For programmes described as Online / Blended, the programme will be delivered online with opportunities for classroom-based learning and interactions at certain pre-scheduled times.

For programmes that have self-paced learning hours attributed. These are online directed learning course; meaning that time will be split between live online classroom sessions and tutorials/ videos on the College’s e-learning system. This split allows for class time to be interactive, practical, and focused, with theory-based content being covered outside of class time with self-paced tutorials/videos, and practical content being covered in live online classes with support from lecturers and lab assistants. The self-paced hours will not show up on your timetable.

Career Bridge classes will be delivered one day per week. Day to be confirmed.

Higher Diploma Programmes

Postgraduate Diploma Programmes

Certificate in Computing

Active engagement with your Work Placement Advisor is essential as placements are subject to application and interview process. Relevant Employment/Placement can be undertaken within the course timeline or commenced within 3 months of course completion. In order for our Career’s team to determine if work placement is applicable to you (depending on your employment status and the job position that you hold) you will need to register for the Career Bridge module on Moodle when you start. No action necessary at this time.

The Springboard+ and ICT Skills scheme allows for 100% funding of the tuition cost of these programmes if you fall into one of the below categories

• Unemployed and in receipt of an eligible DEASP payment or signing for credits
• Returners
• Working Family Payment*

A student contribution fee of 10% of total course fee is applicable if you are in employment.  More information can be found in Step 1 below about how to pay your fees.

Recent graduates who are unemployed are eligible to enrol on the one-year full-time programmes and two-year part-time programmes but they are liable for the 10% contribution fee.  Any subsequent costs such as travel and course materials must be borne by the participant. 

Please note that funding is guaranteed for the original duration of the course only.

Refund Policy: If a student withdraws before the commencement of the course the full amount that they have paid is refundable. No refund will be processed once the student commences the course.

Continued Eligibility for Funding: Please note if there is any change to your employment status/social welfare payment from the point of application to course commencement, you must notify us by email Springboard@ncirl.ie. Each course has specific eligibility requirements. A change in status may mean that you are no longer eligible for funding or could mean a student contribution fee is applicable. As per the self-declaration form that you were requested to complete at the time of applying, we will require supporting documentation to be uploaded to your Springboard account, no sooner than 2 weeks (for the unemployed) and 6 weeks (for the employed) prior to the course start date. This request will come from a member of the Springboard team directly. Do not provide any personal documentation unless specifically requested, this is to ensure compliance with current GDPR restrictions.

The below is guidance, for further clarification please see HEA - Springboard+ (springboardcourses.ie)

Eligible DSP clients who are accepted on a course should immediately contact their local social welfare office.

HCI Pillar 1 / ICT Conversion Courses (Higher Diploma programmes): 

Our 1 year Higher Diploma programmes are classed as full time mode of study run in the evening and those who secure a place on a 1 year Higher Diploma course must transfer to 'Back to Education Allowance' (BTEA). It is the responsibility of the applicant in receipt of a DSP payment to discuss transferring to BTEA payment with their case officer in their local INTREO office when their offer is accepted and before they complete first registration for the course through www.springboardcourses.ie. The 10% course fee will be waived for applicants in receipt of BTEA. 

Please also see Springboard+ Participant Eligibility. 

Level 9 Postgraduate Courses & Certificate Courses

In regards to our part time courses (Postgraduate courses and Certificate Course) prior to commencing a Springboard+ course participants in receipt of Job Seekers payment should contact their local social welfare office to make an application to retain their payment under the PTEO. The relevant Springboard+ PTEO 2024/2025 form can be downloaded here. Please do not return this form to NCI. Participants in receipt of other forms of income support payment other than Job Seekers must contact their local Intreo Office to confirm if they may retain such payments while enrolled on a Springboard+ course.

Please note that to participate in NFQ Level 9 (postgraduate) course, a period of at least one year must have elapsed since completing a full-time undergraduate degree course leading to a major award at level 8 on the NFQ.

Even though these courses are open to applicants irrespective of their employment status the HEA requests that we must prioritize those in receipt of a social protection payment and those classified as ‘returners’ to upskill or reskill and re-enter the workforce by providing places free of charge. As places on Springboard+ courses are limited, the unemployed will always take priority over others

Restrictions Regarding Previous Applicants: 

For more information click here. Please also see Springboard+ Participant Eligibility. 

Recent graduates 

Please note that applying under this status is only applicable to those making an application to the Level 8 Higher Diploma Courses. 

An applicant can apply under the status ‘recent graduate’ if they have completed the academic part of their full-time undergraduate NFQ Level 8 degree (3 or 4 year course) within the 12 months prior to the start of a Springboard+ course. These applicants have to pay 10% of the course fee and would not be able to retain any benefit for the duration of the course.

Further information can be viewed HEA - Springboard+

Please note that certain courses (particularly ICT courses) may have specific laptop requirements. You are asked to consult your course information page where any further requirements will be specified. Please note these are recommendations and should be seen as guidelines only.

This programme has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. Specifically, students are expected to successfully participate in lectures, online lab works and projects using a laptop computer with a substantial hardware configuration.  A suitable minimum specification is 16GB RAM (32GB recommended), a modern Intel i7 /AMD Ryzen 7/ Apple Silicon equivalent processor, at least 256GB SSD storage (512GB recommended), reliable Wi-Fi, and a recent version of Ubuntu, macOS, or Windows. Students must have full administrator rights on their device in order to install and configure required software and development tools. Access to a webcam, microphone, and power supply for extended lab sessions is also expected.  For online examinations, students will require access to both a webcam and a smartphone for online proctoring. 

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their computer is functioning correctly and that they have full administrator rights. NCI cannot provide support for these personal devices.

Student Laptop Loan Scheme
A Laptop Loan Scheme is available for eligible students to assist them in completing their chosen course.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has allocated funding for a grant to support disadvantaged students in the higher education sector in accessing ICT devices.

This, cash limited, grant will allow NCI to provide eligible students with a laptop to assist them in completing their chosen course. Visit our Laptop Loan Scheme page for further details. 

Any queries around this should be directed to laptopfund@ncirl.ie.
 

The Springboard+ and ICT Skills scheme allow for 100% funding of the tuition cost of these programmes if you fall into one of the below categories*

• Unemployed and in receipt of an eligible DEASP payment or signing for credits
• Returners
• Working Family Payment*

*Note; In order to receive 100% funding, you must fall into one of these categories upon course commencement. The Springboard office will be contacting students to ensure the employment/unemployment status upon application remains the same at course commencement.

For those in employment a student contribution fee is required. This is payable by the participant or their employer enrolled in the September 2026 intake and must be paid in full by 13th November 2026. NCI Springboard+ Team will issue a request for payment when required.

Recent graduates who are unemployed are eligible to apply for one-year full-time and two-year part-time ICT Skills Conversion courses; however, they are liable for the 10% fee 

Action Item: Please review your Springboard application form, if you have indicated that you are in employment or if you are applying under the status student, then this 10% contribution fee is applicable. The course fees that are applicable are outlined below.

Please note: Documentation supporting your employment status will be provided by you as part of the application process, however, please be advised that the HEA may request further proof confirming your continued eligibility at the time of course commencement. A change in your employment status from unemployed to employed will mean that a student contribution fee is applicable. 
 

Payable by the Student

An online payment link will open in October for students who are commencing Springboard+ courses in September 2026. Students will be notified of this link once it is live and payment can then be made online. Please note as a Springboard+ student you are permitted to start class before these fees are paid. Once the link opens the Springboard team will be in contact.   

Employer-Sponsored

If your fees are being paid by your company you will need to complete a sponsorship form and return it to fees@ncirl.ie within 2 weeks of accepting your place on the course. When the form has been received, the company will be issued an invoice within 5 working days. Please note that as a Springboard+ student it is permitted to start classes before these fees are paid. 

Refund Policy

If a student withdraws before the commencement of the course the full amount that they have paid is refundable. No refund will be processed once the student commences the course.

Before commencing you first need to login to your NCI account and set your password.

Set your password for access to MyApps

You can set your login details using the Password Management section of the website.

Please select RESET PASSWORD (Springboard students do not need to select the 'REGISTER BUTTON'

The Setting your Password guide will give you a step-by-step guide of how to reset your password.

To reset your login details you will need your Student Number. This number will be on the 'Notification of Offer' email and 'Confirmation of Acceptance' email that you would have received from the Springboard team in NCI.

Once you have completed this you will be able to access your NCI email by logging into MyApps and clicking on Outlook. The link to MyApps can be found in the Quicklinks drop down at the top of every page on the website.  

Please note that you cannot proceed to Step 3 'Getting your student card' until you reset your login details first.

NCI offers a service which allows students to download a photo app to their smart phone or desktop/laptop and take their own Student Identification Photo. This photo will then be used to print your student card.

New students must submit their ID photo via the app in order to receive their student card. Please follow our step by step guide to downloading the app and taking your student card photo. 

Student cards will be posted to students shortly after the commencement of their course subject. 

(Please note photos uploaded during the application process will not be used for your student card).

Please note that Springboard students are not required to attend the college in person before their first class. Registration and Orientation is conducted online.

Orientation

Your Orientation Session:

• Please watch the short overview video: How to Get Started with Microsoft Teams
• Download & install the Microsoft Teams App to your PC prior to your orientation session - Download Microsoft Teams * please note the use of mobile devices is not recommended
• Login to the Microsoft Teams App using your NCI username & Password. Please note your username format should be x12345678@student.ncirl.ie
• During your orientation session you will be required to use a webcam and microphone
• It is recommended to use headphones during the session as it reduces audio feedback.

For any questions on your orientation or if you are unable to make the session, please email orientation@ncirl.ie.

All dates could be subject to change. Timetables will be made available from the Timetable section of the website in September, so please ensure you check your timetable to confirm the date, time and location of your first class.

You have already been provided with an indicative timetable for your course. However, please note that timetables are never confirmed until they are published on the NCI website. You will be able to view your timetable 2 -3 days before classes commence: You can access your timetable online by using the dedicated timetable section of the website. Simply search for your course then choose your week & day range.

Please check your timetables regularly as they can be subject to room changes.

In order to access your online classroom please follow the steps below. This guide is for Windows 10 users. A mac guide will be available shortly

Download Teams

Please follow the steps below or watch the informational video which will go through some handy hints and tips.

• Follow the steps below;
  • You do this opening your browser and searching for "Microsoft teams download"
  • Click into the Microsoft link
  • Click the "Download for desktop" option
  • Click "Download Teams"
  • Once the application is downloaded and installed you will need to login using your NCI username (e.g. x12345678@student.ncirl.ie) and password. To set your logins please refer to Step 2 above.
• Next you need to check your timetable to see what lecture is scheduled. 
• Then go to Teams and click on the Calendar icon
• You should see your class has been scheduled and you will be able to join by clicking into the event and pressing "Join".

• Watch the below video for more information on how to join your online class via Microsoft Teams: 

  How to Join Your Online Class

All students who are receiving Government funding for either 100% or 90% of the course fee depending on their employment status are being funded under the Springboard+ or HCI initiatives. This government funding is paid in instalments to NCI to cover the cost of each semester. ALL STUDENTS need to activate their government funding at certain intervals during your course by re-registering on the Springboard website. The National College of Ireland’s Springboard Team will send advisement when this is to be actioned to the email addresses we hold on file. Please see the following informatic which you may find helpful in detailing this requirement here

Please refer to the Springboard website for funding eligibility rules https://springboardcourses.ie/eligibility and for a list of FAQs please visit https://springboardcourses.ie/faq

For upcoming open evening please register on https://www.ncirl.ie/Events

Programme Co-ordinators administer the daily management of all courses in the college.  The school administration offices are located in Room 3.03 on the 3^rd floor.   Please follow signs provided.

The programme co-ordinators can help you with course information, queries around timetables and any issues or concerns you may have while completing your studies with NCI.  You will be assigned a specific programme co-ordinator depending on your course of study.

All students should enrol on the School of Business or School of Computing information page on Moodle. Here you will find all required details for your programme such as your Programme Director, Programme Co-ordinator, Continual Assessment schedule and Programme Handbook.

Programme Co-ordinators can be contacted by submitting a request to Academic Operations on the NCI Support Hub.

The Library – we have a range of services and all the information is just a click away from the front page of the college website.

The Library Essentials – starting out as a new student, the best place to find the information you need to know is our Library Essentials guide.

Opening Hours & Access – take a look at when we’re open and how best to access the library.

Finding Books – once you start looking at your reading lists, you’ll need to know how to find a book in the library.

Borrowing & Renewing Books – how you can borrow books, how they are renewed and how you can keep an eye on your library account.

Computers, Printing & Photocopying – all you need to know about using the PCs or your own devices in the library and how to use the printers and photocopiers.

Library Online Resources – instead of just searching the internet, we highly recommend you use the library's online resources to help you discover the best information for your assignments.

Discovery – another way of accessing the library’s online resources is by using the library search engine Discovery.

Referencing & Avoiding Plagiarism – when writing your assignments, you will be asked to reference the information you use and avoid plagiarism; this guide helps you better understand what’s required.

Academic Integrity – check out our guide on academic integrity to get a better understanding of your lecturers’ expectations for your assignments.

Library Academic Support Centre – you can get advice and assistance from the Library Academic Support Centre to help you with your assignments and research.

International Students – if you are an international student, you may find adjusting to college life a little more challenging; this guide is designed to help you make that adjustment.

Contact Us - As you begin your course, please don’t hesitate to ask us for help; drop into the library, call us on 01-4498590 or email us at library@ncirl.ie

Part of the success of your Springboard course to meet your career goals is the Career Bridge module which is integrated into your programme. 

Practical career management classes take place in your 1st Semester one day a week between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

In addition, employer events relevant to your course and career are organised throughout the year of your studies. This module is designed to complement the technical skills of your course and provide you with the skills employers seek such as identifying your strengths and addressing skills gaps, developing your online and offline brand, networking effectively and managing your career path. 
 

What Career Bridge will offer you:
• Individualised career counselling and development. 
• Individualised, strategic career planning addressing advancement and transition. 
• Professionalised, targeted CVs and high impact applications. 
• Expert interview coaching. 
• Career networking and personal branding strategies. 
• Practical skills workshops and one to one consultations. 
• Online effective career resources available 24/7. 
• Access to the NCI Weekly Vacancy newsletter and the LinkedIn Group Tech Network  for Students and Graduates for jobs and events.

The NCI Career Development and Employability office works in partnership with employers to support students  in both identifying and achieving their future ambitions. 

Our career service has won the National AHECS award  for Employability for 5 out of the last 9 years. 

The partnerships with employers are in the form of: 
• Interview marathons 
• Sector-specific mock interviews with key employers 
• Targeted On-Campus Careers Fair 
• Alumni networking events 
• Technical and whiteboard simulations 
• Employer presentations 
• Skill- and competency-focused workshops
 

Career Bridge, similar to the other modules on the programme, will have learning outcomes relevant to your career aspirations.
 

Employment and Placement 
We work proactively and collaboratively with you and industry partners to obtain relevant employment during or within 3 months of completing your course. A graduate or entry level position, or indeed relevant employment 
acts as the work placement requirement. If a work placement is required, your Careers Advisor will actively support you in identifying a suitable work placement through your network.

Active engagement with your Careers Advisor and with the Career Bridge module markedly increases the likelihood of a successful career transition or progression. We look forward to working with you to realise your career goal.

If you have questions relating to Career Bridge, you can contact:  

Siobhan Mockler - siobhan.mockler@ncirl.ie

In the Learning and Teaching Office you will find the Student Support team who are available to help you in a variety of areas. For more information please visit https://www.ncirl.ie/Students/Student-Services/Support-Services

If you are having a tough time and need someone to talk to, please contact the following services / helplines: 

• Hanover Medical 01 675 0040 
• Out of hours Doctor 1850 224 477 (DDoc) / 01 454 5607 (Dub Doc) 
• Aware 1800 804 848 
• Samaritans 116 123 or Text 087 260 9090 
• Pieta House 1800 247 247 
• Samaritans 116 123 or Text 087 260 9090 
• Pieta House 1800 247 247 

The Students’ Union is your voice in the college. Whether it’s issues concerning your course or the college entertainments, student welfare, clubs & societies or entertainments, the Executive team represent all NCI students and provide support for any problems you face throughout your time here.

The SU space is one of the social hubs of college. A great place to relax, here you’ll find pool tables, games consoles, casual seating space and the Executive offices. Events are held throughout the year and all students are encouraged to get involved.

You can find out more by visiting Students' Union.

Have a look at the published Academic Calendar to assist you with your planning over the coming year