Ireland¡¯s second largest university has suspended intake on 14 courses, each with fewer than 20 enrolled students, for the upcoming academic year, as it attempts to gain control of an almost €9?million (?7.7?million) deficit.

A spokesperson for Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Dublin confirmed that 14 courses would not accept students for the 2024-25 academic year, while a further four would be merged into one programme. Of the impacted courses, nine are level 8 honours degree programmes, in subject areas such as design, technology and innovation, computing, sustainable technologies and culinary science, while two are level 7 ordinary degree courses and the remainder award level 6 higher certificates.

The university had an overall deficit of €8.6 million, the spokesperson said, ¡°equivalent to 2.4 per cent of our income of €362 million last year¡±.

¡°Every year, like all other higher education institutions, TU Dublin reviews its portfolio of CAO [Central Applications Office] courses, pausing some programmes and introducing others that we believe will be of interest to students,¡± the spokesperson said, noting that the institution would introduce two new programmes in biotechnology and data science with artificial intelligence in September.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

A review in October 2023 ¡°identified a number of continuous low-intake programmes with fewer than 20 students on each¡±, they continued. The impacted courses will be ¡°redeveloped to update content and qualifications to attract greater student interest¡±.

¡°It is important to note that this review will not result in the absence of graduates with skills in these areas. Our other programmes ¨C at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels ¨C will continue to educate students in these domains as a core element of their coursework,¡± the spokesperson said.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Established in 2019 by the merger of three institutes of technology in the Irish capital, TU Dublin has more than 27,000 students, with 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College Dublin the only larger university in Ireland. The?institution has been beset by financial difficulties: in February the Higher Education Authority, the Irish regulator, ordered the governing body to review its management of a €8.6 million deficit, citing ¡°serious concerns¡± about the institution¡¯s ¡°deteriorating financial position¡±.

The TU Dublin spokesperson said the governing body had submitted a review to the HEA, while ¡°work on the development of a financial recovery plan to restore the university to financial stability is ongoing¡±.

In March, David FitzPatrick ¨C president of TU Dublin since its formation ¨C announced he would be leaving his post in order to become provost and chief executive of the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Nottingham¡¯s Malaysia branch campus. The following month, the physicist John Doran was appointed interim president of the institution.

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com