The runner-ups in both categories were also announced.
The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 have released some of the details of their findings for third-level education institutions, which will be part of a 16-page supplement, given free along with this Sunday's issue.
The guide names University College of Dublin as the University of the Year, with National University of Ireland - Galway taking the second place spot.
Meanwhile, Athlone was named Institute of Technology of the year, with Waterford titled the runner-up in this category.
This is the third time that UCD has won the award, having previously received the title in 2006 and 2012, while Athlone IT has placed top of Irish ITs twice in the last three years.
UCD's graduate unemployment rate is just 3%, and Athlone is set to become Ireland's next Technological University, in partnership with Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) following the announcement of a €2m fund last month for an AIT/LIT consortium.
Professor Andrew Deeks, President of University College Dublin, expressed his delight in winning the University of the Year title: "We are very happy to be University of the Year because it comes after a period of hard work. It’s a great honour and it’s a credit to everyone at UCD. It is a confirmation of what we’ve seen through our strategic planning process, in terms of the progress that the university has made over the last five years, and a validation of that."
Additionally, Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin, President of AIT said "We are delighted to be named The Sunday Times Institute of Technology of the Year – the second time in three years. This award marks a pivotal moment in our near 50-year history as we stand on the cusp of becoming a technological university. Our multi-award-winning institute is an educational powerhouse, one that consistently punches above its weight and defies expectations on a regional, national and global scale."
The guide contains Ireland's only league table that measures the performance of all 19 multi-faculty third-level institutions, with the full rankings set to be revealed on Sunday.
