Founded in 1845 as Queen's College Belfast, we became an independent university in 1908.
Today, we are ranked 85 in the world for impact (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023), and are a member of the Russell Group of UK research intensive universities, combining excellence in research and education with a student-centred ethos.
At Queen’s we offer a world-class education that prepares our students for leadership and citizenship in a global society.
Our inspiring alumni comprises outstanding scholars, Nobel Prize winners - such as Seamus Heaney and David Trimble - and influential leaders who are making an impact in Northern Ireland and across the globe.
Our students enjoy being educated by world-leading academics working at the forefront of their disciplines and a significant investment in the student experience has resulted in high levels of student satisfaction.
Researchers at Queen's help tackle the global challenges of our age, changing people’s lives for the better.
We are a world-class international university built on teaching excellence, leading-edge research, innovation, collaboration and engagement.
Queen’s has a proud history of conducting innovative, impactful and world-leading research that has positively changed people’s lives. Our ambition for 2030 is to further enhance our impact by strengthening our research position and working with industry to broaden our translational impact and innovation, ensuring we deliver high-quality, world-leading research, which addresses local and global challenges.
The Employer Engagement Team at Queen's is committed to connecting employers with student and graduate talent. Our bespoke service offers solutions for all your recruitment needs, whether you have a graduate role, internship or placement to fill. We can provide route information to the correct academic department and student group to ensure you are visible to the right candidates.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By TopUniversities
Climbed 25 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 206 | 199 | 174 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 11 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 264 | 230 | 241 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 201 | 198 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 301 | 301 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
The Student Guidance Centre brings together a number of support services that guide and advise you throughout your time at Queen’s. From managing your student record, developing your academic and employability skills, and offering support for times when you may feel under pressure, all of our services work together to ensure you have a successful and enjoyable student experience.
Find your new home in our university accommodation. We have options for you to live in a village type setting close to campus or in the city centre and affordable rooms to suit your budget and lifestyle.
Since 2014, the Library has been committed to ensuring a consistent and excellent delivery of service through a range of 18 Standards of Service. Each year, the Library reviews these Standards, our performance, and targets for the coming year.
All major students areas, including the Students’ Union, the libraries and catering outlets provide access to a secure wireless network.
Students can access over 1,700 PCs based in 20 centres across the campus.
The University Health Centre at Queen's is a General Practice situated in South Belfast. We are a GP Practice opened for registrations to anyone residing within the local area..
Providing world class education and research facilities where our students and staff carry out their ambitious work is a key priority for the university.
Investing £700m over a 20 year capital development programme, Queen’s has some of the best campus facilities in the UK and Ireland.
Whether you are interested in keeping active, trying a new sport, being part of a team or representing your university, you can be part of the Queen’s Sport Gameplan.
The Physical Education Centre (PEC) is the hub of Queen’s Sport. The state-of-the-art fitness area includes:
Joining a club or society at Queen's is the perfect opportunity to meet new people, keep up your interest in a passion or, even better, to find a brand new one you never knew you had!
Learn a new language and more about a foreign culture or simply meet up with students from the same part of the world as you
Create a masterpiece with a brush (Art club) or a camera (Photography club).If languages and culture are more your thing why not join An Cumann Gaelach or the French club.
You could even have a go at Chinese Lion Dance.
Based on 80 reviews
My experience in Sociology and Global Development at Queen�s University has been very positive overall. The program is strongest in its focus on social systems, inequality, and global issues, and it does a good job of encouraging students to think critically about how these issues show up in everyday life. One thing that has stood out to me is how discussion-based many of the classes are. Instead of only focusing on lectures, a lot of courses create space for students to share perspectives and engage with the material in a more personal way. This makes the content feel more relevant and easier to connect to real-world issues. I�ve also had several professors who are approachable and genuinely interested in student learning. They are open to questions and feedback, and this helps create a classroom environment that feels supportive rather than intimidating. Assignments often allow flexibility in choosing topics, which I�ve appreciated because it lets me connect course material to my own interests. Campus life at Queen�s has also been welcoming, with many opportunities to get involved in student groups and events related to social justice and community engagement. These experiences have helped make my time outside of class feel just as meaningful as the coursework. One area for improvement would be adding more applied or hands-on learning opportunities. While the program builds a strong theoretical understanding, more practical experiences like internships or project-based courses would help connect what we learn in class to potential career paths. Overall, I�ve found the program to be intellectually rewarding and personally meaningful, and it has strengthened my interest in working in areas related to inequality, global development, and social change.
I've really been enjoying my History program at Queen's University, and that is almost entirely thanks to the professors. My professors have encouraged me, taught me, and given me grace when needed. They are all extremely skilled and knowledgeable. The administration, on the other hand, are less than optimal. I am incredibly disappointed with the budget cuts being made, especially to humanities programs like my own, and I strongly believe the administration is near-totally to blame. I recommend this university strongly for the professors and community, but not at all for the higher administration.
I studied sociology and film and media at Queen's giving me access to both the main campus and the Isabel Bader Centre. I liked sociology felt like it was too general in my earlier years. I would suggest taking more 4th year courses in third year as they are way smaller class sizes, maybe a bit harder but way more motivating and rewarding. I really liked the campus, food spots and hidden areas to study that not everyone knows about.
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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