding, and general career planning material.
The award winning CAS website contains daily updated vacancy information, details of upcoming events and presentations. There is a huge variety of information on occupations, employers and different career options, for example the Vault online library and ‘Going Global’ resource. The Careers Advisory Service also provides a number of web-based guidance tools such as the Prospects Planner tool and the ‘Profiling for Success’ suite of tools for ability or personality testing requirements.
Postgraduate students can arrange to meet a Careers Advisor for one-to-one guidance to discuss careers options, and can also choose from a wide range of practical workshops, for example CV preparation, interview skills or assessment centres. Students can also avail of practice interviews on video and CV review.
The Careers Advisory Service is located on the 2nd Floor, 7-9 South Leinster St .
Email:careers@tcd.ie (Email)
Telephone: (+353 1) 896 1721/1705
Disability Services
The Disability Service aims to provide appropriate advice, support and information to help students of College, potential students and staff with disabilities.
If you require assistance for a disability or specific learning difficulty, you should register with Disability Service (DS). The service is located in the Arts Building, Room 2054 on the entrance level, past the Lecky Library.
Students who register with the Disability Service usually are/or have:
- Hearing Impaired / Deaf
- Visually Impaired / Blind
- Specific Learning Difficulties
- Physical Disability
- Medical Disability
- Mental Health Difficulties
What proof of my disability do I need to provide to DS?
You will need to provide medical evidence of your disability, or an educational psychologist report if you have a specific learning difficulty, such as Dyslexia. More information on Evidence of Disability and registering with the Disability Service is available from our website.
What supports are available?
Your Disability Officer will work with you to assess the level of support you might require. Support needs might include the use of assistive technology, assistance from our academic support tutors, and examination accommodations if these are relevant to your course.
If you have a query or wish to make an appointment with a Disability Officer, you can contact us as follows:
By Text / SMS (for Deaf Students): 086 3442322
By Email: disab@tcd.ie (Email)
Centre For Academic Practice and Student Learning (CAPSL)
The Centre for Academic Practice and Student Learning was established in 2003 to assist the college in developing a strong framework for supporting best academic practice and the highest quality of student learning. As part of this remit CAPSL offers a range of workshops specifically designed to support postgraduates in their research and teaching activities within college, including the annual Postgraduate Skills Development Summer School. A sample of the types of activities coordinated by the Learning Support and Development team can be found on the Student Learning Development website.
For more details on the courses available, or to book an individual consultation please contact the Learning Support and Development team at student.learning@tcd.ie (Email).
Support for graduate teaching activities is provided by the Academic Practice team based in Foster Place. The team offers a wide variety of workshops which provide support to teaching assistants in their day-to-day teaching activities as well as in their further professional development.
For more details on the resources available please contact one of the dedicated Development Officers on (01) 896 3930 or email:
Dr. Ciara O'Farrell: cofarre@tcd.ie (Email)
Ms. Jade Barrett: barretja@tcd.ie (Email)
Graduate Studies
The Graduate Studies Office(GSO) acts as the central coordinating office for postgraduate education in College.
Responsibilities of the Dean of Graduate Studies, supported by the Graduate Studies Office include:
- Development of Graduate Education Policy
- Administration of postgraduate courses
- Administration of postgraduate awards and bursaries made at College level
- Provision of services for graduate students
In additioon to publishing a regular e-Newsletter which highlights issues of relevance to the postgraduate community at TCD, the Graduate Studies Office also administers the Student Assistance Fund. This fund is open to all registered students on both taught and reserach courses of not less than one year in duration leading to a postgraduate qualification.
Further details on any aspect of the remit of the Graduate Studies Office can found on their website
Library
Dating back to the establishment of College in 1592, Trinity College Library is the largest research library in Ireland, and one of the largest on Europe. It contains a bookstock of over 4.25 million volumes, 30,000 academic journals available online and in full text, significant holdings of maps and music, and an extensive collection of manuscripts, the most famous being the Book of Kells. In addition to the purchases and donations of almost four centuries, Trinity College Library enjoys the privilege of receiving all Irish and UK copyright material (over 100,000 new items each year) – a right it has enjoyed since 1801.
Further information on how the Library operates, as well as the various training sessions it offers can be found on the Library website.
IS Services
Information System Sevices (IS Services) is responsible for the provision and support of computer systems, networking, audio-visual and media services in Trinity College.
New students should access the information for new students page on the IS Services site. This page is intended as a guide for new students on getting started with all of the various computer facilities available to them.
If you need assistance with any aspect of College IT facilities you should first contact the IS Services Helpdesk.
Graduate Students Union
The Graduate Students' Union is an independent body which represents graduate students in Trinity College, Dublin. All graduate students of the College, including postgraduate research students, and those on higher degree and higher diploma courses, automatically become members of the Union upon registering with the College. The day-to-day running of the Union is organised by an elected Executive, which consists of the Officers of the Union - the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Events officer and one Officer from each Faculty - plus three additional Faculty Representatives (one from each of the three Faculties).
The GSU is located on the 2nd floor of House 6 in Front Square. They can be contacted via ext.(01) 896 1169, or by e-mail at president@gsu.tcd.ie (Email). Details of the many activities organised by the GSU can be viewed on the Graduate Students’ Union website.
College Health Services
The College Health Service provides on campus, primary health care for all full-time students, and focuses on the psychological and occupational aspects of student health and health education. It also offers psychiatric consultation on referral from a GP or College Counsellor.
The Health Centre is open during normal office hours in, and out, of term time. The hours of attendance for students are as follows: 10.10am – 12.00pm, and 2.30pm – 3.50pm. Consultations are normally by prior appointment only.
Emergency appointments are available daily at 9.00am and 2.00pm and are accommodated through a system of ‘nurse triage’. The College Health Centre may be contacted at House 47, Phone: ext. 1556/1591. Further details are available on the website.
International Students
The main areas of responsibility for the International Office include advising international students on opportunities to study at Trinity College and managing all areas of the University's exchange agreements under Erasmus and other international agreements. It acts as a liaison and information point for current Trinity College students seeking guidance on study abroad opportunities.
The International Office also promotes Trinity’s courses Overseas, both Undergraduate and Post Graduate.It also offers information and support to international Students, whether through our region specific specialists or handling general queries at their reception desk, which is open Monday to Friday 9:30 – 12:45 or 2:00 – 4:45.
The International Office has also published a Guide for International Students which provides practical advice about everything from finding work and accommodation, to shopping, nightlife and student amenities.
Further information on a range of practical topics including visas, taxation, social welfare and travel can be found on the Graduate Students Union website. The Careers Advisory Service also provides detailed information on various aspects of working in Ireland both during and after your studies.
For International students who are non-native speakers of English, an intensive English Language Support Module is provided by the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Studies. All queries should be directed to either Deirdre Murphy: murphyd3@tcd.ie (Email) or Dr. Lorna Carson: carsonle@tcd.ie (Email)