The 3U Pathway University Foundation Programme is an extension of the 3U Partnership  between Dublin City University (DCU), the National University of Ireland Maynooth (NUI Maynooth) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

The partnership has existed for two years, combing the academic, management and research strengths of the three universities, however this is the first time it has teamed up with an English language provider.

“We are offering something very different by collaborating with these three institutions and will allow us to attract a more diverse student mix”

The launch of the programme last week in Dublin was attended by the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn who praised the collaboration of all four institutions. “You are pioneers in that regard and very welcome in the agenda that we have in the Department of Education,” he said.

“One of the core ambitions of our higher education systems is that our institutions should be globally competitive and internationally oriented,” he added.

ECI won the tender for the programme in a unanimous vote and head of the 3U Partnership Mary Fenton said that ECI “has been at the vanguard of quality English language teaching in Ireland.”

Fenton also praised ECI’s student-led approach and noted that its global network of agents will allow each of the partner universities to also increase their own brand awareness worldwide.

CEO of ECI Mauro Biondi told The PIE News: “As the Minister said we are offering something very different by collaborating with these three institutions and will allow us to attract a more diverse student mix.”

The first cohort aims to attract around 45 students from Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Nigeria, Kenya and Brazil, with aims to grow this number in coming years.

The 30-week programme is set to begin this September using a curriculum developed by ECI academic staff with classes held at its Milltown Park school.