UCD Student Experience

A university experience is about more than a programme of study – it is about personal development within a vibrant and supportive community.

A focus of this strategy will be optimising the experience, wellbeing and sense of belonging of UCD students across all modes of learning. Through experiences within and beyond the classroom, we will support an increasingly diverse student community to flourish. This will be supported by an improved faculty-student ratio.

As Ireland’s global university, we will deliver a tailored UCD student experience to our students outside Ireland, and a global experience to our students here in Dublin.

Student partnership is central to how we deliver an experience that empowers our students in their growth and goals, and in their personal development as citizens who give back to their community and society.

We will continue to build the diversity of our student population, further deepening the University for All initiative, widening participation of under-represented groups in learning at UCD and ensuring the supports are in place to enable each student to thrive. In this way, we will give life to our motto Cothrom na Féinne, which speaks to our commitment to fairness.

The UCD student experience will be distinctive and transformational.

We will:

• establish an Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing to enhance the initiatives, services and supports that we provide to our students.

• prioritise the delivery of high quality accessible and inclusive spaces, services and programmes that build community and enhance the student experience. These will include a reimagined library, sports and social facilities, accommodation, food offerings, public transport and digital campus.

• support an increasingly diverse community of students to feel a sense of belonging at UCD, including through a wide range of opportunities in sports, societies, volunteering and student representation.

• improve our faculty-student ratio.

• deepen our global collaborations to advance the intercultural experience and competencies of UCD students, and to develop their ambition and ability to make a contribution to the world.

• advance the implementation of universal design as a core principle to support inclusive learning and campus development.

• partner actively with our students to understand and respond to their priorities, and to develop a shared sense of responsibility towards our university and our society.