Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland

Overview

History, Affiliations & Rankings

Established in 1970, Athlone Institute of Technology was formerly known as Athlone Regional Technical College, as named by the Irish Government. With the enactment of the Regional Technical Colleges Act 1992, the institute gained more autonomy and was later renamed the Athlone Institute of Technology. Seven years later, AIT was made a validation authority with the power to award HETAC degrees. In 2017, the institute was designated as a College of Sanctuary in recognition of initiatives to welcome asylum seekers and refugees into the college community. It is not the first recipient of the College of Sanctuary but is also the third HEI in Ireland to have received this accoland.

Infrastructure, Campus & Courses

Located in Athlone, which is right in the centre of Ireland between Sublin city and Galway city, the AIT campus has developed rapidly since its establishment. AIT is spread across six campuses and four counties - Westmeath, Limerick, Tipperary and Clare. All in all, the campus includes a main building, a multipurpose hall, library, extra lecture rooms, an IT centre, four faculties, an administrative block, a hotel and catering building, the Nursing Building and Innovation Centre, the AIT Sports Arena and more. AITs faculties dedicated to Business & Hospitality, Science & Health, Continuing, Professional, Online & Distance Learning, and Engineering & Informatics offer more than 100 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In addition, it is the only Institute of Technology in Ireland accredited to grant PhDs which are in the areas of Polymer Engineering and Software, Microbiology and Toxicology.

Accomplishments & Alumni

IT is ranked 1st for research across the higher education landscape in the field of technology. It is associated with a number of research centres in Ireland including CONFIRM, ADAPT, CURAM, AMBER and SSPC which contribute to fundamental generation of knowledge. With more than 250+ global partnerships, the new technological university (TU) will offer global experiences through Erasmus and other study abroad programs. With a history of over 50 years, AIT has graduated thousands of students who have achieved recognition in the respective fields. Some of the notable alumni include Anne Rigney, Yewande Biala, Justin Barrett, Gabrielle McFadden, Shane Lowry and Robert Troy.

Student Diversity & Visiting Companies

AIT currently has international students from more than 60 countries experiencing world-class education, state-of-the-art facilities, intensive industry experience and remarkable exposure. The technological institute focuses extensively on applied, industry-focused undergraduate and postgraduate education along with research which translates to a good employability rate. A vast majority of AIT graduates find employment within six months of graduation. Of this, a number of students are employed in Athlone and the surrounding region, at both multinational and indegionious organizations. Along with providing services to help students reach their full potential, the Careers Office at AIT also makes appointments, looks up companies and apply for vacancies.

COVID-19 Response

Athlone Institute of Technology has been monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the country and taking all the necessary measures to make sure the community stays safe. Here are the latest updates on AITs response to the global pandemic:

• All students arriving in Ireland from designated countries will have to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility.

• Incoming first-year students should not accept their offer if they wish to defer their admission.

• A walk-in testing centre is open at the Athlone Regional Sports Centre in Athlone, which will operate from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

• Placements are under review at the moment to be in line with the government Covid-19 guidelines.

• Although the university is committed to getting all student experiences back to normal on campus, it will be supplemented by remote learning. For the same, online tools such as Zoom and Moodle will be used.

• In case an international student, who is from a country not on the Green List, arrives in Ireland, they will be restricted to move until completing a 14-day self-quarantine period.