Queen's University Belfast

Undergraduate entry (UCAS)

Applications for full-time undergraduate degrees are made through UCAS (institution code name QBELF, code Q75). Key dates for 2027 entry:

• 1 September 2026: application submissions open.
• 15 October 2026, 6pm UK time: deadline for Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary courses.
• 13 January 2027, 6pm UK time: deadline for all other courses.
• 25 February 2027: UCAS Extra opens.
• 2 July 2027: Clearing opens.

For applications submitted by 13 January 2027, universities must make decisions by 12 May 2027. Part-time applicants apply directly to Queen's.

General Entrance Requirement and offers

All applicants need GCSE English Language at grade C/4, or an acceptable equivalent such as Level 2 Essential Skills in Communication. Applicants must also meet one of the following:

• Passes in five subjects, two at A-level, or in four subjects, three at A-level.
• Scottish qualifications: passes in five subjects with three at Higher, or four subjects all at Higher.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: passes in five subjects including English, four of them at H5.

Offers are made in grades, not UCAS Tariff points, and are normally based on three A-levels or equivalent. Current grade requirements for each course are in the Course Finder. Predicted grades are not normally used, except in very borderline cases. GCSE and AS-level performance can count, particularly for high-demand programmes. Some courses use interviews, admissions or aptitude tests, or auditions. Offers to repeat applicants may be one grade higher. The Extended Project Qualification and the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate are recognised. A pass in the practical element of reformed science A-levels is required. Home-educated applicants are welcome, and there is a Recognition of Prior Learning scheme.

International undergraduate entry

International applicants apply through UCAS by 30 June 2027, or by 15 October 2026 for Medicine and Dentistry. International applicants applying only to Queen's can use the direct-entry Queen's Portal instead. The portal is not available for Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing/Midwifery, Pharmacy or Social Work. Entry requirements vary by country. Applicants who do not meet them can take an International Foundation, International Year One or pre-master's course at Queen's University Belfast International Study Centre (INTO) on the campus. First-year students from outside Northern Ireland are guaranteed university accommodation if they firmly accept their offer and apply for accommodation by the published deadline (30 June 2026 for 2026 entry).

English language requirements

IELTS Academic (including One Skill Retake) and TOEFL iBT are accepted for direct entry. Courses fall into three bands:

• Linguistically less demanding: IELTS 6.0 with at least 5.5 in each component.
• Most courses: IELTS 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each component.
• Linguistically more demanding: IELTS 7.0 with at least 5.5 in each component.

Medicine and Dentistry require IELTS 7.5 overall, with 7.0 in Speaking and Listening and at least 6.5 (Medicine) or 6.0 (Dentistry) in Reading and Writing. The Duolingo English Test is accepted at 110 overall (comparable to IELTS 6.0) or 120 (comparable to IELTS 6.5), with at least 100 in each subskill. PTE Academic, LanguageCert, Cambridge, Trinity ISE and the International Study Centre's own tests and pre-sessional courses are also accepted. IELTS and TOEFL results must be no more than two years old at the start of the course. Nationals of countries the UKVI treats as majority English-speaking normally meet the requirement. Students on courses below degree level need a Secure English Language Test (SELT) for the Student visa.

Postgraduate taught and research entry

Applications for most postgraduate programmes are made online through the Queen's Portal. The normal minimum for a master's degree is a second-class honours degree from a UK or Republic of Ireland provider, or an acceptable equivalent. For MPhil and PhD study, schools normally require an upper second-class (2.1) honours degree in a related subject. Applicants upload transcripts and degree certificates and give two referees, normally academics. MPhil, PhD and MD applicants also submit a research proposal. Closing dates are set for some courses, and international applicants should apply early to allow time for the visa. International applicants who accept an unconditional offer for a one-year taught course pay a £2,500 tuition deposit. Non-UK and non-Irish nationals need a Student visa for study of six months or longer.

Queen's operates from a main campus in south Belfast with specialist sites across the city.

• Main campus, University Road (BT7 1NN): Lanyon Building with the Great Hall; the McClay Library (opened 2009, 2,200 reader spaces, 1.2 million volumes, Special Collections, the C.S. Lewis Reading Room, a Language Centre and IT training rooms); the Thomas J Moran Graduate School in the Lynn Building; One Elmwood (Students' Union and student services); the Computer Science Building with the LEGO Lab and Qlab maker space; the Physics Building teaching observatory; the Harty Room music venue; the Queen's Film Theatre.
• Stranmillis Road: Ashby Building, home of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; the Northern Ireland Technology Centre (i-AMS advanced manufacturing).
• Medical Biology Centre and health sites: KN Cheung Intersim clinical simulation centre; nursing and midwifery simulation suites; the Biological Sciences Building (Chlorine Gardens), home of the Institute for Global Food Security and the ASSET Technology Centre.
• Royal Victoria Hospital campus: Centre for Dentistry with 90 dental chairs for undergraduate teaching and NHS clinics, plus a Dental Clinical Skills Laboratory.
• Northern Ireland Science Park: ECIT, including the Centre for Secure Information Technologies and the Centre for Wireless Innovation.
• Sport: the Physical Education Centre (PEC), with a 25m six-lane swimming pool, a diving pool, two sports halls, indoor climbing, four studios, squash courts and 3G pitches; Upper Malone, with arena pitches and a clubhouse for rugby, Gaelic games, hockey and soccer; a gym at Elms BT1; the Queen's Boat House.
• Residences (2026-27): Elms BT9 student village (from £119 per week); Elms BT1 and Elms BT2 in the city centre (from £174 per week); Weavers' Hall (from £210 per week); Willow Walk for postgraduates, couples and families (from £168 per week); and College Gardens, Grant House, Guthrie House, Mount Charles and 76 Malone Road (from £119 per week).