Ulster has a hands-on approach to higher education at its three campuses in Belfast, Coleraine and Derry-Londonderry. In Belfast it has opened Studio Ulster, a £75 million virtual production facility that builds on Northern Ireland’s emergence as a leading film and television centre by plugging the skills gap in visual effects. The centre, supported by Northern Ireland Screen, has been developed with Belfast Harbour and a four-part BBC documentary on the Titanic has already wrapped at the studio.
At Derry-Londonderry, medical students have access to expanded teaching and research facilities on campus and at Altnagelvin Hospital. At Coleraine, on the stunning North Atlantic coast, the university’s new Centre for Food and Drug Discovery is a “one-stop shop” for innovation, where specialists from academia, industry and healthcare collaborate to address global challenges and maximise productivity. Coleraine’s inshore marine vessel, another recent addition, allows students to monitor coastal waters. Ulster’s new Student Success Centre provides support with academic and study skills. The social scene depends on location: Coleraine is Dryrobe territory while Belfast is steeped in urban chic in the city’s cathedral quarter.
What is Ulster University’s reputation?
Ulster is 44th in our research quality index: 87 per cent of its submission to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework was rated world-leading or internationally excellent, with the strongest results in allied health subjects. Connected by themes of social renewal, sustainability, healthy communities, and creativity and culture, 97 per cent of the university’s research had “outstanding” or “very considerable” impact.
Most teaching is in person but Ulster is also a pioneer of blended learning and its online recordings — provided for every module for more than 20 years — are popular with students. Feedback from students remains positive although it has cooled lately: Ulster is in the top half for satisfaction with teaching quality (38th) and the wider experience (42=), although both have slipped from the top 25 in our latest analysis of the National Student Survey. With 81.2 per cent of Ulster students graduating with a first or 2:1 degree, Ulster ranks 63=.
Ulster has branch campuses in London and Birmingham, offering courses in business, computing and engineering in partnership with QA Higher Education.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
At Derry-Londonderry, the university is introducing sociology courses from September 2025 with criminology; politics and international studies; education; history. There are also new programmes in sport and exercise sciences; digital technologies; and computing with applied mathematics. At Belfast, advanced accounting is a new course, and design (product, ceramics, silversmithing and jewellery) has been renamed. At Coleraine, veterinary nursing is new and digital media production has a new name. Advancing animal healthcare and practice is a new part-time, fully online course. In September 2026 the university will welcome students on courses in liberal arts; sports therapy and rehabilitation; and software engineering, all based at Derry-Londonderry.
What are Ulster University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Ulster’s asking grades are AAA to CCC (or CC for foundation programmes) and the university does not make contextual offers. Applications are at record levels and rising year on year, up 11.5 per cent in 2024. However, enrolments dropped from about 6,100 to 5,800, with 12.5 per cent coming through clearing.
What are the graduate prospects?
The university works with 1,000 industry partners to offer more than 4,000 professional practice placements, and employers contribute to the design and delivery of many courses. More than three-quarters of Ulster graduates were in high-skilled work or further study 15 months after finishing their degrees, according to our analysis of the latest Graduate Outcomes survey (51=). Ulster’s degree programmes often feature a work-based learning component.
What is Ulster University's campus like?
Ulster’s £363.9 million Belfast campus in the city centre was one of the biggest academic projects in Europe and opened in 2022, when operations were relocated from Jordanstown. It created a “campus community within a building” with space for 15,000 students, putting learning and research facilities under the same roof as student services and social spaces. There is a two-storey library, a student-run restaurant and training kitchens, and the campus is the base for the Belfast School of Art, founded 175 years ago, as well as a wide range of other courses. A £42 million Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology is next door. In addition to a nursing and paramedic skills suite, specialist facilities for health courses have been added at the Derry-Londonderry campus, where the School of Health Science relocated its undergraduate programmes to in 2022, bringing 800 students. Ulster’s strength in media and communications courses is well established. As well as the new Studio Ulster facilities in Belfast, there is a £6.5 million media centre in Coleraine with a BBC television studio, a multimedia newsroom and editing suites. Courses in the environment, hospitality and communication are also based at the Coleraine campus.
When can I visit?
ulster.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about Ulster University’s student life and wellbeing support
At Jordanstown, seven miles north of Belfast, the university is upgrading its High-Performance Sports Centre. Funding has also been approved for the Ulster University Dome at the Derry-Londonderry campus, where the old Foyle College site will have pitches for football, Gaelic games and rugby, as well as music events. The Belfast site has opened a new gym and studio, and Coleraine has its own sports facilities. Arts and cultural venues are on the doorstep for students at the Belfast campus. Coleraine’s Riverside Theatre — the oldest professional theatre outside Belfast, has now closed — but the outdoor options for students are unbeatable on the Causeway Coast. Those new to student life can turn to Ulster’s own television channel, Offshoot TV, for expert advice and entertainment.
Mind Your Mood, Ulster’s student-led mental health and wellbeing campaign, runs training sessions to build resilience. Counselling services (run by an outside provider) are complemented by a 24/7 online support hub. AccessAbility Advisers help students with diagnosed disabilities, including mental health conditions, by making adjustments to support their learning, and student-led groups on each campus support neurodivergent students.
What do the students say?
“My university years were not confined to one campus or town and my experience was unforgettable. You truly can choose your university experience when you choose UU.”
Ethan Davies, students’ union president
What about student accommodation at Ulster University?
One of Ulster’s 2,900 rooms is guaranteed for all first-years who apply by the July 7 deadline. About 30 per cent of first-years live on campus.
How diverse and inclusive is Ulster University?
Ulster has an extensive outreach scheme and an excellent record in widening participation. Almost all its undergraduates are from state schools, but we do not include Northern Ireland universities in our social inclusion index because of regional differences in the education system. Selective grammar schools make up a greater proportion of state secondary provision, which would skew national comparisons.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Ulster University
Up to one third of admissions qualify for some form of bursary. Support targets those from households with incomes of less than £19,203 and includes access bursaries of 10 per cent of fees (£485 a year). Fee discounts of up to £500 are also available for students who meet the criteria for widening participation, and care leaver bursaries of £1,000. There are 27 community scholarships of up to £3,000 a year available to students based at any of Ulster’s campuses, and a wide range of subject-specific scholarships.
