About Access
Vision
By employing evidence-based practices, we collaborate with our DCU colleagues, schools, communities, and corporate partners to advocate for enhanced educational opportunities, ensuring equitable access and supporting progression through and beyond DCU for those affected by economic and social adversity.
If you have any queries, please contact us at access@dcu.ie.
Our mission is to increase the number of prospective students targeted by our outreach programmes instilling the belief that higher education is a viable and achievable option for them.
Over 5,000 students and adults in the North Dublin Region participate annually in DCU Access outreach initiatives.
We work with students aged under 23 who have completed a Leaving Certificate and belong to one of the following target groups:
- Students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds living in Ireland
- Students living in North Dublin in areas with the lowest rates of progression to third-level education
- Students facing double disadvantage (disability and socio-economic disadvantage)
- Young people in the care of the State
- Young carers
- People who have had criminal convictions
- Members of the Traveller & Roma communities
We also support mature and FE students.
Our Schools Outreach page highlights how we work with local schools.
Our Community Outreach & Traveller and Roma Officers work alongside statutory, community, and voluntary groups to support underrepresented individuals aiming to study at DCU through three pillars.
The Post Entry team facilitates three separate Entry Routes through which Leaving Certificate students can apply to study at DCU on an Access Scholarship.
These are: Access DCU Entry Route (ADER), Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) and Access DCU Entry Route-Accelerator Scheme. More information about the entry routes are available here.
The Post-Entry team provides various financial, academic, professional & personal development supports to just under 1,200 Access Scholars studying at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in DCU. Information about these supports can be found here.
As of 2025 the Access Services are now supporting mature and FE students at undergraduate level. More information on Access supports for Mature and FE students are available here.
Key facts
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In 2023, 97% of Access students were awarded a higher honours degree, with 75% achieving a first-class or second-class - grade 1 honours degree.
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The DCU Access programme boasts the highest first-year retention rate in Ireland at over 96%. Source: HEA
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There is just under 1,200 undergraduate Access students currently studying in DCU, with 278 students entering their first year in 2024
- In 2024, almost one in five access students accepting a reduced point level 8 offer in Ireland attend DCU.
DCU Access to the Workplace (ATTW) is an award-winning programme that provides professional summer internships for DCU Access students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and for neurodivergent students. Leading Irish companies, who also make a donation to support Access scholarships at DCU, host the internships.
We created the programme to level the playing field for Access students, because Higher Education Authority research told us that students from disadvantaged areas earn less than students from more affluent areas, even when they graduate with the same degree and grades.
The DCU Access to the Workplace Infographic is available to download here
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