Griffith became one of many barracks closed and its units were moved down the Grand Canal to Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines. In 1992, the site was purchased by Griffith College and since then has housed Griffith College Dublin, Ireland's largest private third level college.

The 1990s marked a period of significant expansion for Griffith College, the first degree courses in computing science and business studies were offered in 1990 and 1992 respectively.

In 1992, the Tiernan Design School moved to the Griffith Campus, becoming the Griffith College Faculty of Design. The late 1990s saw the addition of Newman College Dublin to the campus, while the Leinster School of Music and Drama which was founded in 1904 moved on site in 1998.

President Mary McAleese officially opened the Griffith Barracks National School, which is based in the old guardhouse building and parade ground site in 1998.

Over the years the development of the campus has continued and from 2000 to 2006 the site underwent a number of changes with the construction of a Link Block to connect the Daniel O'Connell and Arthur Griffith buildings in 2000, the opening of the Griffith Halls of Residence in 2004 and finally the development of the conference centre, design bunker, restaurant and bar in 2006.

Today the College is home to over 7,000 students from 77 countries and has established partnerships with 140 institutions worldwide. The College celebrates its 40th anniversary in the 2013/14 academic year.