Welcome to DCU

Pre Arrival & Orientation Information

February 2010 Entry

International Office
Dublin City University
Tel: 00353 (1)7007411

E-mail: international.office@dcu.ie
Web address: http://www.dcu.ie/international/
See our online brochure at http://www.i-studentadvisor.com/dcu
Pre-Arrival Information for International Students
Dear Future Student of DCU,

Preparations for your study period in Dublin will now be well underway and we hope you will have a
safe journey to Ireland. At this stage, you are probably beginning to look at the practical issues
surrounding your time at DCU. Please find below some pre-arrival information to assist you with your
preparations and your first days in Dublin prior to the beginning of your studies at DCU.

Your DCU Student ID Number

Your 8-digit DCU Student ID Number (begins with 59xxxxxx) was indicated on the top of your Offer
Letter. Please familiarise yourself with this number as you will need it at Registration and throughout
your student life at DCU.

Accommodation

Many of you have already found accommodation. For those of you who have not looked into this yet,
the following may be of interest:

On-campus accommodation
Campus Residences Ltd may still take bookings for waiting lists. Remember though, that you cannot
be guaranteed a room and should you find this too risky, there are plenty of other options. The link is:
http://www.dcu.ie/accommodation/int_oncamp.shtml.

Off-campus
Student accommodation is no longer considered a problem around DCU. If you would prefer to live
off-campus, please see the following options:

Off-campus student apartments

Recent years have seen the building of a number of privately owned student apartments near our
campus. Even though we would not actively recommend any of these, they are considered good
options for international students. The most popular one has been a housing complex just across the
road from DCU called Shanowen Square (www.shanowensquare.com).

Private rentals
There are, of course, many other private rentals available. Information on these can be found in local
newspapers (e.g. The Irish Times; The Independent; The Evening Herald) and on an accommodation
website www.daft.ie.

If you opt for private rentals, please keep the following in mind:
! Make sure you can access DCU easily (either on foot, by bike or by public transport) as you will be
spending a considerable amount of your time on campus
! In most cases, you will be asked to pay a one-month deposit in advance AND the first month’s rent.
With rent being very expensive in Dublin, this could be a considerable amount of money.
! Unless the room is part of a recognised student apartment complex, do not pay any money unless
you have had a chance to view the accommodation and meet the landlord / management agent!
Make sure everything works and there are no leaks, breakages etc.
! In most cases, either the landlord or a management agency will deal with you in relation to your
rental agreement. Try to negotiate a low deposit initially (this could be €100+, but may not be
possible in all cases), ask for a receipt and insist on a contract before you hand over any further
substantial amount of money (you will need to pay the remainder of the deposit and the first
month’s rent on signing the agreement).
! Information on the www.daft.ie website can be a great resource and is well worth viewing in
relation to tenants’ rights / areas to live in and other discussion topics.
Immigration / Entering Ireland / Permission to Remain in the State

In order to ensure that you do not experience any difficulties when entering Ireland from a Non-EU
country, please ensure that you have your passport, “Letter of Offer” and, in the case of non-EU
students, your Immigration or Visa Support Letter from DCU to hand as you will need to show this to
the authorities if required. Should you experience any difficulties, please contact us at +353-1-700 7411
(during business hours).

Fee for Certificates of Registration

On 27 May 2006, the Irish government introduced a new fee of €150 for Certificates of Registration,
which all students from non-EU / non-EEA countries are required to pay when applying for
Permission to remain in the State based on their full-time student status. All non-EU / non-EEA
students must register with their local GNIB Office within 7 days of arrival into the State. Your local
GNIB Office is the one closest to your address in Ireland. An information leaflet can be downloaded
from: http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=31. Please note that on arrival, your passport will be
stamped for up to 3 months, although in most cases the stamp only covers students for four weeks.
You are then required to register with the GNIB within four weeks.

An immigration certificate of registration is a document that is issued to a non-EEA national who

registers with his/her local immigration registration officer. The credit-card sized document is issued
by the Garda National Immigration Bureau and includes the person’s photo, residency details and date
of expiry. At present, legally resident non-EEA nationals who have entered the State with the intention
of residing in Ireland for a period of more than three months must register with their local immigration
registration officers.

The fee is paid at the time of registration with your local immigration registration officer and you will
receive more detailed information on this process during Orientation.

Medical Expenses Cover

All students coming to Ireland must be covered by valid health insurance for the duration of their stay.

Students from EU Member States

Students from EU Member States should apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in their
own country before travelling to Ireland. This card will grant students the same access to Irish medical
services as is the case for Irish citizens. Please keep in mind that the Irish health care system might
differ from the health care system in your own country, and you may be liable for certain payments
you would not be expected to cover at home.

Students may also choose additional private cover, though this is not a requirement.

Students from outside the EU

Students from outside the EU are required to have private health insurance in place prior to entering
Ireland. Students may arrange private health insurance in their own country or through an Irish health
insurance company. We would advise all students to review existing schemes offered in their own
country for suitability. If this is not an option, please see details of an arrangement DCU has negotiated
below.
1. The insurance system is operated by an insurance broker called O'Driscoll O'Neill in Ireland on
behalf of Medicover. Medicover Medical Expenses Insurance costs €120 for Third level students,
which is good value. The policy is underwritten by ACE Europe.
2. The company can send you an insurance certificate once you pay the amount of €120 by credit
card. You must have a valid Mastercard or Visa to operate this system.
3. Click on: http://www.odon.ie/Quick-Quote/Questions.asp?Details=MEDICOVER&College=DCU
Confirm the quote of €120, then continue.
4. Please choose Dublin City University (DCU) on the drop down menu.
5. Make sure you provide your correct email address as your certificate will be sent to this.
6. Make your payment by credit card and you will receive the certificate shortly which you can then
submit to the Visa Office (for visa requiring countries) and retain for evidence with immigration
 authorities on arrival in Ireland.

Please note that while DCU has negotiated this arrangement for its students, the University does not
accept responsibility for the purchase of health insurance on behalf of a student. Students are advised
to read the information carefully to allow them make an informed choice and to contact the company
directly should any queries arise.

On Arrival in Ireland

International Student Welcome Service

The International Student Welcome Service will operate on Wednesday, 3 February 2010. This service
is geared at all students arriving at Dublin airport on this day, and includes students with
accommodation on campus and students who have secured accommodation off-campus. Student
volunteers will be based at the airport from 7.30 am – 8 pm to assist new arrivals with initial
information and in identifying the most suitable means of transport. Volunteers will also meet students
arriving on campus to provide practical information, such as identifying nearby shops, explaining the
local bus system, how to travel to the city centre, where to go out etc.

Airport Pickup service

The Airport Pickup service will operate on Wednesday, 3 February 2010 only for students who have
secured accommodation on DCU campus or in the Shanowen Square or Shanowen Hall student
apartments opposite the DCU campus. If your accommodation is not on campus or in Shanowen,
volunteers at the airport will assist you with information on how best to reach your accommodation.

A free shuttle will operate from 8.00 am bringing students to DCU campus. The shuttle will make one
stop on the way to bring students with rooms secured in the Shanowen apartments to their
accommodation, before continuing on to DCU campus. The shuttle will leave the airport at the
following times:

8.00am, 10.00am, 11.30am, 1.00pm, 2.30pm, 4.00pm, 6.00pm, 8.00pm

Volunteers from the DCU International Student Welcome Service will meet you on arrival on campus
to assist you.

Booking the Airport Pickup Service

If you wish to avail of this service, please send an email to international.office@dcu.ie by Friday, 22
January 2010 at the latest with the subject heading “Airport Pickup” and specify the following details:
! Full Name
! DCU Student ID
! Name your accommodation on arrival (e.g. DCU Collins Park or Shanowen Square)
! Date of Arrival
! Time of Arrival
! Airline
! Flight No
! Airport from which the plane will be arriving, e.g. London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Chicago etc (if your
journey includes multiple flights, please send us the name of the airport from which your flight to
Dublin originated)

We will then add you to our arrivals list and our volunteers will meet you on the 3 February 2010. We
will contact everyone wishing to avail of the service again after 22nd January 2010 with further details.

Arriving outside the scheduled Welcome Service Times

If you are arriving on any other date or outside the times during which our volunteers are at the
airport, here is some useful advice.

The easiest way to get to DCU is by taxi, which will cost around €15-20 depending on the number of
people travelling and items of luggage.

You can also take a bus, but you will need to walk a considerable distance from the nearest bus stop to
DCU.
If you need to get into the city centre from the airport, you can do so by bus. Use numbers 41 or 16A
heading into the city centre (always double check with the bus driver). Bus tickets can be purchased on
the bus, but you need exact change. We would recommend that you purchase a Dublin Bus “10
Journey Travel 90” smart card at the airport as one of these cards allows you to travel for 90 minutes for
approximately €1.80 (there are ten tickets in one of these handy packs, and the total cost is
approximately €18.00 - you can reuse the smart card until all 10 journey have been used up).

For details on Dublin Bus fares and regulations, please visit:

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Fares--Tickets/Tickets/
http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Fares--Tickets/Fare-Information/

If you have secured accommodation in the DCU Residences, please ensure that your room is available
from 3 February 2010. If you have different flight options, you are advised to book a flight which
arrives later in the day rather than early in the morning as students arriving early may need to wait for
the first bus pickup at 8.00am. Likewise, if you arrive before 3 February 2010, you may need to book a
local hostel or B&B until you can move into your room on campus or in Shanowen. The following
websites are good for finding short-term accommodation in Dublin:

www.daft.ie (look under Short-Term)

www.dublintourist.com
www.goireland.com

For further information on how to get to DCU, please visit:

www.dcu.ie/info/get_to.shtml

The online DCU campus map will help you find your way around campus once you get to DCU:
www.dcu.ie/info/campus.shtml

International Student Orientation

The preliminary Orientation Schedule may be accessed at

http://www.dcu.ie/timetables/pdfs/full_orientationschedule.pdf. You should carefully identify the
sessions relevant to you as follows:

All Exchange Students and Study Abroad Programme Students must attend all relevant orientation
sessions on Thursday and Friday. The official Welcome Session begins on Thursday, 4 February 2010
at 10.00 am in QG15 which is located on the ground floor in the DCU Business School. The venue will
open at 9.30 am and we would encourage you to arrive on time to pick up your Information Welcome
Pack at the entrance and settle into your seat. Sessions begin at 10.00 am sharp.

A special orientation session for Postgraduate Students will be held on Thursday, 4 February 2010 at
4.00 pm in room QG21, followed by a Reception in the DCU Business School Foyer.

Registration / Programme Timetables

Student Registration for new students will take place as follows:

Exchange and Study Abroad Programme Students: registration will be arranged as part of the
orientation programme. You will be advised of the exact procedure during Orientation.

Postgraduate Students: you will be advised of the registration process by email later this year. Please
remember that this process will be organised by the Registry.

Please note that some timetables may not be available until January. Information on how to access
timetables online will be provided during Orientation Week.
Access to Services before Registration February 2010

Prior to Orientation, there is nothing you can do academically. If you arrive early, you should use this
time to get to know Dublin and your surroundings as much as possible. The city has much to offer at
all times of the year, whereas the campus can be extremely quiet. Enjoy a few days and don’t worry
about the academic part until the Orientation days.

The University and Third Parties

Please remember, the University does not communicate with third parties about you, unless specifically
instructed to do so in writing by yourself. “Third party” means somebody other than you, e.g. your
parents, friends.