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President Mary McAleese launched a new North-South Access initiative at Dublin City University as part of the 15th anniversary celebrations of DCU Access programmes. The event took place in the Helix arts centre at DCU and was attended by DCU students and staff, as well as representatives of second-level schools from both sides of the border. The Chancellor,Justice Mella Carroll, also attended.

Each year under the new pilot programme, four students from disadvantaged backgrounds attending designated schools in Northern Ireland will be offered a place on a DCU undergraduate programme, using the same eligibility criteria that are applied to access students in the South of Ireland. The university has worked in consultation with the Centre for Cross Border Studies and the Western and South Eastern Education and Library Boards in identifying the schools interested in the scheme.

Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, President of DCU, said that the new pilot programme reflects DCU's strategic objective of playing a leading role as a catalyst for social development, not just locally but nationally. "DCU is committed to tackling patterns of social exclusion and inequality which can arise from a range of factors including socio-economic disadvantage, disability and ethnic background. The University's objectives in promoting inclusion and accessibility to third level education are now being extended to include Northern Ireland, which is yet another initiative which will establish DCU as a leading academic champion for North-South cooperation", he said.

The DCU Access Service will collaborate with the guidance counsellors to identify the students and advise them on application procedures. The students will be entitled to avail of the entire range of support services provided by the DCU Access Service, as well as a bursary of up to €7,000.

This project also forms part of the university's overall commitment to inclusion and accessibility for students from all parts of Ireland. It will offer the option of a third-level education to a section of the population in Northern Ireland which has traditionally been underrepresented in higher education. The pilot programme will start in the autumn semester in 2005.

The four pilot schools in Northern Ireland are:
- Lisknaskea High School, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
- St Comhghall's High School, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
- St Paul's High School, Bessbrook, Newry, Co Down
- To be decided

DCU pioneered the concept of Access in 1989 to increase participation in third-level education by students with potential who may not have previously considered university as an option. Of the seven universities in Ireland, DCU is one of the few which provides an unlimited number of places to access students.

The service originally worked with sixteen designated schools in the North Dublin region, but has expanded continually over the last fifteen years and now offers a nationwide programme. "This enables the University to tackle more effectively individual cases of disadvantage on a national basis in addition to catering for students from our designated disadvantaged schools", explained Ita Tobin, Access Officer, DCU. "We are also increasing our outreach primary school activities and have recently appointed a Primary School Project Officer".

DCU is preparing for a likely increase of 250% in new access students over the coming four years. 2004 has already witnessed a dramatic rise of 108% in first year student intake, with a growth from 65 students in 2003 to 135 students in 2004. Students on the access programme are evaluated by the university to assess their academic aptitude, and apply outside the CAO mechanism. They must also meet the socio-economic criteria set down by the university. The Access Service also works with other non-traditional categories of students such as mature students, the travelling community, ethnic minority groupings and refugees.