Frequently Asked Questions

Applications are made directly on the UCD applications website, and will open for spring 2025 in December.

Applications for Progression Pathway students will open in August 2025.

The Open Learning application requires no documentation - just answer some straightforward questions, provide basic information, and a member of the team will be in touch.

While there are no formal entry criteria, you will be expected to meaningfully engage during your studies, attend lectures, manage your own learning, interact with the academic resources, present your ideas in class alongside peers, and take part in other teaching and learning activities, required by each programme. These expectations are outlined in UCD's Student Charter.

Yes! We have established Progression Pathways into 16 full-time undergraduate programmes in UCD. To be eligible for these pathways you must complete a 30 Credit Certificate in Open Learning, as well as meeting the module requirements of the individual pathway. 

The admission criteria for each Pathway can be found on our Pathways page.

Open Learning costs €500 per 5 credit module or €375 per audit module. You can read how to pay your fees on our website.

A small number of modules are worth 10 credits and will incur a higher fee.

Open Learning is not a SUSI funded programme. If you are entitled to SUSI funding, you can still avail of it in your full-time undergraduate degree programme, but it is not available for Open Learning.

Yes, there are some means-tested supports available to help cover your costs. Options include the Sanctuary Programme, and the Part-Time Student Support Fund. 

However, Open Learning is not SUSI-funded.

This means completing a module without any assignments or exams - you can study purely for the love of learning. These modules are cheaper, but do not carry any credits.

If you are enjoying your module and decide that you would like to take it for credit instead of audit, you can change - but you have to do this in the first three weeks of the trimester.

To make this change you'll have to contact Dr Jenny Doyle on (opens in a new window)jennifer.doyle@ucd.ie.

If you plan to withdraw from the Open Learning Programme it's important that you get in touch with us, as this will impact your student record and may have negative implications if you wish to return to third-level education in the future. Read more about withdrawing from a programme at UCD.

You can withdraw from a programme without financial or academic penalty until week 8 of term.

It's therefore important that you review all of your chosen modules carefully, read the module descriptions in full and establish that the timetable suits you before you commit to the programme.

Each year the list of available modules will be listed on our website and in the printed Open Learning brochure. There are over 400 on offer at UCD and range from Archaeology to Physics, from Languages to Agricultural Science.

Some modules will be reserved for students on Progression Pathways, and please keep in mind that Open Learning places on modules are limited and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Whatever interests you! If you need advice on your module choices, please get in touch with us. We generally advise students taking modules for credit to start with Level 1 modules - these are modules from first year degree programmes.

If you are studying as part of an Progression Pathway, you may have specific module requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for admission.

All modules are assigned a certain level. Levels represent the year in which modules are generally taken by students, with the higher levels assuming that you have already mastered the key concepts and skills required for academic writing and critical reflection.

We recommend that you begin on Open Learning with level 1 modules, e.g. ENG10010. The first number in the module code denotes the level of the module. Level 1 is the equivalent of a first-year undergraduate module.

We recommend that you take a maximum of three modules per trimester.

Full module descriptions and timetables can be found by clicking on the module title on our website.

Open Learning modules follow the main UCD term dates, but your timetable will be flexible, as it depends fully on the modules you choose. The more modules you choose to take, the greater the time commitment required.

The timetable is structured over a 40 hour week. Any given module can be spread throughout the week. For example, a particular module may have two hours of lectures in the week, the first on Monday at 10 am and the second on Thursday at 5 pm, with a tutorial on Wednesday at 2 pm

Therefore, in order to ensure that a module works for you, you should double-check the times by checking the module timetable search before signing up. Please note that those can change. 

Once you have registered for a module or modules, your individualised timetable will be available through your UCD Connect Account.

The attendance requirement is determined by the Module Coordinator, and is the same for Open Learners as it is for full-time undergraduates.

The amount of time it takes to complete the Certificate or Diploma varies from student to student, depending on the credit workload.  Most Open Learners intending to use it as a pathway to a degree programme receive a Certificate after one year, completing three modules per trimester, but it can be done over a longer period.

If you are unsure of something or have any further questions please get in touch with us by emailing (opens in a new window)all@ucd.ie or calling 01 716 7123.