593 first year students received Entrance Exhibition Awards from college last week.
The annual awards are granted to the first year students who achieved the highest leaving certificate points or international equivalent among Trinity entrants from their respective secondary schools.
The minimum requirement for the award is 500 CAO points (or equivalent international grades) and if more than one student from a secondary school is eligible for the award, all are awarded.
This year’s group of awardees represent 452 different schools from 30 counties on the island of Ireland, as well as 38 countries from across the globe.
Notable past recipients of the award include former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The 593 recipients were presented with their awards last week across three ceremonies at the Old Dining Hall. Parents and former principals of the awardees were also invited to the ceremonies.
Speaking on the awardees and the ceremonies, Provost of TCD Linda Doyle, said: “I am delighted that the award winners have chosen Trinity College Dublin for their higher education. My own experience of going to university was absolutely transformative and I want nothing less for our students.”
“I encourage them to avail of all that life in Trinity has to offer, from the top-class academic environment to the huge array of clubs and societies, all of which are situated in an outward-looking university with a strong international perspective.”
She took the time to acknowledge the “huge role played by school principals and the wider school community in nurturing the talent of these students.”
Among this year’s recipients, 372 are from Leinster, with 236 of that cohort being from Dublin. 84 students are from Munster, while 51 are from Connacht, and 40 are from Ulster.
46 International students were also recognised at the ceremonies, with students Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania , Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, Taiwan, Ukraine, the US, and the UK.
Alongside the recognition for academic achievement, the awardees received a certificate and a €150 book token.