Belfast Student Guide
Belfast is the capital and largest city in Northern Ireland. The city has a student population of over 26,000 students, making it a top destination in Ireland.
Nightlife
Party people head to The Golden Mile, several streets forming a long thin ‘X’ shape near the city centre. MClub is a popular nightclub for students and can be found on Bradbury Place- the club features a neon ice bar, Moroccan inspired VIP area and 2 30ft screens. Mynt is on Dunbar Street and is the place to be on Thursdays- the club has a relaxed, open-minded attitude, which adds to the fun. The club attracts a mixture of gay and straight people and plays a mixture of camp pop tunes and disco floor fillers.
Shopping
Belfast is a haven for shoppers and it is truly possible to shop ‘til you drop! The city centre offers a mixture of shopping opportunities, from high street stores and family businesses to luxurious designer boutiques and speciality shops. Victoria Square can be found close to Cornmarket Square and is a shopping centre featuring over 70 shops. The centre includes famous names like House of Frazer, Apple and Calvin Klein. The shopping centre is also home to cinemas and restaurants, so don’t forget to ask for your student discount!
Culture
Belfast has lots on offer for the more culturally minded. Lisburn Road in the Queens Quarter is home to Belfast’s private art gallery scene; the smaller galleries are worth a look and provide the perfect opportunity to discover relatively unknown, talented artists. The Naughton Gallery can also be found in the Queens Quarter and presents up to six exhibitions a year. The range of work includes paintings, prints, sculptures and metalwork.
Where Can I Study?
Belfast is home to two universities: Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster.
Queen’s University Belfast (commonly referred to as simply ‘Queen’s’, or QUB) is the larger of the two and welcomes over 25,000 students every year. The university is a public research university and is a member of the Russell Group. The university is formed by a central campus and two associated colleges: St Mary’s and Stranmillis, both in Belfast city centre. The central ‘campus’ comprises of several buildings around the area of University Road.
Queen’s University Belfast is recognised nationally and internationally for the strength of its research activity. The university places a focus on international collaboration and has formed partnerships with leading research groups including Georgetown University, the Lombardi Cancer Centre in Washington, and Madras Christian College in India.
Queen’s main areas of research development are in the areas relating to health sciences, executive education and green chemistry. In 2010, Queen’s University was named winner of The Times Higher Education Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year award. In 2012, The Complete University Guide placed Queens University 31st in the national league tables.
Facilities at Queen’s University include the prize-winning £50million McClay Library, which opened in 2009 and provides space for 2,000 students and accommodates for 1.5 million volumes. The university has seen a number of other recent investments and developments. In 2010, a £1.3million International and Postgraduate Student Centre opened.
The University of Ulster is spread across several sites in Northern Ireland including a campus in Belfast. The Belfast campus is home to the School of Art and Design and accommodates a student population of around 1,000.
Should I Study in Belfast?
A student’s honest opinion:
“When I first people I was coming to study in Belfast, they looked a bit shocked. They still had the image of how it was before with the troubles back in the 90s. But rest assured, Belfast is nowhere near how people imagine.
It’s an up and coming city with modern facilties and some really interesting sights to see and it’s even surprising me after three years here.
Every week I find a new park, market or store I haven’t seen before. It’s not the biggest tourist city so there are still a few somewhat undiscovered gems worth looking out for- I am a big fan of C.S. Lewis so I love going past The Wardrobe in the east part of Belfast!” – Fiona, 21