IT for Free

As a University of Galway student, you have access to lots of free IT - so be sure to make use of it!

As well as having access to the many software applications on all PCs on campus, students can download and install Microsoft 365 desktop applications on up to five devices at no additional cost. If you navigate to this webpage, then click on the icons for each application listed, you can access descriptions and training resources for each application.

Microsoft (MS) Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are very widely used by students and staff. Word is used to create documents (useful for essays, reports, notes, and so on). Excel is used to create spreadsheets (useful for working with numerical data, generating graphs, and so on). PowerPoint is used to create slideshows (for presentations). 

University of Galway students can access additional free or discount software for use on their own devices. Check out all software available to students with details of licence restrictions.  

You can get mobile versions of many software applications, and many students like to use their smartphones for study purposes – but a word of caution! Some content may not display correctly on your phone and there have been instances where students have lost marks because they missed information when using their phone for study purposes. Be particularly careful if studying maths subjects – it may be hard to spot some mathematical notation on a smartphone.

If possible, you may be better off keeping your phone for fun and personal use, and using a laptop for university-related activities. This can also help you to keep a clear boundary between study and leisure time.

It is also well worth spending time learning how to use citation management software – this will save you many hours of work in the long run.

Touch-typing is a very useful keyboard skill that can increase your productivity, reduce fatigue, and also reduce the risk of conditions such as repetitive strain injury, tendinitis, and bursitis. The ability to type swiftly and accurately is a skill that many employers value highly. While lots of students get by with ‘hunt and peck’ or ‘two finger’ typing, it is not possible to reach very high typing speeds using these methods. Learning to type does require time and effort, but it is well worth making the investment.

There are a number of free online typing resources that you may like to explore:

• Typing club
• Keybr
• Good Typing
• Dance Mat Typing
• Typing App: (Typist – for Mac)