Postgraduate Orientation Hub 2025-26

We're delighted to welcome you to DCU

Orientation is an important time to help you find your feet. We've designed this Orientation Hub and the Discover Series Companion to help you navigate the transition.

We are hosting a series of lunchtime webinars, campus tours, and a social event to help new students settle in at DCU.

You will be able to access the Welcome Webinars schedule here, late August.

The on-campus events and activities throughout orientation are designed to be fun, welcoming and serve to demonstrate what our 'DCU Campus culture' is all about. Students will also be able to pre-book campus tours on the Glasnevin campus. If you want to explore our campuses from the comfort of your home, you can use our new exciting tool: DCU Campus Explorer.

Key Dates: 

• Discover DCU Series will be accessible to students after registration and onboarding on LOOP, your virtual Learning Environment. It will open 20th August 2025
• PG Orientation activities take place from Monday, September 1. Some programmes will have Orientation the week before lectures, others the week of class, depending on your programme.
• Additional welcome activities will be available to International students.  Visit the International tile for more information.
• PG Teaching: Semester 1 teaching begins on Monday, 8 September.
• Postgraduate students will receive programme orientation information directly from their Programme Chair.

Your Orientation Companion

Discover DCU will serve as your Orientation Companion as you make your transition to DCU. It's located on LOOP, our virtual learning environment. It's where you'll find your official DCU welcome, short activities and challenges you can complete to earn experience points (XP), prizes and the prestigious Digital Badges. It will also help you to develop your digital skills and learn how to use LOOP. 

<<The Discover Series opens 20 August>>

Accessing your Orientation Schedule
 

Key Dates:

• On-campus students: Orientation information will be available here (late August) or directly from your Programme Chair.
• Remote / Online students: You will receive information from your programme chair about your course-specific orientation.
• Early start programmes: You'll receive information from your Programme Chair directly about your course-specific orientation. 

Get to know your new environment

Our bookable DCU Campus Tour is a great way to get to know the Glasnevin campus, and one of our most popular features during Orientation. Campus tours will run during the Orientation week. 

Information about booking tours will be available here

Frequently Asked Questions

Orientation

Is attendance at Orientation compulsory?

You are strongly encouraged to attend the core elements of Orientation and your course Orientation.  There will also be lots of opportunities to engage in university life, designed to help you settle in.

When will I get my Course Orientation Schedule?

Visit the icon above for information.

Got a query about Orientation?

Click on the red 'ASK' button to link in with us.  

A Special Welcome to our International Students!

We are delighted to welcome you to DCU! We have prepare a series of lunchtime Welcome Webinars, as well as a social, and you should also check out events that the Students' Union is organising.

A full schedule of Welcome Webinars will be available here.

If you are a visiting student, participating in an Erasmus+, Exchange or Study Abroad programme, your programme orientation will be accessible via the code of your stream of study (eg Humanities & Social Science Exchange stream/HMSAX, DCU Business School Study Abroad Stream/BSSAO).

If you are a student enrolling directly into a full degree programme in DCU, your programme orientation will be accessible via your course title or code (eg DCU Common Entry to Engineering/DC200, MEng in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering/DC814)

Key Dates

• Orientation Webinar on Monday, September 1. Register here.

• Postgraduate classes commence on Monday, 8 September.

   

International Student Support
Check out the page for more information to support you before you arrive on campus and during your transition.

A Special Welcome for PG Research Students

Welcome to all incoming and continuing postgraduate research students here in DCU.

Please check your DCU email account for more details received from training.graduatestudies@dcu.ie email.