Many natives of Northern Ireland, especially as soon as they finish A-levels or secondary education, want to flee the country to greener pastures for university study. With many moving to other parts of the UK, or further abroad, I’m here to tell you that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side!

Why choose Northern Ireland for university study? As a girl who has lived here all her life, I never wanted to go away from home at the age of 18, and once I started at Queen’s University Belfast, I knew I wanted to continue further study here.

Check out NI student Kathryn's guide to Belfast!

Tuition Fees

Courses starting in 2023/24 - For students from Northern Ireland to study in:

• England = Up to £9,250
• Scotland = Up to £9,250
• Wales = Up to £9,000
• Northern Ireland = Up to £4,710

Data from ucas.com

With a yearly tuition fee rate of nearly half the amount of the rest of the UK, wouldn’t this be a major factor in staying at home to go to university?

Belfast is the UK’s most affordable student city (Natwest Student Living Index 2024)

Moving Away from Friends/Family

I wanted to live independently during my undergraduate degree at Queen's, and I was fortunate that my student maintenance loan covered rent in Belfast for me to live with friends. However, as Belfast was only an hour from my family home, I had the opportunity to travel home at the weekends to visit family and friends so I never missed out on birthdays and other events.

Also, as a fresh faced, 18 year old, home comforts were extremely important to me as I struggled to fit into my new undergraduate course. If I needed the help of my parents for laundry, a home-cooked meal or advice when I felt down, they were never too far away.

Find out more about Erin's undergraduate course at Queen's

This might be different for older students who are currently on a postgraduate degree course, but staying at home now as a PhD student has helped me save money for my future and also, I am around for my elderly family members to assist in any way I can.

The Quality of Queen's

After researching intensively around courses I was interested in, I wanted to study nutrition in some form in my undergraduate degree. I wanted a good quality course with a high level of employability, where I could also enjoy the student experience. I ended up choosing Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition at Queen's, due to Food Science and Agriculture at Queen’s being ranked joint 1st in the UK for student satisfaction! (National Student Survey, 2020).

The individual course reported in the National Student Survey in 2020 that 100% of students were satisfied with the overall course, 100% of students found work or were doing further study within 6 months of graduating; and 100% of students agreed staff were good at explaining things.

99% of Queen's research environment was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)

It was here at Queen's that I built lasting relationships with staff, where I have continued my PhD study with the Professor that supervised my final year dissertation in my undergraduate degree.

Sport

As an avid Camogie player, I wanted to continue playing for the team I grew up playing with. This was a deciding factor in where I went to university. As the club grounds were only an hour away from campus, I was able to travel to trainings and matches during the week when I had class. I wanted to ensure than university would complement my extra-curricular hobbies, which is why studying in Northern Ireland made sense for me.

Queen’s University Belfast also has a Camogie team that plays higher education universities and colleges all over Ireland, which I joined in my 1st year of my undergraduate degree.

Get involved in Sport at Queen's!

Deciding where to complete further study is up to each individual, everyone will have different priorities, necessities and passions. Queen's made sense to me when I first started, but once I got involved with the university, I fell in love with the course and research, which has led me to my current programme of study.

As a PhD researcher, my advice for anyone trying to decide their next steps is … DO YOUR RESEARCH!!

Find out more

Why Queen's

Living in Belfast

PhD Opportunities at Queen's

Erin McGrattan   PhD in Cancer Epidemiology | Postgraduate Student | Northern Ireland Hi, I'm Erin McGrattan. I'm from County Down in Northern Ireland and I studied for my undergraduate degree in Queen's in BSc Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition. I am now undertaking a PhD in Cancer Epidemiology, focusing on oesophageal cancer and I'm situated in the Centre for Public Health. I love Belfast and have lived in the city for a few years, so I am open to answering any questions regarding its history, nightlife, best food spots and student accommodation. I am an avid camogie player so I'm interested in any GAA or sports clubs in my area.