Parents & Guardians
Choosing the right university is one of the most important decisions your student will make, and as a parent or guardian, you play a vital role in guiding them toward a future filled with opportunity. From academic excellence and career readiness to campus safety and financial planning, Dublin City University offer a wide range of resources designed to support both students and their families. This page is here to help you navigate the admissions process, understand what to expect, and feel confident that your child is making the best choice for their education and personal growth.
How DCU Supports Your Student’s Journey
There are lots of supports available at DCU to help your student succeed in their undergraduate course. The academic calendar gives parents and guardians clarity on semesters and you can also visit the CAO website for key deadlines.
DCU have ample student supports such as counselling, health services, and learning resources to ensure students thrive. While financial supports, such scholarships, Student Assistance Fund (SAF) and SUSI ease costs providing families with the necessary resources so their student can access education.
And with DCU’s strong national and international rankings with Parents and Guardians can gain confidence in the quality of their child’s education.
DCU have three libraries: Cregan Library on the St Patrick's Campus, O'Reilly Library on the Glasnevin Campus and Woodlock Hall Library on the All Hallows Campus.
At the end of the Academic year before the Leaving Certificate begins, DCU Library off the Leaving Certificate Study Scheme.
This scheme allows 6th year student to access the O'Reilly Library in Glasnevin and the Cregan Library in St Patrick's Campus for concentrated study on the lead up and duration of their Leaving Certificate exams.
More details can be found out by following DCU Library on Instagram or staying up to date with their website.
DCU Student Support & Development (SS&D) covers a wide variety of student services in DCU, ensuring our student population thrives in university. Here is an information guide for Parents/Guardians of Incoming First Years providing an overview of key milestones in that first year.
SS&D services include:
Access, Disability & Mature Student Services - These services support economically disadvantaged students, students with a disability or learning difficulty and mature students respectively.
The Student Advice Centre - This is a service where students can access advice and guidance on all matters academic, personal and financial. Students can avail of confidential one-to-one meetings with a student adviser to discuss their query. They also deliver programmes and workshops to enhance the student experience. The service is provided to the entire student population across all campuses and online.
The Writing Centre and The Maths Learning Centre - These services allow students to book free appointment during the academic semesters. These appointments are lead by PhD-level tutors, who assist students with their academic writing or mathematical difficulties. Their websites also contain extra writing and mathematic resources.
The Careers Service - this service offers one-on-one consultations, online and in-person skills sessions, hosts career events and runs the MyCareer Platform, highlighting job opportunities for DCU Students.
DCU Counselling Services - Provides free and confidential counselling service available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is staffed by four qualified, accredited and experienced counselling psychologists/psychotherapists.
In addition the service offers a mindfulness, wellbeing and stress reduction lunchtime series and a student empowerment and life skills programme (bereavement facilitated student forums; online cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety; stress, anxiety and low mood workshops).
DCU Chaplaincy - Provides pastoral care and confidential support to students and staff. Also home to Ireland's only dedicated Inter Faith Centre at third level.
There is 24/7 Security on each of our DCU Campuses to give peace of mind and help all staff and students. They can be contacted by phoning +353 1 700 5999 at any time.
In addition to this, students are encouraged to download the SafeZone App to efficiently call DCU security, allowing them to respond quickly to any alerts.
DCU Estates Office Security Team was awarded the prestigious customer service award ‘WorldHost Business Recognition’ to mark its unstinting levels of top-class customer care (September 2022).
Financial wellness is important to all in order to be in a position to enjoy your time in university. Preparing a budget prior to commencing your year, re-assessing it on a monthly basis and adjusting when necessary will assist you in this goal.
You can learn more about DCU Undergraduate fees by visiting dcu.ie/fees/undergraduate-fees-information
The DCU Access Service co-ordinates a range of programmes aimed at increasing participation in higher education by students who, for a variety of financial or social reasons, might not view going to university as a viable option. Find out if you are eligible to apply through DCU Access Service or HEAR (Higher Education Access Route).
Another useful website is accesscollege.ie
The aim of the Disability & Learning Support Service is to provide a student-centred multi-disciplinary service that empowers and enables students to reach their full potential in an inclusive learning environment. Read their FAQs here or learn more about DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) here.
Another useful website is accesscollege.ie
SUSI is a means-tested student grant, paid out monthly. For more information and to check your eligibility, please visit www.susi.ie.
At DCU we offer a wide range of Scholarships at all levels. For more information on the various Scholarships available please visit dcu.ie/scholarships
