It was formally established on 1 April 2022 as a merger of three existing institutes of technology (ITs) – Galway-Mayo IT, IT Sligo, and Letterkenny IT – into a single university, the fourth such TU in Ireland.

[2] With alliances made in 2012,[3] by 2015, Galway-Mayo IT (GMIT), along with IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT (LYIT), submitted a formal Expression of Interest to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in the Republic of Ireland for re-designation as a Technological University.

[8] Formal approval was granted in October 2021 by Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science,[9] with a launch date in April 2022.

Atlantic TU's Centre for Creative Arts and Media (CCAM) is located a mile from the main Galway campus on the Monivea Road.

It offers a large range of programmes including undergraduate and postgraduate courses in computing, engineering, design, science, business, veterinary practice, nursing and law.

The ATU Killybegs Campus, located in the south-west of County Donegal in the west of Ulster, houses the School of Tourism.

Atlantic TU Mayo campus also offers a wide range of Lifelong Learning courses, and has an Innovation Hub to support entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.