Why Study in Trinity College Dublin?

  • Programs: Trinity College Dublin is one of the best research institutes offering admission to a diverse variety of 600 academic programs. Students from over 120 countries hail to study across 24 academic schools of Trinity College Dublin.
  • Admission Requirements: For undergraduate courses, students need academic transcripts of Indian Class XII, two academic LOR, a 500 word SOP, and a recognized certificate of English proficiency. International students need an equivalent of 2:1 honours degree (60%), two academic LOR or clinical references (where applicable), certified copy of degree certificates, proof of English proficiency and standardized test scores like GRE/ GMAT (if required).
  • Application Deadlines: The university accepts applications for September from October of previous year until June 30, 2022. The priority application deadline is on February 1, 2022. The postgraduate application deadlines are program-specific.
  • Cost of Attendance: The cost of pursuing the undergraduate programs at Trinity College Dublin varies between 17,000-30,000 Euro (~14.23-25.11 lakh INR). You might spend anywhere between 7,000-35,000 Euro (~5.86-29.3 lakh INR) per annum for pursuing the postgraduate courses at Trinity College Dublin.
  • Campus and Accommodation: The university is rich in recreation facilities and exhibits a sports centre, several sports grounds, fitness trail, sports clinic, holistic therapies, and various sports and non-sporting events. The university student halls ensure housing facilities for students ranging from 273-410 Euro (~23,000-34,000 INR) per week.
  • Scholarships: The university offers academic scholarships for international students pursuing postgraduate programs. Besides, the institute allows students to avail various external scholarships covering total or partial tuition fees of the students.
  • Placements: The best paying degree offered by the university is Executive Masters with graduates earning an average annual salary of 95,000 Euro. Students completing MBA from Trinity College Dublin recorded an average annual salary of 82,000 Euro.

Trinity College Dublin Courses

Trinity offers over 600 programs available across its three faculties and 24 schools. The courses are available to nearly 18,000 students at undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels.

Trinity College Dublin Ranking

Trinity College Dublin rankings doesn’t disappoint the students in any area. Reflected by various surveys and organizations, some of them are as listed below.

  • Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's No.1 University (QS World University Ranking, 2021)
  • Trinity is ranked 101st in the World (QS World University Ranking, 2021)
  • Trinity is ranked 8th Most International University in the World. 
  • Trinity is ranked 1st in Ireland for employer reputation and alumni outcomes.
  • Trinity is ranked 25th in English Language and Literature
  • Trinity is ranked 29th in Classics and Ancient History
  • Trinity is ranked 37th in Pharmacy and Pharmacology
  • Trinity is ranked 46th in Nursing
Trinity College Ranking Trends

While the trends reflect a sudden and sharp decrease in the overall rankings of the institute, it would be interesting to note that the college’s performance across a range of factors had been impressive and steady across all the years. The rankings, however, dropped due to the lack of funding from the side of the Government due to the financial crisis in the economy.

This lack of investment towards excellence in academics led to a shortage of faculty and research opportunities. Inspite of all the hardships, Trinity, however, did manage to grab the #101 position in 2021 and is working in close collaboration with Ireland’s government to rectify the issue and is very hopeful that its rankings will only improve for the better in the upcoming years.

Why study at Trinity College, Ireland?

For international aspirants seeking to study abroad, one of the choices will definitely be Ireland as it is quickly becoming the next go-to destination for students. Though the funding usually becomes an issue for many talented candidates, the fact that the country is providing up to 100% scholarships to deserving applicants comes as a relief to all the aspirants.

While all the programs offered by Trinity College guarantee excellent global level experience to its students, the STEM courses at the college definitely steal the limelight. Some other factors that will make to the list of pros of studying at Trinity College Dublin are compiled as follows:

  • PR in 2 years and better salaries: If you opt for a STEM program that forms the part of Critical Skills Occupation, you will not only be able to enjoy the perks of a better starting salary which could go up to 53 lakhs per annum but will also let you enjoy the benefits of a permanent resident in merely 2 years.
  • Growth in Sector: As per the survey reports of the Industrial Development Authority, various sectors in the country are bound to see a growth of 12% year on year and will have over 24,000 new jobs created in 2021. For details on the same, please refer to the video included as follows:
  • Return on Investment: ROI is one of the crucial pointers to be considered when getting your money on education across any institute. Since STEM courses at the institute are the most renowned programs, an ROI of 19% is expected from graduates of Mechanical Engineering at the college (66 lakhs investment; 53,42,000 salary).
  • Demand/Supply: While most students in the country pursue business courses (around 44%), followed by STEM programs that make hardly 30% of the total population, increasing demand in the sector can prove very useful for the candidates of STEM branch where the employment opportunities are expected to rise in the upcoming years.

Trinity College Dublin Acceptance Rate

Trinity College Dublin acceptance rate is hardly 34% which reflects that the students can expect strong competition at the time of admissions. However, the trends reflect differently and suggest that a GPA of 3.5 or above along with impressive test scores like ACT/SAT and IELTS/TOEFL (6.5/88) will add to the merit of a candidate's profile and can ease the process of selection at the college.

Letters of recommendation, resume and work experience are other factors that govern the process of admission on a case-to-case basis. Applicants from India must note that the Interview is highly recommended for such candidates and must be the priority for all the aspirants who are seriously considering Trinity.

Trinity College Campus

  • With 51 acres of campus area, TCD comprises an excess of buildings showcasing a blend of historical and modern architecture.
  • Known for public gardens and parks, Georgian architecture, art galleries, museums, theatres and impromptu pub sessions of music and dancing.
  • The diverse population of 1.5 million (90% whites, 10% Africans, Asians). 12,000 are students in 5 universities. The language is mostly English.
  • Trinity Hall can accommodate over 1,000 students in shared, single or twin apartments

Trinity College Residence

On-Campus Accommodation

The institute offers on-campus accommodation through its residence hall catering to more than 1000 residents. Additionally, it accommodates students at Kavanagh Court and Binary Hub. Students can opt for several fully furnished private housing facilities with a range of rooms to select from and can simultaneously experience the beautiful historical environment provided by this 4000-year old academic organization.

The available options have several perks like their location of central Dublin, security, walking distance from classrooms, bike storage etc. The average price of rooms available is around 205 USD per week.

Off-Campus Accommodation

While the option for off-campus housing alternative, students must note that there is often a compromise to be made among money, location and privacy when looking for cheaper and affordable accommodation options. Usually, Dublin 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 come under expensive areas of the city. City Centre is usually the preferred site for accommodation due to its close proximity to several colleges.

For the reference of the readers, a student accommodation video in one of the favorable locations called Carman Hall in Dublin's City Centre is included below.

If you are an interested candidate hoping to enroll at the college, it is advisable to download apps like Daft or follow Facebook groups like Indians in Dublin/Living in Dublin for more personal experience and clear knowledge on the subject.

Trinity College Admission Criteria

The application process for enrolling at the institute has been detailed below.

How to apply?

Application Portal: Students can apply through an online application portal.
Application fee: 55 EUR

Basic Admission Requirements

  • Official academic transcripts.
  • 2 academic Letters of Recommendations
  • CGPA (2.1 or equivalent on the website; 3.5 or above in real)
  • Student visa Ireland
  • Work Experience, CV resume (course-specific)
  • Exams to study in Ireland
  • Interview (for candidates from India).

For a detailed analysis of what the interview process is like, please refer to the video included as follows:

English Proficiency Test

English proficiency tests Minimum Scores
IELTS 6.5
TOEFL 88 (internet-based), 570 paper-based, 230 computer-based
University of Cambridge Grade C
PTE Academic 63

Trinity College Dublin Cost of Attendance

For all the aspirants seeking to study at Trinity, it is advisable to plan their finances well in advance. To aid the same, the distribution of the cost of living in Ireland is when enrolled as a student at the college is as follows:

Tuition Fee

Fee for various courses available at the institute at different levels for the year 2021 is as compiled below.

Disciplines Undergraduate (USD) Postgraduate (USD)
Engineering, Mathematics & Science 30,800 28,100
Health Sciences Max 56,000 30,800
Law 23,500 26,000
Business (MBA in Ireland) 23,500 40,800
Computer Science 30,800 28,100

Cost of Living

The average cost of living is 13,800 USD per annum and is affected majorly by the type of accommodation opted.

Accommodation type Weekly Cost (USD)
On-Campus accommodation 205
Trinity Hall 180
Kavanagh Court 290
Binary Hub 280

For further details regarding the distribution of expenses at the institute, please refer to the video mentioned below.

Trinity College Dublin Scholarships

The institute provides financial support in the form of scholarships in Ireland for international students. Some of the scholarships available at UG and PG level are mentioned below:

Scholarship Benefit/Amount
Global Business Scholarship Rebate of 5800 USD on tuition fee
Global Excellence Undergraduate Scholarship Rebate of 3500-5800 USD on tuition fee
Sports Scholarship 800-1700 USD

Scholarship Benefit/Amount
Postgraduate Research Scholarship 7,500 USD
The government of Ireland Scholarship 100% tuition fee waiver

Trinity College Dublin Notable Alumni 

Nearly, 100,000+alumni are based across 130 countries globally. The benefits offered to the alumni include library access, campus wifi, career advice, free online courses, sports and club membership.

Some of the notable alumni of the institute include Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett, Theobald Wolfe Tone, Henry Grattan and President Mary Robinson, etc.

Trinity College Dublin Placements

The institute has an impressive employment rate of over 90% and offers a range of alternatives for students to post their degrees in Ireland. About 61% of the organizations have claimed to have hired a non-Irish applicant within the last year. Nearly 86% of employers surveyed increased the salaries of their employees last year and 90% intend to increase the salaries next year and also intend to increase salaries up to 5% year-on-year.

Emolument data shows that, Trinity College graduates earn 70,000 USD annually on average. The highest paid TCD graduates are the ones working in financial services, while lowest paid are the ones working in engineering where average salaries in the Emolument report are 35,000 USD.

Degree Average Salary (USD)
Executive Masters 113,000
MBA 98,000
Masters in Finance 96,000
Bachelor of Arts 80,000
Masters in Science 73,000

Trinity College Dublin v/s Local Competitors

Apart from other factors that make Trinity the perfect choice when seeking to study in Ireland, it is always better to have a basic idea of what it is playing against and how it stands among its competitors. To aid your decision-making process, we have compiled the list of five top prestigious institutes of Ireland and have compared them on different parameters.

Name of the Institute QS University Rankings 2021 Acceptance Rate Employment Rate CGPA SAT/ACT Score IELTS/TOEFL score
Trinity College Dublin 101 34% 92% 65% or 3.5 1300 to 1460/ 29 to 32 6.5 (not less than 5.5)/ 88
University College Dublin 177 20-30% Over 90% 65% or 3.5 1190/ 24 6.5 (not less than 6)/ 90
National University of Ireland, Galway 238 55% 90% 60% or 3.0 1090/ 21 6.5 (not less than 5.5)/ 88
University College Cork 286 70% 80.5% 60% or 3.0 1140/ 23 6.5 (not less than 6)/ 90
University of Limerick 439 90% 85% 65% or 3.5 1090/ 22 6.5 (not less than 6)/ 90
Comparison of Cost of Study in Ireland Universities

Apart from test scores and rate of acceptance and employment, one other significant area that can not be ignored when applying at Trinity is the overall cost of attendance. As mentioned in above graph, Trinity College Dublin has comparatively low tuition as well as cost of attendance, standing out as best choice among the local competitors.