Queen’s University Belfast

Founded in 1845, Queen’s is the ninth-oldest university in the UK and has been associated with the Russell Group since 2006. Its research credentials are genuinely strong for a university outside the traditional top tier: 99% of research submitted in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework was rated world-leading or internationally excellent, and Queen’s ranks 13th in the UK for research intensity. More than 25,000 students study here, including over 4,000 international students from more than 90 countries. It is a compact, less anonymous university and centred on a single walkable campus in South Belfast rather than scattered across a major city. If you are considering studying at Queen's University Belfast, this page covers what that actually means for an Indian applicant: what the degree costs in one of the UK’s cheapest major student cities, who gets in, and where Queen’s specifically earns its reputation rather than just borrowing the Russell Group label.

Queen’s University Belfast just posted a 25-place climb in the QS World University Rankings, rising to 174th: its highest position in the university’s history. Read about the other ranking as well:

Ranking Organisation	Position	Year
QS World University Rankings	174th (up from 199th)	2027
Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (UK)	21st, #1 in Northern Ireland	2026
Complete University Guide: Research Intensity (UK)	13th	2027
Complete University Guide : Graduate Prospects (UK)	11th	2027

Indian applicants at Queen’s cluster heavily around Business, Engineering, Computer Science, and Pharmacy not by accident, since these are exactly the subjects where Queen’s subject-level rankings and employer reputation are strongest.   

Undergraduate Courses

Course	Qualification	Duration
Aerospace Engineering	BEng	3 years
Aerospace Engineering Sandwich	BEng	4 years
Anthropology and Sociology	BA	3 years
Anthropology and Spanish	BA	4 years
Applied Mathematics and Physics	BSc	3 years
Archaeology	BA	3 years
Archaeology with French	BA	4 years
Architecture	BSc	3 years
Audio Engineering	BSc	3 years
Biochemistry	BSc	3 years
Biochemistry with Professional Studies	BSc	4 years
Biomedical Science	BSc	3 years
Business Economics	BSc	3 years
Business Information Technology	BSc	4 years
Business Management with Placement	BSc	4 years
Civil Engineering	BEng	3 years
Civil Engineering Year in Industry	BEng	4 years
Computer Engineering	BEng	3 years
Computer Engineering with Year in Industry	BEng	4 years
Dentistry	BDS	5 years
Drama	BA	3 years
Drama and English	BA	3 years
Economics	BSc	3 years
Economics and Accounting	BSc	3 years
Economics with French	BSc	4 years
Economics with Spanish	BSc	4 years
Education Studies	BA	3 years
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	BEng	3 years
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Sandwich	BEng	4 years
English	BA	3 years
English and Irish	BA	3 years
English and Linguistics	BA	3 years
English and Philosophy	BA	3 years
English and Politics	BA	3 years
English and Sociology	BA	3 years
English and Spanish	BA	4 years
Environmental Management	BSc	3 years
Environmental Management with Professional Studies	BSc	4 years
Film Studies and Production	BA	3 years
Film and Theatre Making	BA	3 years
Finance with a Year in Industry	BSc	4 years
Financial Risk Management with a Year in Industry	BSc	4 years
Games Technologies	BSc	3 years
Geography	BA	3 years
Geography	BSc	3 years
Geography with a Language	BSc	4 years
History	BA	3 years
History and International Relations	BA	3 years
History and Philosophy	BA	3 years
History and Politics	BA	3 years
History and Sociology	BA	3 years
History and Spanish	BA	4 years
Human Biology	BSc	3 years
Irish	BA	3 years
Irish and Broadcast Production	BA	3 years
Marine Biology	BSc	3 years
Marine Biology with Professional Studies	BSc	4 years
Mathematics	BSc	3 years
Mechanical Engineering	BEng	3 years
Mechanical Engineering Sandwich	BEng	4 years
Pharmaceutical Sciences	BSc	3 years
Pharmaceutical Sciences (Sandwich)	BSc	4 years
Philosophy	BA	3 years
Philosophy and Politics	BA	3 years
Physics	BSc	3 years
Physics with Astro-Physics	BSc	3 years
Physics with French	BSc	4 years
Physics with Medical Applications	BSc	3 years
Physics with Spanish	BSc	4 years
Planning, Environment and Development	BSc	3 years
Politics	BA	3 years
Politics, Philosophy and Economics	BA	3 years
Politics and Sociology	BA	3 years
Politics and Spanish	BA	4 years
Sociology	BA	3 years
Spanish	BA	4 years
Spanish and Portuguese	BA	4 years

Postgraduate Courses

Course	Qualification	Duration
Aerospace Engineering	MEng	4 years
Aerospace Engineering Sandwich	MEng	5 years
Applied Mathematics and Physics	MSci	4 years
Biochemistry	MSci	4 years
Civil Engineering	MEng	4 years
Civil Engineering with Year in Industry	MEng	5 years
Computer Engineering	MEng	4 years
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	MEng	4 years
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Sandwich	MEng	5 years
Environmental and Civil Engineering	MEng	4 years
Environmental and Civil Engineering with Year in Industry	MEng	5 years
European Planning	MPlan	4 years
Marine Biology	MSci	4 years
Marine Biology with Professional Studies	MSci	5 years
Mathematics and Statistics & Operational Research	MMath	4 years
Mechanical Engineering	MEng	4 years
Mechanical Engineering Sandwich	MEng	5 years
Pharmacy	MPharm	4 years
Physics	MPhys	4 years
Physics with Astro-Physics	MPhys	4 years
Physics with French	MPhys	5 years
Physics with Medical Applications	MPhys	4 years
Physics with Spanish	MPhys	5 years
Software Engineering	MEng	4 years
Software Engineering with Placement	MEng	5 years
Economics with Spanish	BSc	4 years
Education Studies	BA	3 years
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	BEng	3 years
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Sandwich	BEng	4 years
English	BA	3 years
English and Irish	BA	3 years
English and Linguistics	BA	3 years
English and Philosophy	BA	3 years
English and Politics	BA	3 years
English and Sociology	BA	3 years
English and Spanish	BA	4 years
Environmental Management	BSc	3 years
Environmental Management with Professional Studies	BSc	4 years
Film Studies and Production	BA	3 years
Film and Theatre Making	BA	3 years
Finance with a Year in Industry	BSc	4 years
Financial Risk Management with a Year in Industry	BSc	4 years
Games Technologies	BSc	3 years
Geography	BA	3 years
Geography	BSc	3 years
Geography with a Language	BSc	4 years
History	BA	3 years
History and International Relations	BA	3 years
History and Philosophy	BA	3 years
History and Politics	BA	3 years
History and Sociology	BA	3 years
History and Spanish	BA	4 years
Human Biology	BSc	3 years
Irish	BA	3 years
Irish and Broadcast Production	BA	3 years
Marine Biology	BSc	3 years
Marine Biology with Professional Studies	BSc	4 years
Mathematics	BSc	3 years
Mechanical Engineering	BEng	3 years
Mechanical Engineering Sandwich	BEng	4 years
Pharmaceutical Sciences	BSc	3 years
Pharmaceutical Sciences (Sandwich)	BSc	4 years
Philosophy	BA	3 years
Philosophy and Politics	BA	3 years
Physics	BSc	3 years
Physics with Astro-Physics	BSc	3 years
Physics with French	BSc	4 years
Physics with Medical Applications	BSc	3 years
Physics with Spanish	BSc	4 years
Planning, Environment and Development	BSc	3 years
Politics	BA	3 years
Politics, Philosophy and Economics	BA	3 years
Politics and Sociology	BA	3 years
Politics and Spanish	BA	4 years
Sociology	BA	3 years
Spanish	BA	4 years
Spanish and Portuguese	BA	4 years

Queen’s runs one of the most transparent fee structures among Russell Group universities: a four-tier system based on subject type rather than negotiated per course, which makes budgeting genuinely easier here than at universities where every course quotes its own figure.   

University Fees

Beyond tuition, you'll also need to budget for the Immigration Health Surcharge during your visa application, and you should also consider placement or industry-year fees. The Queen's fee structure is banded by how resource-intensive a subject is to teach, which is why Arts and Business sit well below Medicine and Dentistry rather than everything converging toward one average figure.    

Tuition Fees

Fee Rate	Subject Type	2026/27 Annual Fee (GBP)
Rate 1	Classroom-based (Arts, Humanities, Business)	£22,400
Rate 2	Laboratory-based (Engineering, Physical Sciences)	£26,600
Rate 3	Pre-clinical Medicine	£39,200
Rate 4	Clinical Medicine, Dentistry	£47,000
Postgraduate Taught (most subjects)	:	£23,000 – £28,000

Fees For Indian Students

For Indian students, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) charges international tuition fees. For the 2026/27 academic year, the standard fees are:  

Study level	Course type	Annual tuition fee
Undergraduate	Classroom-based (FR1)	£22,400
Undergraduate	Laboratory-based (FR2)	£26,600
Undergraduate	Pre-clinical medicine	£39,200
Undergraduate	Clinical medicine	£47,000
Postgraduate Taught	Classroom-based (FR1)	£23,000
Postgraduate Taught	Laboratory-based (FR2)	£27,600
Postgraduate Research	Classroom-based (FR1)	£22,500
Postgraduate Research	Laboratory-based (FR2)	£28,000

For direct comparison: Belfast runs roughly 38% cheaper than London by cost-of-living index, and is noticeably below Newcastle, Glasgow, and King’s College London.   If affordability is a genuine deciding factor in your university shortlist, this is one of the clearest, most independently verifiable advantages Queen’s has over its Russell Group peers.

• Vice-Chancellor’s International Attainment Scholarship: a 50% reduction on tuition fees, available separately for undergraduate (up to 4 years) and postgraduate taught (up to 2 years) study. Only four awards are available at each level, restricted to a specific list of eligible programmes, and require a short video submission by a fixed deadline; genuinely competitive, but transformative if you’re selected.    
• India Academic Excellence Award: £7,500 toward first-year tuition, specifically for Indian applicants, generally requiring around 85% or higher in Class 12.  
• Queen’s Business School Scholarship: up to £6,000 off tuition for selected postgraduate Business School programmes.
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarship: full tuition, a maintenance grant, and travel costs for eligible applicants; separate, highly competitive application process through the UK government scheme.
• Course-specific and departmental awards ranging from £1,500 upward, searchable through Queen’s own Funding & Scholarship Finder tool.

Admission requirements at Queen’s University Belfast vary by course and study level. For Indian students, undergraduate applicants are generally considered with Class 12 qualifications, with typical offers ranging from 70% to 85%, depending on the programme.   For postgraduate taught courses, applicants usually need a relevant bachelor’s degree equivalent to a UK 2:1 or 2:2, with Indian requirements typically starting around 53–60% or equivalent CGPA, depending on the institution and course. Applicants must also meet the university’s English language requirements, which vary by programme.     

Bachelor’s Degree

• Class 12 (CBSE, CISCE, or recognised state board): typically 70–85% in the best five academic subjects, with a minimum of 75% in subjects essential to your chosen course
• JEE Main or JEE Advanced scores considered where relevant, alongside Class 12 performance
• A UCAS application with personal statement and academic reference; Medicine additionally requires an interview and specific subject prerequisites
• English proficiency evidence, unless a recognised waiver applies (see below) 

Master’s Degree

• A bachelor’s degree with a UK 2:1 equivalent (roughly 58–65%, varying by course) for most taught programmes, or a 2:2 equivalent (roughly 53–55%, or CGPA 5.3–6.5 on a 10-point scale) for select programmes
• Queen’s explicitly notes that a strong Second Class degree from a top Indian institution may be considered where a First Class result is genuinely rare at that institution: a more flexible stance than many UK universities take in writing
• IELTS 6.5 or equivalent for most postgraduate programmes
• Academic transcripts, references, and a statement of purpose; a specific undergraduate subject background for some MSc conversions (e.g., MSc Management specifically excludes applicants with a Business or Management first degree)

Queen’s University Belfast English Proficiency requirements

• Standard requirement for most postgraduate programmes: IELTS 6.5 overall (or TOEFL iBT 90), with specific minimums per skill varying by course.
• Undergraduate requirements generally sit at a similar or slightly lower band, confirmed per course. 
• A genuinely useful waiver: Class 12 English scores of 70% or higher, from specified Indian boards (CBSE, CISCE, and state boards including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal), can substitute for IELTS on most postgraduate programmes provided the certificate is no more than seven years old and verified through DigiLocker.
• Medicine and Pharmacy applicants cannot use the Class 12 waiver and must submit an approved English test regardless of board score.
• A Business Management waiver at 70% English is generally accepted, though this varies by specific programme confirmation before assuming it applies to your course.

• Shortlist your course and confirm which fee band, entry requirement, and intake it falls under : Queen’s four-tier fee structure makes this a faster check than at universities with fully individualised course fees.
• Check eligibility against the exact Class 12 percentage or degree classification for your course, including subject-specific minimums.
• Prepare documents: transcripts, personal statement or SOP, academic references, passport copy, and English test scores or waiver evidence.
• Apply : UCAS for undergraduate (institution code QBELF, code Q75), the Queen’s Portal for most postgraduate applications (not used for Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing/Midwifery, Pharmacy, or Social Work, which have separate routes).
• Receive your offer and check specific conditions : some programmes assess Indian second-class degrees individually rather than against a fixed cutoff.
• Apply for scholarships where eligible, noting that the Vice-Chancellor’s awards require a video submission after your offer, by a fixed deadline.
• Pay your deposit and confirm your place as your UCAS firm choice.
• Apply for your Student visa using your CAS, then handle the Immigration Health Surcharge and accommodation booking.

Queen's University Belfast offers September 2026 and January 2027 starts for selected programmes. The exact intake depends on the course, so applicants should check the individual course listing.

Intake	Start period	Key information
September 2026	September 2026	Main intake; undergraduate and many postgraduate programmes
January 2027	January 2027	Available for selected postgraduate programmes
February 2027	February 2027	Available for some programmes

International students from outside the UK and Ireland generally need a UK Student visa to study a full-time course at Queen’s University Belfast lasting more than six months.

• UK Student Visa: International students who are not UK or Irish citizens generally need a UK Student visa for eligible full-time courses.
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS): Students must receive a valid CAS from Queen’s University Belfast before applying for the visa.
• Valid Passport: A valid passport or travel document is required for the visa application.
• Proof of Funds: Students must show sufficient funds to cover their outstanding tuition fees and required living expenses according to the latest UKVI rules.
• English Language Proficiency: Students must meet the English-language requirements for their chosen course. Accepted tests can include IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Duolingo, depending on the programme.
• Academic Documents: Students may need to provide their academic qualifications and other documents used to meet the conditions of their Queen’s offer.
• ATAS Certificate: Students applying for certain science, engineering and technology programmes may need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before applying for the visa.
• TB Certificate: Students from countries where UKVI requires tuberculosis screening may need to submit a valid TB test certificate.
• Visa Application Fee: Applicants must pay the applicable UK Student visa application fee.
• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): Most Student visa applicants must pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of their visa application.
• Biometrics: Applicants generally need to provide fingerprints and a photograph as part of the visa process.
• Visa Application Timing: Students can normally apply up to 3 months before the course start date shown on their CAS.
• Genuine Student Requirement: Applicants must satisfy UKVI that they genuinely intend to study the course for which the visa is being requested.

Note: Financial, visa-fee and IHS amounts can change, so students should check the latest UKVI requirements before submitting their application.

Job Designation	Typical UK Salary Range (per year)
Software Developer / Software Engineer	£30,000–£75,000
Data Analyst	£23,000–£40,000+
Data Scientist	£32,000–£83,000
Business Analyst	£23,000–£55,000
Investment Analyst	£28,000–£75,000
Accountant	£25,000–£60,000
Marketing Manager	£30,000–£65,000
Civil Engineer	£29,000–£63,000
Systems Analyst	£34,000–£65,000
Cyber Security / Forensic Computer Analyst	£30,000–£65,000

Queen’s reports suggest that 91% of graduates are in employment or further study 15 months after graduation, with the university ranking 11th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Complete University Guide 2027).   Also, the standout feature at a university whose real employability strength shows up at the subject level. That’s where the Guardian’s 1st-in-UK rankings for Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Biomedical Science, Electronic and Electrical Engineering, and Medicine and Midwifery matter more than the university-wide average.

Queen’s University Belfast Student life Experiences

• Queen’s sits in the Queen’s Quarter of South Belfast, a compact student district where campus, halls, cafes, and the well-known Holylands and Botanic Avenue social scene are all within walking distance of each other, a genuinely different feel from universities spread across a major city. 
• With over 4,000 international students from 90+ countries, the international community is smaller and tighter-knit than at London universities, which many students find makes it easier to build a close social circle quickly rather than getting lost in scale. 
• Belfast itself offers a level of value most Indian students don’t expect from a UK Russell Group city: lower rents, cheaper food, and an hour’s flight to London or Edinburgh when you do want a bigger-city weekend. 
• The university’s £700 million investment in facilities, including the McClay Library and the School of Law building, means the compact campus doesn’t feel under-resourced despite the smaller scale.

Why Study at Queen’s University Belfast?

Queen’s University Belfast is a well-established UK university that combines academic learning with practical and career-focused opportunities. For Indian students, its location, international community, and range of programmes make it an attractive option for pursuing higher education in the UK: 

• Strong academic reputation: Queen’s offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across disciplines, with opportunities for research-led learning.
• Russell Group university: It is one of the UK's Russell Group universities, providing students with access to a research-intensive academic environment. 
• Career-focused education: Many programmes incorporate practical learning, industry projects and opportunities to develop skills relevant to the graduate job market. 
• International student community: Students from different countries study at Queen’s, creating a diverse and multicultural campus environment. 
• Location in Belfast: Belfast offers a relatively lower cost of living than several major UK cities such as London, while providing access to a growing business and technology sector. 
• Scholarships for Indian students: Eligible Indian students can benefit from scholarships such as the India Academic Excellence Award, which can help reduce tuition costs. 
• Wide range of courses: Students can choose from programmes in areas including business, engineering, computer science, medicine, law, social sciences and humanities.

Why Choose Global Opportunities to Study at Queen’s University Belfast?

• Between navigating a four-tier fee structure, working out whether your Class 12 English score qualifies for an IELTS waiver on your specific course, and catching the earlier Medicine/Dentistry deadline before it passes, Queen’s admissions process rewards early, careful preparation. 
• Global Opportunities works with students through each stage, shortlisting the right course and fee band for their budget, reviewing personal statements and SOPs, preparing competitive scholarship applications including the Vice-Chancellor’s video submission, and handling the Student visa and pre-departure process. 
• The goal is an application that reflects the student’s actual strengths, not one weakened by a missed waiver or an early deadline.

Similar Universities in the UK

University of Bradford	London South Bank University	University of Chester
Cardiff Metropolitan University UWIC	Heriot-Watt University	University of East London
Cranfield University	Newcastle University	University of Lincoln
University of Exeter	Oxford Brookes University	University of Plymouth
Istituto Marangoni	Middlesex University	University of Reading
Keele University	Queen Mary University London	University of Roehampton
Kingston University	Robert Gordon University (RGU)	University of South Wales
Leeds Beckett University	Teesside University	University of Sunderland
University of Bolton	University of Sussex

Top Countries to Study Abroad for Indian Students

Study In Canada	Study In New Zealand	Study In Italy
Study In UK	Study In Ireland	Study In France
Study In Australia	Study In Singapore	Study In Netherlands
Study In Germany	Study In Malaysia	Study In Spain

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