Housing & Meals
At UCD, all students live in on-campus dorms. All of the dorms are apartment style, meaning students have their own bedroom, but they share a common area and kitchen with 4-6 other students. While Holy Cross students might end up living together, they may also be placed with Irish students or other international students. All of the dorms at UCD are self-catered, meaning students have kitchens that they will use to cook their own meals. There is one exception to this: there is a dorm called Roebuck Castle that has a limited meal plan. The dorms are a great place to meet new people and dive head-first into the study abroad experience! Click here to learn more about student accommodations at UCD. Please also check out this guide to living in residences, which students find useful after they have received their housing allocation.
How does housing work?
Once you apply to UCD and get accepted, you will receive an email from UCD residences about registering for housing. You'll get a chance to log in to the housing portal and select the dorm that you like . You'll make a first, second, and third selection, and you will be assigned a room through UCD's lottery system. You are not guaranteed your first choice. You really can't go wrong at UCD, though, since all of the housing is modern apartment-style living! It is your responsibility to keep an eye on your email after you are accepted to UCD and to sign up for housing as soon as the portal opens.
Spring 2024 students can expect to recieve an email from housing sometime around November 14th, 2023, though UCD does not have a specific date set. It is therefore critically important that UCD-bound student take ownership over their experience by carefully monitoring their Holy Cross emails for updates from our office and from UCD.
Can I live with my friends?
There isn't a way to select roommate on the UCD housing portal at this time. Keep in mind, however, that the point of study abroad is to meet new people and experience a different culture! Keep an open mind- your new flatmates could become lifelong friends!
What is (and isn't) included in the dorms?
Your dorm room will have a bed, a desk, and some storage, similar to an American-style dorm. Your apartment will not be furnished with the following:
-Toilet Paper
-Cleaning Supplies
-Bed Linens
-Soap
-Personal items
-Washer/Dryer
There is a convenience shop on campus called Centra that has food, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, hand soap, and more. You should plan to hit the shops in town soon after you arrive! There are plenty of stores in town that have affordable bedding, toiletries, and more. We recommend Penney's for bedding and household items. Dunnes, Lidl, and Tesco are great places to grab soap, cleaning supplies, and most importantly, food!
What's the story with laundry?
A laundry room is available for use in each dorm building. Laundry is pay-as-you-go. Make sure you have a credit or debit card that is chip enabled so that can 'tap' you card to pay for laundry!
Food options
All UCD dorms, with the exception Roebuck Castle, are self catered, meaning you can shop for your own food and cook it at home. There is a convenience store on campus called Centra that has food for you to buy and cook, but for the best deals, you can travel further afield to the Tesco on Nutley Lane! You can also hop on a bus and get to other grocery store chains like Dunnes, Lidl, and Tesco. You can even get groceries delivered to campus! Just google "Tesco delivery", "Lidl delivery", etc to find the latest apps and protocols for having groceries delivered.
UCD also provides a number of restaurants, dining halls, coffee shops, and more in several locations accross campus. With over 20 units, you're never too far from a hot meal, refreshment, or a quick snack! Click here to view an interactive map of dining establishments available on campus.
Budgeting for Food
All dorms at UCD are self-catered, with the exception of Roebuck Castle. This means that you will not have a meal plan, but rather you will purchase your own food. Whether you choose to buy groceries and cook for yourself or purchase food on campus, you'll need to budget for meals!
There is no meal plan for purchase at UCD. Instead, you can pay-as-you-go for cafes and restaurants on campus, or purchase food from the grocery store. You will not be charged Holy Cross board (ie meal plan) on your tuition bill, which is approximately $3,925 per semester. You should instead plan to use some or all of this budget sourcing your own food during your semester or year away.
How much you spend on food depends on your personal habits. Before you go, do some googling! Figure out the average prices for your favorite foods and make a plan! You can start here.