The University of Limerick (UL), is located on the west coast of Ireland along the picturesque River Shannon and enjoys an unspoiled natural environment blended with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.
UL was awarded prestigious 5-star rankings for graduate employability, innovation and knowledge transfer, teaching, engagement, internationalisation and infrastructure by QS Stars independent assessors.
With close to 12,000 students, including more than 2,000 international students each year, UL is a young and enterprising university with a proud record of innovation in education and scholarship. A survey of Irish students recently voted UL Ireland’s most popular university with a satisfaction rating of 85%.
UL offers more than 70 undergraduate programmes across Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Education and Health Sciences, Science and Engineering and the Kemmy Business School. UL also delivers a strong postgraduate offering with more than 100 taught postgraduate programmes to Doctoral and Post-doctoral level.
UL pioneered the concept of Cooperative Education in Ireland, placing more than 2,000 students in paid and semi-paid work placements annually - 30% of these as international placements. These valuable work experiences make UL graduates more employable, which is why the UL graduate employment rate is 15% higher than the national average.
With strong links to business and industry, UL excels at translational research which aims to accelerate the practical application of academic research to benefit society. UL houses some of the most innovative and successful research centres in Ireland. The Nexus Innovation Centre is a growing community of international researchers and entrepreneurs which supports new businesses and the creation of jobs.
Known as ‘Ireland’s Sporting Campus’, UL boasts Ireland’s first altitude training centre, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and the National Strength and Conditioning Centre. The new 3G pitches are the largest artificial grass development in Europe and the Sports Arena attracts more than 600,000 visitors each year.
Cafes, restaurants, student and faculty accommodation options and a range of on-campus facilities provide an outstanding student experience and a stimulating working environment.
The University of Limerick (UL) was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and classified as the University of Limerick in 1989.
The University of Limerick is an independent, internationally focussed university with over 11,600 students and 1,300 staff. It is a young, energetic and enterprising university with a proud record of innovation in education and excellence in research and scholarship. Its mission is to promote and advance learning and knowledge through teaching, research and scholarship in an environment which encourages innovation and upholds the principles of free enquiry and expression. Particular attention is paid to the generation of knowledge which is relevant to the needs of Ireland's continuing socio-economic development.
The University of Limerick offers a range of programmes up to doctoral and postdoctoral levels in the disciplines of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business, Education and Health Sciences, Science and Engineering.
The University is situated on a superb riverside campus of over 133 hectares with the River Shannon as a unifying focal point. Outstanding recreational, cultural and sporting facilities further enhance this exceptional learning and working environment. The University of Limerick campus is located 5km from Limerick City and 20km from Shannon International Airport.
Adjacent to the University is the National Technology Park (NTP), Ireland's first science/technology park (263 hectares), which is home to over 80 organisations employing over 4,000 people. There is a close interaction between UL and the National Technology Park. The National Technology Park has been designed to meet the needs of high-technology and knowledge-based businesses by providing low density development in a high quality parkland environment. The Park provides a range of flexible business infrastructure and accommodation options for eligible activities.
UL Foundation
The University of Limerick Foundation was established in 1989 to provide, in partnership with UL, national and international leadership and funding for the University’s advancement. In its early years, the Foundation set the standard for Irish fundraising and that tradition continues today. With close to $200 million raised to date through its international network, the Foundation is a leading recipient of international philanthropic funding in Ireland.
The Foundation constantly strives to strengthen the links that the University has built with its graduate community and the business community on the island of Ireland and beyond. Guided and supported by a board of national and international leaders from business, industry and the arts, the Foundation is proud of the role that it plays in assisting the physical and academic development of the University and in ensuring that the University of Limerick continues to be at the heart of many national initiatives.
Alumni Association
Established in 1987, the University of Limerick Alumni Association (ULAA) is a membership organisation which provides an active link between graduates of UL and their alma mater in support of both the University and the growing alumni community (now numbering close to 55,000). Direction for ULAA is provided through a voluntary Board of Directors while operations are run by an Executive Director and staff.
Membership of ULAA is automatic for all UL graduates and provides the opportunity for members to maintain a life-long relationship with the University and fellow graduates. Alumni benefit from a wide range of services including access to ‘UniversaL’, an online community exclusive to UL graduates, quarterly web newsletter ‘alumni@UL’ and invitations to the annual Alumni Reunion Day, the Alumni-Student Debate and the Alumni lecture Series. ULAA is also a voice representing the views of alumni on campus and through which graduates can communicate with their alma mater. www.ulaa.ul.ie
Volunteering
The President's Volunteer Award is designed to support students take up volunteering opportunities and the President of the University will formally recognise students for their volunteering work. Our vision for the University of Limerick is to provide an outstanding student experience, to actively serve our communities and to contribute to the civil, social and cultural life of the Shannon Region and beyond. Discover how volunteering can help to make a difference in your own life and in your community. Learn More about the Presidents Volunteer Award.
Environment
University of Limerick Environmental Committee - Promoting environmental awareness among the Campus Community
ULEnviroCom is a group of faculty, staff and students that advises the president on environmental issues and promotes environmental awareness in the University of Limerick campus community. The committee is responsible for proposing the adoption and implementation of environmental policies and also for evaluating this implementation. This is with a view to encouraging conscientious environmental management and facilitating mitigation of the university’s environmental impact.
AccessCampus - Homework Club
We in the University of Limerick are very pleased to continue our involvement in the wider community of Limerick and its environs through our AccessCampus and its homework club. Originally conceived and implemented by previous Presidents of the University of Limerick it continues in its quest to make the University accessible to all parts of society through supporting "fun to learn" initiatives.
The Homework Club provides a basis for the reinforcement of learning at school with the added bonus of seeing the practical applications of the knowledge gained through interaction with professionals. Our Access programme at the University of Limerick has grown steadily from an intake of 52 students in 2002/03 to 98 students in 2005/06 availing of the access route to undergraduate programmes, while in the current year we now have Access graduates availing of post-graduate studies.
It is initiatives such as the homework club that allow students the confidence, knowledge and opportunity to grasp the Access opportunities that exist. We, through our programmes, demonstrate our ongoing commitment to Access initiatives such as the Homework Club and we look forward to welcoming many more students to the programme at the University of Limerick. More Information at www.ledp.ie or visit the Access Unit within UL
UL first in Ireland in both ‘Gender Equality’ and ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ rankings
THE University of Limerick has ranked 35th globally in the first ever Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings and first in Ireland for gender equality.
The unique ranking is designed to measure the impact of an academic institution on society, based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
UL is ranked 35th overall in the 2019 list, published this Wednesday by Times Higher Education (THE), which is the data provider underpinning university excellence in every continent across the world.
UL attained the position based on its performance in a number of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) rankings, including placing fourth worldwide in Decent Work and Economic Growth, which was the best performance by any Irish university in this measure and third in Europe.
UL’s performance under this goal reflects the quality of the work environment at the university for all employees, as well as a focus on equipping students for employment. UL has the largest Co-Operative Education programme nationally and this is directly linked to UL’s leadership in terms of graduate employability.
UL also showed a very strong performance in the rankings covering Sustainable Cities and Communities (23), Partnership for the Goals (32), Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (36), Gender Equality (81) and Good Health and Wellbeing (85). UL’s commitment to an open, sustainable and healthy campus positively affected this ranking and in particular, the sporting and cultural amenities on campus and their impact on art and heritage regionally and nationally were a factor.
UL’s ranking in the Gender Equality category is also the highest of any university in Ireland. UL was granted an Athena Swan Bronze award in 2015 for advancing gender equality.
Reacting to UL’s ranking, UL President Dr Des Fitzgerald, said: “The social and economic impact of a university has to be one of the most important performance indicators of any higher education institution globally. It is therefore very heartening to have University of Limerick endorsed by Times Higher Education for the impact our institution is having regionally, nationally and internationally.
“Universities must drive innovation, development, inclusivity, equality and investment in order to achieve an impact for societal and economic change,” he added.
The league table, featuring over 550 universities, is the first to measure global third level institutions’ successes in delivering on United Nations targets, some 17 in total which were adopted by the UN in 2016 and include providing for inclusive education, achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
“The Times Higher Education University Impact Ranking analysed evidence from over 550 universities from 80 countries in order to measure their societal and economic impact, using 11 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” explained Ellie Bothwell, Rankings Editor, Times Higher Education.
“Irish institutions were some of the world’s top performers in this ranking and for the University of Limerick to place so well against such strong competition is something for which their students and staff should be extremely proud.”
The ranking was open to all accredited universities teaching undergraduates. Data was collected to produce an overall ranking of universities based on the best four or five Sustainable Development Goals per university. THE used indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three broad areas: research, outreach, and stewardship.
Dr Mary Shire, UL’s Vice-President Research and Enterprise, said: “UL’s inclusion on the list marks us out among global leaders, demonstrating the institution’s strategic commitment to societal and economic impact of excellent research and knowledge transfer. The University not only supports the Sustainable Development Goals through its teaching and research, but also embodies the goals in its organisational culture and provides verifiable evidence of its contribution to the world.
“UL has always had a focus on impact and this ranking is an international validation of our performance,” she added.
