DCU Student Accommodation Statement
DCU has taken the decision to offer its students flexible on-campus accommodation arrangements for the coming academic year. DCU is acutely aware that many students and their parents are anxious for an update on the allocation of rooms in DCU campus residences in order to have some certainty around accommodation for the 2020/21 academic year.
Guided by public health advice, and the constraints of social distancing, DCU had previously announced that it is planning for a hybrid delivery model of teaching in the coming academic year, with students attending campus for face-to-face laboratory classes, practical sessions, and small group interactions, where possible, and with lectures primarily online. In these circumstances, it is clear that all students will not be on campus at the same time, and that it is highly unlikely that any given student would need to be on campus more than a small number of days per week. As a consequence, the accommodation requirements of students in the coming year will be very different from normal.
To reflect these new circumstances, we have devised a new operational model for highly flexible booking of on-campus accommodation. The allocation of on-campus residences will take place in early June through the normal lottery process for all students who have applied for rooms through the DCU accommodation portal. Any student who is successful in receiving an offer will be able to secure that room by means of a fully refundable deposit.
Once degree programme timetables have been issued, however, students with on-campus room offers will have two weeks to update their details at the DCU Campus Residences website to confirm whether or not they need accommodation for the full semester or for specific dates (e.g. specific days, weeks or months), and their deposit will be applied accordingly.
If their timetable is such that they decide that they no longer require any accommodation, then their deposit will be refunded in full. Any student, who is not successful in the lottery for the allocation of rooms, will have the opportunity to book short-term stays through DCU Campus Residences, subject to the availability of rooms over the course of the academic year.
DCU President, Prof. Brian MacCraith said
“This is a radically different model for on-campus university accommodation. But it reflects the new circumstances for students and, from our discussions with them, we are confident that it addresses their needs in an adaptable fashion.”
All further updates will be posted on the DCU Campus Residences website.
All of DCU’s plans for the coming academic year are driven by three principles: protecting the health and wellbeing of our students and staff, providing the highest quality education possible for our students, and optimising the broader student experience within the constraints imposed by COVID-19.