Courses
Increase in demand for Online & Flexible courses reported by ATU
ATU’s Online, Flexible & Professional Development (OFPD) team – which has responsibility for supporting online and blended courses across its nine campuses – has reported that demand was once again high for ATU’s Autumn intake.
ATU receives almost 13,000 applications for online, flexible and professional development courses
By the end of September, ATU had attracted 12,768 applications for its 477 online and flexible programmes. Of these applications, 5,469 were made through the Springboard+ Programme. The total number of eligible learners to study these ATU courses was 7,676 learners; this figure marks a 5.7% increase when compared to Online & Flexible Learning student numbers recorded from September of last year.
ATU Vice President, Professor Jacqueline McCormack, who has responsibility for Online & Flexible Learning, welcomed the growth in numbers, noting that ATU’s Online, Flexible & Professional Development department is recognised as a market leader in this area.
She said that the increase also reflected the ever evolving and changing environment of the jobs market, and a desire by others to return to education.
Professor McCormack added: “As an employer-facing institution, ATU is a national leader for the provision of excellent accredited, skills-based, flexible and online learning, responsive to the needs of learners and industry and enterprise.
As an employer-facing institution, ATU is a national leader for the provision of excellent accredited, skills-based, flexible and online learning, responsive to the needs of learners and industry and enterprise. “Our purpose is to empower learners, home and abroad, to achieve their personal and professional aspirations through innovative, skills-focused, online and flexible education.
This was a sentiment also expressed by OFPD Head of Business Development, Jean Gilligan. She said: “The continued demand for ATU’s online and flexible courses, with almost 13,000 applications this September, underscores a clear message: flexible learning is not just an option, it is the future of education.
By offering a diverse range of courses, including 200 targeted micro-credentials, ATU is directly meeting the nation’s need for accessible upskilling, reskilling, and pathways back to education.
Of the total number of online and flexible learning applicants, 62% were male and 38% female. Interestingly, 73% of those who downloaded the Online & Flexible Learning prospectus said that they preferred an ‘online’ mode of study while 12% preferred blended and 15% preferred on-campus.
It was also revealed that 31% of Online & Flexible applicants were between the ages of 35 and 45, with 28% between the ages of 25 and 35; 20% over the age of 45; and 11% between 18 and 25 years.
In terms of geographical location, the largest number of applications for the September 2025 intake came from Dublin (15%) and Galway (14%), followed by Donegal (8%), Cork (8%), Sligo (6%), Mayo (6%), Kildare (4%) and Meath (4%).
The primary delivery mode for 224 of ATU’s Online & Flexible courses was ‘fully online’ while 124 were ‘blended’ (online and on campus). The rest were on-campus and other.
Over September, the OFPD Student Experience team hosted online Induction for students, which included information on the range of resources available.
A total of 187 live online introductory meetings were hosted by academic colleagues and supported by Online Student Advisors (OSAs) during the introductory week. Two live online lunchtime Q&A sessions were also well attended by students.
OFPD Head of Student Experience, Joanne Harmon, said: “We are delighted to welcome our new and returning online students back to ATU for the new academic year with a unified and high standard of Induction across all campuses.”
She outlined that, to date in 2025 / ’26, more than 5,100 students are currently supported by OSAs on 251 online programmes across ATU, with more to follow for student intakes later in the year.
Meanwhile, Atlantic Technological University is now open for applications for its January/February intake of courses. To explore what ATU has to offer, or to apply, visit January Start – Atlantic Technological University
For more information, contact:
Stephen Glennon
M: + 353 86 839 3977
