Ulster is in the top 20 universities in terms of applications and registered another 6 per cent increase at the start of 2009. One of the best performances at any new university in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise can only enhance its reputation. Nearly half of its submission was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent, with the university ranked in the top three for biomedical sciences, nursing and midwifery and Celtic studies. Results improved in almost all areas, leaving Ulster within sight of neighbouring Queen’s University in the research tables.

Courses

The university is the only one in Britain with a charter stipulating that there should be courses below degree level. Certificates, diplomas and integrated foundation years lead on to honours degrees. Plans to improve and expand all four main sites, at a cost of £200 million, are almost complete. 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 24,000 students, including almost 8,000 part-timers.

Location

The main sites in and near Belfast have never been busier, while the Magee campus, in Londonderry, attracts students from both sides of the border. The sites are 80 miles apart at their farthest point and very different in character, although there is extensive use of e-learning. A few courses offer lectures on more than one campus, but for the most part students are based on a single site throughout their university life. The contrasts contribute to bigger variations in satisfaction levels in different subjects than at most universities. The 2008 National Student Survey showed 100 per cent satisfaction in biology and high levels in finance, sports science, geography and English, but relatively low scores in linguistics and subjects allied to medicine.

Jordanstown, seven miles outside Belfast, has the most students, concentrating on engineering, health and social science. New student accommodation has been added recently, with another 350 rooms due to be available for the 2009-10 academic year. About £20 million has been invested in a new sports centre, with the aim of making Ulster Ireland’s top university for sport. Facilities include a 60x40-metre indoor rubber crumbled artificial grass sports hall, outdoor and indoor sprint tracks, indoor throws area, a strength and conditioning suite, water recovery area and sports science and sports medicine facilities. Jordanstown already hosted the Sports Institute for Northern Ireland and the university’s own High Performance Centre, but there are no on-site sports facilities at the Belfast campus.

The small Belfast site specialises in art and design but, since a £30-million redevelopment, has added hospitality and tourism with degrees that include international hotel and tourism management; and culinary arts. New student facilities include new lecture theatres and flexible learning spaces, a learning resource centre, conference and gallery facilities and a training restaurant.

The isolated original university campus, at Coleraine, focuses on science and the humanities. It has an £11-million Centre for Molecular Biosciences and a new learning resource centre opened in 2007. There is now a Learning Resource Centre at each of the University’s four campuses. Once the poor relation of the university, confined to adult education, Magee is now a thriving centre. Further expansion is planned in the new schools of performing arts, computing and electronics, as well as improved provision for education, nursing and Irish studies. The Graduate School of Professional Legal Education will allow graduates to train as barristers and solicitors. The historic Foyle Arts Centre has become part of the university and a postgraduate medical school is planned.

Access

Almost half the students come from working-class homes – far more than the UK average – and the student profile mirrors the religious balance in the wider population. Mature students are well catered for, with access courses for those who lack the necessary entry qualifications, a nursery and three playgroups in the university. The projected dropout rate had improved in the latest survey but, at more than 21 per cent, was still considerably higher than the “benchmark” calculated according to the university’s subjects and entry grades.The university is making £3m available over the next three years to fund ‘Opportunity Scholarships’ across all faculties.There has never been a big representation from mainland Britain, but the university’s contingent of international students include those from the Republic of Ireland as well as further afield. The Campus One programme provides an alternative mode of study, offering courses online to students all over the world.

With more than half of Ulster’s students living with their parents or at their own home, the university is not always the focus of social life. The exception is Coleraine, a classic campus university, where there are fewer home-based students, although many gravitate towards the nearby seaside towns of Portrush and Portstewart.

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