In addition to its American accreditation with MSCHE, American College Dublin offers programs placed at level-eight and level-nine on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications which are accredited by the Irish body Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and for which graduating students receive QQI awards.

American College Dublin was founded as an independent educational trust in May 1993 by Lynn University, a liberal arts institution located in Boca Raton, Florida.

The college's corner building at 1 Merrion Square was the childhood home of Oscar Wilde who spent his formative years there from 1855 to 1878.

[4] The college underwent in 2010 an institutional review as part of the cyclical accreditation process of the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC, now absorbed into QQI).

Several recommendations were made; these were addressed and accepted fully by HETAC in follow-up reports in the course of 2011 and the college's institutional recognition by the body remains in place.