Universities and colleges in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has three universities, two university colleges, six further education colleges and an agri-food and land based college, all of which offer opportunities to study for and attain various higher education qualifications.
The Open University
The Open University (OU) offers flexible, part-time higher education to people of all backgrounds. As the UK’s largest academic institution, the OU specialise in supported distance learning, allowing students to study from home and fit education around work, family, and personal commitments.
With OU distance learning, you’ll have study materials, an online study portal, a dedicated tutor, student forums, learning events and more.
The OU have a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including degrees in Business, Psychology, Health, IT, and more. With no formal entry requirements for most undergraduate programmes, the OU makes higher education accessible to everyone, from school leavers to those returning to study later in life.
The OU provides extensive support, including personal tutors, online learning materials, and career guidance. Financial support options are also available to eligible students to help make education affordable.
Whether you’re aiming to improve your career prospects, change direction, or simply pursue a passion, The Open University offers a flexible way to achieve your goals. Thousands of students in Northern Ireland have already benefited from their high-quality education without compromising their other commitments.
For more information on the OU in Northern Ireland and the courses offered visit:
Queen's University Belfast
Queen's University Belfast, often called 'Queen's' offers academic degrees at various levels and across a broad subject range, with over 300 degree programmes available.
It has over 25,000 students attending, including 4,400 international students from over 90 countries and over 150,000 alumni in more than 120 countries.
Queen's is a member of the Russell Group of 24 leading UK research-intensive universities, alongside Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London.
Queen's is at the heart of Belfast's culture, as well as its art and social scenes. With impressive academic facilities, spanning across health sciences, business, engineering, computing and the arts, with interdisciplinary research facilities and innovative hubs.
Queen’s is the ninth-oldest university in the UK and has more than 250 buildings including One Elmwood, the new state-of-the-art building which brings together student services, the Students' Union and social spaces, offering support, collaboration and top-tier venues all in one place.
More information on Queen's and the courses it offers is available on its website:
Ulster University
Ulster University has four campuses in Northern Ireland, including Belfast, delivering a city university experience, within Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, the
cultural centre of the city. Coleraine, situated on the banks of the River Bann and just three miles from the bustling seaside towns of Portrush and Portstewart.
Described as a friendly village atmosphere the Derry~Londonderry campus is located in the capital of the North West. Ulster University Sports Village, Jordanstown is a hub for sporting excellence in Northern Ireland, and home to the University’s world-class indoor and outdoor facilities.
Ulster University is also an international university with more than 2,000 international students from over 80 countries and Alumni from 121 countries.
It provides a broad range of career-focused undergraduate and postgraduate courses, across a wide range of disciplines.
It is also a top UK university for providing courses with a period of work placement and is a leading university for sport in Ireland and the UK.
For the first time in the university’s history, Ulster University was awarded ‘University of the Year 2024’, the most prestigious title of all by Times Higher Education..More information on Ulster University as well as the courses on offer is available on its website:
St Mary's University College
St Mary's College is a university college in Belfast. The institution is located on the Falls Road and has about 60 academic staff and 1,100 students.
It is a specialist and distinctive Catholic Higher Education Institution which specialises in the education of teachers and also offers a Liberal Arts degree programme. Their academic community works within a framework of religious, academic, civic and professional values and integrates Christian faith and learning. They place the greatest emphasis on respect for the dignity of the human person and on promoting excellence.
The institution offers courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for teacher education, especially for a Catholic ethos, including a PGCE for Irish Medium Education.
More information on St Mary's University College and the courses offered is available on its website:
Stranmillis University College
Stranmillis University College is a university college of Queen's University Belfast. The institution is located on the Stranmillis Road, Belfast and has around 1,300 students.
Its main purpose is to provide teacher training however, in recent years in recognition of the multi-professional approach that is critical to the education of children, they have expanded their undergraduate portfolio to offer a wider range of professionally related academic programmes - the BA in Early Childhood Studies and BSc in Health, Physical Activity and Sport.
These professional degree programmes complement and support core elements of the BEd programme and the PGCE in Early Years Education and make sure that students going to Stranmillis have the opportunity to learn and develop competences in a multi-professional environment.
Stranmillis is ranked first in Northern Ireland for student satisfaction (NSS 2022) and Stranmillis graduates have the highest full-time employment rate of any HEI in Northern Ireland.
The College has a network of over 750 school, education and alternative placement partners and all undergraduates have the opportunity to spend time studying abroad.
More information on Stranmillis University College and the courses offered is available on its website:
Higher education in further education colleges
Northern Ireland’s six further education (FE) colleges operate across over 40 campuses and through over 400 outreach community locations. Each college offers a number of Higher Education programmes ranging from GCSEs and A levels to BTECs, HNCs, Foundation degrees, Apprenticeships, Degrees and other specific training programmes.
- Belfast metropolitan College – BMC
- Northern Regional College – NRC
- Southern Regional College – SRC
- South Eastern Regional College - SERC
- North West Regional College - NWRC
- South West College - SWC
The FE colleges are the main providers of vocational and technical education and training in NI and play a central role in raising levels of literacy and numeracy and in up-skilling and re-skilling through a broad range of courses.
More information on the FE colleges and the courses offered is available on the the respective websites.
College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise - CAFRE
CAFRE has three campuses in Northern Ireland which deliver a specific range of agri-food and land based courses.
It has about 1,800 students across the campuses where you can study for Foundation and/or Honours Degrees in agriculture, horticulture, food or equine studies.
CAFRE also provides post-graduate courses from Graduate Certificate to Masters in Business for Agri-food and Rural Enterprise at its Loughry Campus.