Northern Ireland universities hold their own in this year’s Complete University Guide league table

Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University have once again solidified their positions as the premier UK higher education institutions based in Northern Ireland, with Queen’s University Belfast clinching the top spot in the highly regarded Complete University Guide rankings for the region. 

Every year the Complete University Guide releases UK university and subject league tables to support prospective students to make informed decisions about their future. The regional league tables help people find the right university for them in their area. 

The two Northern Ireland institutions boast a strong performance, as evidenced by their impressive rankings in the highly respected and independent Complete University Guide.  

In the overall league tables, both universities came in the top 50 universities in the United Kingdom. Queen’s University, Belfast achieved an impressive 27th place nationally, reflecting its commitment to delivering a comprehensive and enriching educational experience. Ulster University came in 49th, slightly down on their 2023 placing but still making them a top choice for students in the UK.  

The Complete University Guide’s league table follows on from last month’s Student Choice Awards, hosted by its sister site Whatuni, building on the information available to prospective students to help them make the right decisions as they consider their higher education options.  

Northern Ireland’s two universities show that despite not reaching the top spots in the overall rankings they are powerhouses in key subject areas. Ulster University (49th) ranks 2nd across the UK for Land & Property Management as well as 2nd for Speech & Language Therapy. Queen’s University Belfast ranks 2nd in the United Kingdom for Social Work and Agriculture & Forestry. 

Professor Amanda Chetwynd, Chair of the Complete University Guide Advisory Board, said:  

Congratulations to Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University for achieving their great positions in this year’s Complete University Guide rankings. Their successes show just how high the standards are among Northern Ireland’s two universities.

Many prospective students in Northern Ireland are keen to find the best university in the local area. Complete University Guide’s league tables are a valuable source of information to give prospective students a greater understanding of what higher education options there are in the United Kingdom.

Simon Emmett, Chief Executive Officer of IDP Connect, said:  

With more and more students thinking about how they can make the most of their university experience, the 2024 Complete University Guide league tables will serve as an important guide. We know these rankings help them to make the right decisions about where and what to study as they take their first steps into higher education.

What makes the Complete University Guide special is its independence. Our expert board considers a whole array of information before producing our highly-regarded rankings. The tables’ independence from our other operations remains a crucial part of our organisation and ensures that students, parents, and advisors can trust the results and make informed choices based on them.

The Complete University Guide is exactly that. It is complete – as well as academic rankings, our guide covers the issues which parents and students also worry about such as cost of living and local crime rates. We know that when it comes to choosing where to study, the Complete University Guide has it all.

ENDS 

Notes to editors:  

• The team behind thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk has compiled university league tables for more than 25 years. Since 2007, these have been freely available online. The Guide is an autonomous division of IDP Education, global leader in education services and technology, from which, by mutual agreement, it retains its complete editorial independence.  
• thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk attracts over ten million visitors each year.  
• The main league table is based on ten measures: Entry Standards, Student Satisfaction, Research Quality, Research Intensity, Graduate Prospects – outcomes, Graduate Prospects – on track, Student-Staff Ratio, Spending on Academic Services, Spending on Student Facilities, and Continuation. It includes 130 institutions. 
• The Arts, Drama & Music League Table, published since 2016, lists 12 specialist institutions offering too small a subject range to appear in the main table. 
• The subject tables are based on six measures (Entry Standards, Student Satisfaction, Research Quality, Continuation, Graduate Prospects – outcomes and Graduate Prospects – on track) and include 151 universities, university colleges and specialist higher education institutions.  
• All university league tables on thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk can be filtered by region and mission group (Cathedrals Group, GuildHE, MillionPlus Group, Russell Group, University Alliance, as well as unaffiliated universities). Tables from the current and previous years can be downloaded. All tables can also be sorted by any of the measures that comprise them.  
• Criteria for inclusion in the main university league table or the subject tables can be seen on our website.  

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