Ulster remains one of the most popular universities in Britain, in spite of a 16 per cent fall in applications at the start of 2008, when the number of choices per applicant was cut from six to five.

The university – the only one in Britain with a charter stipulating that there should be courses below degree level – would like to expand but is constrained by Government policy.

UU has had to pull out of its most ambitious project: the proposed “peaceline campus” linking Belfast’s two communities after years of on/off negotiations.

But there are plans to improve and expand all four main sites, at a cost of £200 million, during the current decade. With more Irish students now choosing to stay in the Province to study, there is plenty of scope for expansion, despite the fact that UU already has more than 20,000 students.

Expansion

The main sites in and near Belfast have never been busier, while Magee attracts students from both sides of the border.

High technology brings the university together for teaching purposes, but the sites are 80 miles apart at their farthest point and very different in character.

Jordanstown, seven miles outside Belfast, has the most students, concentrating on engineering, health and social science.

Numbers are being limited to prevent overcrowding and more building is planned.

Traditional

The isolated original university campus, at Coleraine, follows the style of the 1960s, and is the most traditional in outlook, with a focus on science and the humanities.

There is a new £11-million Centre for Molecular Biosciences, and further building is in the pipeline. The small Belfast site has always specialised in art and design, but a £30-million redevelopment will see its range of subjects expand.

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