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About the Admissions Strategy

In November 2022, Council considered a memo from the Vice Provost/Chief Academic Officer which outlined the need for a co-ordinated university admissions strategy, a clear articulation of our vision for the make-up of the student body in the coming years and how we respond to the needs of the student body. This strategy should consider all student cohorts.

Using 2021/22 as the baseline, over the past decade the student body in Trinity has grown by 23%, with international registrations now representing 17.5 % (those students paying non-EU fees) and postgraduates representing 30% of the total student body. However, the pressures of changing population demographics and increasing emphasis on lifelong learning and continuing development place significant pressures on all resources and challenge us to consider how we imagine Trinity of the future and the makeup of its student body.

As we welcomed approx. 21,000 students into Trinity in the academic year, it seems reasonable to suggest that we are reaching capacity in all contexts. In recent years the strategic impetus has been around increasing student numbers to achieve growth. Therefore, consideration of the student body should pay due regard to the potential for incentivised growth to support strategic school growth.

Open Discussion

It is within these contexts, that all staff were invited to engage in an open discussion in relation to Trinity’s ambitions regarding the composition of the student body and the related admissions strategy. This is an opportunity to explore and reflect on the direction we should take on what the student body will look like.

To start the discussion the following were some questions that were considered:

How do we define a student?
Who is a Trinity student?
What does the typical student body look like in a research-intensive university and in particular the proportion of students registered for research degrees?
As a research-intensive university with an ambition to be a “good university”, what types of learners does Trinity want to attract?
Do we want to stay as we are?
What is our ambition in terms of our student composition?
What is our ambition regarding the types of courses we offer?
How can we best ensure we have student diversity as part of our admissions strategy?
Is 21k the maximum student body we should have? Can we imagine a balance that might have a different maximum number? What does this look like in terms of the proportion of
- undergraduate students vs postgraduate students?
- research vs taught postgraduate students?
- full-time vs part time students vs occasional students?
Is a rethink required around the types of programmes that we offer – a personalised approach so that an individual can build their own programme (e.g., CPD, micro-credentials, stackable modules)? How might this work?
When does teaching take place and how often? E.g., evenings, weekends, flexible, more than one cycle per year
What is a teaching day? E.g., 9am – 5pm, later, earlier
What is the optimal mode of delivery? – e.g. Only in person, hybrid, fully online.
Where does teaching take place? Should transnational provision be considered?

Admissions Strategy Survey

Following the initial period of consultation which included six in-person conversations, one on-line conversation and discussion at the Undergraduate Studies Committee, Graduate Studies Committee, Heads of Schools, Fellows, Directors of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning, it was agreed at Council that further engagement with the community and Heads of Schools was required to ensure that there was an opportunity to have the individual and School views heard. It was agreed that a survey should go to the academic and professional staff and that a conversation should take place with each Faculty Executive. Unfortunately, engagement with the student community was limited, mainly because the timing of the consultation clashed with elections for the new sabbatical officers, and preparation for exams taking place.