Established in 1854 as the Catholic University of Ireland and subsequently the Royal University, the university officially became University College of Dublin (UCD) in 1908 and a constituent college of the National University of Ireland (NUI). University College Dublin  is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities and a member of Universitas 21, the leading global network of research institutions. The campus is located at Belfield, four kilometres south of the city centre and spans at 350-acre of landscaped parkland. It is Ireland’s largest and most globally engaged university with over 30,000 students from over 120 countries drawn into UCD, with its international students making up 25% of the student body.