Queen's University Belfast

Overview

Queen’s University Belfast is a historic uni that is a member of the Russell Group. Founded in 1845, it has since become an internationally respected place of study. Queen’s sits in a central location in Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, meaning most places in the city are within a short walking distance.

The compact city is easily explored on foot or by bike, but it’s also well connected by frequent bus and train services. There’s no need to worry if you don’t have your own bike, as the city’s public bicycle rental scheme allows for flexible and easy rental.

The city of Belfast is steeped in history and you’ll be able to find culture, music and arts in the form of museums, galleries, theatres and music venues. You’ll also find lively and quirky bars, pubs and clubs, as well as a mix of great shopping opportunities. It’s also one of the UK’s cheapest cities to live in, boasting a relatively low cost of living and low student rental prices.

Studying in Belfast, you’re also never far away from nature and beautiful scenery. A short journey up the Antrim Coast Road takes you to the famous Giant’s Causeway, for example.

There are over 300 undergraduate courses to choose from at Queen’s University, across a range of subject areas like the arts & humanities, sciences & maths, and medicine & health.

Most courses are available on a full-time basis only, but some can be studied part-time too, e.g., English and Sociology BA, and Archaeology and History BA. When studied part-time, these courses are completed over six years, rather than three.

Typically, full-time undergraduate degrees at Queen’s take three or four years to study, but a number of courses include placement years, study abroad options or an integrated master’s year. These courses usually take four or five years to complete. Medical courses usually take five years to study.

Most degrees include optional modules, as well as core modules, meaning you can study the degree topics you’re most interested in.

It's also possible to combine two or three subjects within an undergraduate degree in what’s called a combined honours degree. For example, it’s fairly common to study a humanities course, like history, alongside a language, such as French or Spanish.

Among Queen’s general entry requirements are that applicants must demonstrate a certain level of English language competence, as shown by an English language GCSE of grade C/4 or higher (or equivalent qualification).

In terms of specific academic requirements, Queen’s accepts several qualifications, including A-levels, Scottish/Advanced Highers, BTECs and the International Baccalaureate.

You’ll find the specific grade requirements for each degree programme online on the uni’s course search pages. We’ve also given an idea of what grades you’ll need to study certain subjects below.

For example, to study a course in accounting, business or finance, you’ll probably be asked for A-levels ranging from A*AA–AAB (or equivalent qualification). To study a health & medicine degree, you’ll likely need A-levels ranging from A*AA–BCC (or equivalent qualification), and for science & maths courses, you’ll likely be asked for AAA–BBB (or equivalent qualification).

It should be noted that entry requirements can change so you should always confirm these with the university before applying.

There are around 3,400 rooms available in Queen’s uni accommodation, most of which are en suite. Contracts run for 40-, 48- or 51-weeks and prices start from £85 per week. All residences have 24/7 security services and residential support staff, as well as WiFi connection and the inclusion of social events and sports membership. All uni accommodation has access to laundry services.

The uni guarantees all first-year undergraduate students a place in uni accommodation, or alternative accommodation if this isn’t possible, as long as the student applies before the deadline and is studying full-time for the first time at Queen’s and is living on a single-basis (i.e., without family members or a partner).

The accommodations are mostly centrally located, within a short walk of the uni’s main campus. As Belfast is a compact city, this means you’ll have easy access to everything the city has to offer, including other halls of residence.

For those who don’t want to stay in uni accommodation, or aren’t able to get a place in halls, there are also private, external options, through providers like LIV Belfast, Student Roost and Novel Student.

Queen’s has an expert team that’s committed to improving the job prospects of every student. The service offers support with all aspects of career planning and employability.

For example, the My Future resource makes it easy for you to find relevant job opportunities as it aims to connect students and graduates with employers.

Also, the Future Ready Roadmap helps you develop new skills, explore opportunities and build your professional network – all vital aspects of improving your job prospects.

You’ll also be able to book one-to-one appointments with careers advisers to discuss everything from writing your CV and job applications to improving your interview technique and preparing for assessment centres.

The careers service also holds several events and programmes, such as skills workshops, employer panels and careers fairs. These are a great way of learning about different industry sectors, improving your employability skills and growing your professional network.

Queen’s offers extra funding as scholarships and bursaries to students who meet certain criteria. This funding goes towards living costs and student fees and doesn’t need to be repaid.

All new students who have achieved at least three A grades at A-level are eligible to enter the uni’s A-level Entrance Scholarship Competition, for example. These scholarships range from £200 to £1,500.

There are also various sports bursaries and academy scholarship awards. These are for students who have achieved a high standard in sport. There are more than 100 of these scholarships to be awarded each year and the scholarship includes up to £5,000 per year, as well as medical and sports psychology support, sports science support and access to facilities.

You can get more information about the uni’s scholarships and bursaries by using the online funding and scholarship finder.