Dublin City University (DCU) is a young university, initially set up to fulfil the national requirement for a highly-trained workforce with skills in the areas of business, science and electronics, computer technology, communications and languages and as an agent for change in its local community. The first students came through the door in 1980 and the university is now recognized nationally and internationally as a center of academic excellence.

It was awarded university status in 1989 and was considered at the time to be an ‘unconventional’ university. It broke the traditional mold and introduced a number of ideas, which had an enormous impact on the Irish education system. DCU was the first university in Ireland to introduce work placement (INTRA) as part of its degree programs. The aim is for students to put their academic skills into practice in the work environment. Its degree programs were also the first to be interdisciplinary, with, for example, science students taking business courses, business students taking languages and language students taking computing.

The design of the campus and the bright modern architecture make DCU a vibrant and attractive place to study. The campus is laid out to encourage community interaction with the John & Aileen O’Reilly Library at the East end and the restaurant and Helix Arts Center at the West End. It is a place where young people can live, learn and develop in a dynamic but intimate environment. One of the objectives of the university is the strengthening of the campus as a vibrant social and learning environment and the pursuit of a holistic approach to student development.