Graduate Recruitment Festival 2026

UCC Careers Service Graduate Recruitment Festival 2026

Dates: October 7th & 8th, 2026

Venue: Devere Hall, Student Centre, UCC Campus

Following the success of last year’s event, which welcomed over 3,300 students, the UCC Careers Service Graduate Recruitment Festival returns in 2026, continuing to build on its reputation as one of the largest and most highly attended student recruitment events.

Why Attend the Graduate Recruitment Festival?

A Central, High-Impact Venue

Located in Devere Hall in the Student Centre, the festival offers a modern, high-footfall environment designed to maximise meaningful employer-student engagement.

Strong Student Attendance

With thousands of students expected to attend again in 2026, the festival provides unrivalled access to a diverse and engaged student population from across all disciplines.

Diverse, Future-Ready Talent

Engage with students, developing key graduate attributes including digital fluency, communication, problem-solving, and global awareness.

A Proven Recruitment Platform

This flagship event continues to connect employers with high-calibre students while supporting informed career decision-making.

2026 Festival Format: Semi-Sectorised Sessions

This year, we are introducing a light sectoral structure across the sessions. The aim is to create a more focused environment for employers, while still maintaining flexibility and broad access for students.

The sessions are structured as follows:

• Session A (7 Oct, morning): STEM & Engineering
• Session B (7 Oct, afternoon): Business, Finance & Professional Services
• Session C (8 Oct, morning): Technology, Data & Innovation
• Session D (8 Oct, afternoon): Public Sector, Arts, Languages, Education, Health, Social Impact, and related areas

Key Points to Note:

• The sectoral structure will be light-touch and not explicitly marketed to students
• Employers can select whichever session best suits their availability
• As in previous years, employers will indicate the student cohorts they wish to engage with, and this will be communicated directly to relevant students and academic departments
• This approach is designed to cluster similar employers where possible, based on feedback from previous years, while retaining the inclusive, cross-disciplinary nature that makes the festival so successful.

Be Part of One of UCC’s Flagship Recruitment Events

The Graduate Recruitment Festival is a cornerstone of employer engagement at UCC, offering a unique opportunity to build your brand, connect with top talent, and strengthen your presence on campus.

Demand is high, and spaces are limited. Early registration is strongly recommended.

To register or learn more, please follow the registration link or contact:

Register here

Graduaterecruitment@ucc.ie

Advertise Graduate Vacancies, Programmes, and Internships

Employers can advertise graduate vacancies, programmes, and internships for free on our website and noticeboards for up to four weeks.

How to Register & Post a Vacancy:

• Click [here] to register as an employer.
• Once registered, you can post vacancies immediately while awaiting approval (usually the next day).
• Recruitment agencies must first contact Career Services at graduaterecruitment@ucc.ie, as client details are required before advertising.

Verification & Onboarding Process

Due to an increase in fraudulent organizations attempting to gain access to our platform, we have introduced additional verification steps to ensure the legitimacy of employers and the suitability of opportunities for our students.

All employers must attend a brief onboarding meeting via Microsoft Teams after completing registration. This step is required to verify both your organization and the role you are advertising. We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining a trusted and high-quality recruitment environment for our students.

On campus engagement opportunities

Careers Fairs: 

The following is a list of upcoming Employer Careers event for the 24-25 academic year:

• Graduate Recruitment Festival 7th & 8th October 2026 Employer Registration here
• The Volunteering Fair - November - Register here
• The Winter Jobs Fair - January 2026- Registration opens in mid October

If you wish to be added to the mailing list for 2025-26 Graduate Recruitment Festival you can add here

On campus promotions/talks or bespoke events and activations:

Please contact Graduaterecruitment@ucc.ie to discuss possible dates to host a stand, on campus activation or similar event on campus. This event can also be tied into an in person presentation or talk.

Transition Out Initiatives:

We have new offerings for the 2025-26 academic year learn more on this here: Graduate Attributes: Transition out initiatives

Part Time Student Jobs

Employers can advertise part time vacancies FREE OF CHARGE on our website for a period of 4 weeks. Click here and follow the instructions to register and post your vacancy. 

To make the most of these advertising opportunities we recommend that you include the following:

• Job Title.
• Application Procedure and recruitment process timeline.
• Closing Date.
• Company Website.
• Salary details.  
• Role location/remote working details 
• Recruitment process timeframe 
• Interview format details (eg. video interview)