THE Minister for Education has announced that once the Universities Bill is passed, she will immediately set up an expert group to advise on establishing the Dublin Institute of Technology as a university.
The Bill is expected to become law in early May.
Ms Breathnach, speaking on the committee stage of the Bill in the Seanad yesterday, said the DIT had made "a strong case" for inclusion in the Bill and she had listened carefully to its argument.
But she had decided instead to use the mechanism contained in the legislation "for the recognition of a third level institution as a university".
Department of Education sources said it would have been premature to have included the DIT in the Universities Bill.
First there would have to be an investigation by a group of national and international experts, appointed by the Higher Education Authority to ascertain whether it would "serve DIT's mission to become a university."
For example, the position of the institute's many sub degree and apprenticeship students would have to be looked at.
DIT president Dr Brendan Goldsmith said last night he was "delighted" with the Minister's decision.
"DIT has campaigned hard for this development, we had a very good case and obviously the Minister heard and received our arguments.
"We are totally confident that when the international group is set up under Section 9 of the Bill, it will ratify that the DIT should become a university."
His confidence was based on the fact that "an institution like ours which has just been given permission to award degrees up to doctoral level could not be classified as anything other than a university".
The Dublin Institute of Technology was established under the DIT Act in 1992 as an amalgamation of six colleges formerly administered by the City of Dublin VEC the Kevin Street and Bolton Street Colleges of Technology, the College of Catering, the College of Marketing and Design, the College of Commerce in Rathmines and the College of Music.
It offers apprenticeships, certificate and diploma courses and degree and postgraduate courses. It specialises in technical, technological and business subjects, and has nearly 10,000 full time students, 8,000 part time students and 4,000 apprentices.
DIT has campaigned for university status for several years.
Last December, Ms Breathnach said she would make an order conferring degree awarding powers on the institute from the 1998-99 academic year following the recommendation of an international review team.
But the DIT academic staff association was outraged the following month after a report from the national certification body Teastas recommended that in future it should approve, review and audit the institute's degree awarding process.
DIT students union president, Mr Colin Joyce, said last night the "very progressive decision" by the Minister was the fruit of continuous lobbying on the part of the students, staff and parents of the college.
He said the students would be vigilant in ensuring that this commitment lasts longer than the general election campaign.