Following agreement between Queen's University Belfast, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Health, funding for twenty five (25) additional medical places will be made available for qualifying students from Ireland or Northern Ireland in Queen’s from September 2024.

A further twenty-five places will be made available in September 2025 bringing the total number of additional places available to 50. These places will be co-funded by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Health.

Students who take up these places will pay the same student contribution rate as their counterparts studying in medical schools in Ireland and will commit to applying to take up a position in the HSE as an intern at the end of their studies.

Minister Harris said: “This is a really exciting partnership between the Government and Queen’s University Belfast, recognising the importance of increasing healthcare graduates across both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland. I really want to  thank Queen’s for their engagement over the last number of months leading to this agreement.

“We have forged really important bonds with partners in Northern Ireland to help improve access to education and research and this is a further example of these relationships benefiting both education and healthcare systems on the island.

“With the ongoing expansion in places across the six medical schools in this jurisdiction, and these places at Queen’s University Belfast, by September 2024 we will have delivered a more than 25% increase in places for students relative to September 2021.”

Statement from Minister Donnelly

Minister Donnelly said: “I am delighted to see the provision of additional student places in medicine in Queen’s University Belfast.  I very much welcome this cross-border collaboration with our partners in Northern Ireland.  Increasing the future supply of health care workers is critical to addressing the workforce needs of our health service. These 50 additional student places will increase the number of doctors which is an important step towards meeting future health workforce needs."

“Through co-operation with partners in Northern Ireland, we have previously secured additional student places in other key health-related disciplines.  There are now 140 students from the South studying Nursing and Midwifery across Queens University Belfast and Ulster University and a further 80 students studying in Allied Health Professional courses at Ulster University.”   

“I look forward to continuing to work to build student supply in health-related disciplines to meet the health workforce needs of our population.”

Comment from Professor Sir Ian Greer

Professor Sir Ian Greer, Queen’s University Belfast President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership (with both the Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science and the Department of Health in Ireland) to increase the number of places on offer to medical students at Queen’s. This collaborative approach will serve to benefit the future of healthcare across the island of Ireland, producing a much needed increased number of medically trained graduates for both health services. We look forward to receiving applications from both North and South, for our upcoming intakes.”

Media

Media enquiries to suzanne.lagan@qub.ac.uk