Queen's University Belfast

Overview

Queen's University Belfast is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of universities located in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. Queen's University was founded in its original form in 1845 and gained formal university status in 1908. 24,000 students from over 80 different countries are currently enrolled, and the University was recently ranked 23rd on the Times Higher Education’s list of the 100 most international universities in the world.

The University has won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education on five occasions, while the institution is a Top 50 UK employer for women and a leading UK university in tackling the unequal representation of women in science and engineering.

Queen’s University Belfast strongly focuses on employability, offering programmes such as Degree Plus, which recognises extracurricular activities and work experience as part of a degree, and numerous career workshops with employers and alumni. The university is proudly international and one of the most popular destinations for American Fullbright Scholars. In addition to agreements with American universities, Queen’s University Belfast has links with universities in India, Malaysia, and China.

Services for International Students

The International Student Support team runs the International Welcome and Orientation Week at the beginning of the year and a meet and greet service from Belfast International Airport and George Best City Airport. Orientation includes sessions on study skills, the city of Belfast and cultural adjustment, and contributions from numerous unions and societies associated with the University. Queen’s runs in-sessional English language programmes in partnership with INTO.

Ranking

• 26th in the Times University Guide 2025
• 43rd in the Guardian University Guide 2025
• 206th in the QS World University Rankings 2025
• 201-250th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024

Queen’s University Belfast is highly regarded for the study of law. It is currently ranked in the top ten UK Law Schools (Complete University Guide) and the top 150 Law Schools worldwide (QS World University Rankings by Subject).

Queen’s University Belfast's research is ranked 1st in the UK for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science, 4th for Health and Biomedical Sciences and 8th for Law. 96% of Queen's research is currently rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'.

Accommodation

Queen's University Belfast provides guaranteed accommodation for international students in a wide range of housing in and around the campus. Queen's provides accommodation on a purpose-built 'student village' called Elms Village, south of the main campus, as well as the new Willow Walk accommodation. A number of houses in the South Belfast area, including at College Gardens and on Mount Charles, are also available.

Location

Queen's University is located in Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland which is part of the UK. The international media has described Belfast as "Europe's friendliest - and trendiest - regional city" and "one of today's most fashionable places to visit and live".

Belfast has a population of almost half a million people - a third of Northern Ireland's population - and the city is easily accessible by air, and served by two airports. Most international students travel to Belfast via London’s five airports, where there are up to 35 flights a day taking just one hour.

Alumni

• Liam Neeson (Actor)
• John Stuart Bell (Physicist)
• Mary McAleese (Former President of Ireland)
• Brian Kerr, Baron Kerr (UK Supreme Court Justice)