The 15th annual edition of the Sunday Times Good University Guide is out; here's what the annual higher education publication had to say about National College of Ireland:
"National College of Ireland (NCI) has one of the most effective pedagogic formulas in Irish higher education: with a 2% unemployment rate, the lowest in the country, its focus on business-related courses and training students for work is winning.
One of NCI’s key partnerships is with the financial services industry, but it also works with the League of Credit Unions to create courses for their staff. The college is allied with the Central Bank of Ireland and its consumer protection division.
Its success in access has set the standard for other higher-education institutes and for national programmes targeting the systemic issues of early literacy and numeracy in Ireland. Founded to provide third-level education to disadvantaged students, the college targets children at pre-school level in Dublin’s Docklands, which has made a difference not only to literacy and numeracy skills, but also the educational aspirations of children and their families in the area.
NCI, where most of the students come from the greater Dublin area, is one of the few Irish institutions to guarantee accommodation to all its first-year full-time students.
Student View
Stephen Cleary, students’ union president
First impressions: Originally I was a bit sceptical but I soon came to realise that it was the place for me.
Worst feature: A lack of on-site sports facilities, but we make up for it by using local venues.
Facilities: Top study facilities, with computers on every floor.
Deal clincher: I couldn’t encourage anyone enough to come to NCI. The students are so warm and welcoming, and so are all the staff."
Source: The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017, 09/10/16
