Queen’s University Belfast, officially known as The Queen’s University of Belfast (commonly referred to as “Queen’s”, “Queen’s University”, and “QUB”), is a prestigious public research university located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university was chartered in 1845 as “Queen’s College, Belfast” and opened its doors four years later, in 1849.
The origins of Queen’s University Belfast can be traced back to the Belfast Academical Institution, established in 1810 and still functioning today as the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Initially chartered alongside Queen’s College, Cork, and Queen’s College, Galway, Queen’s College, Belfast, was part of the Queen’s University of Ireland, a system created to promote higher education for Catholics and Presbyterians, offering an alternative to the predominantly Anglican Trinity College, Dublin.
Queen’s College emerged from Sir Robert Peel’s Irish Universities scheme, which aimed to provide inclusive education, akin to the National School system of the 1830s. While Trinity College Dublin was officially open to all, it primarily served Anglicans, prompting Presbyterians to seek education in Scotland and Roman Catholic priests to train at Maynooth. Despite initial resistance due to Belfast’s reputation, Queen’s College, Belfast, was established in 1849, with students from the Belfast Academical Institution transferring to the new college.
The university’s main building, the Lanyon Building, was designed by the English-born architect Sir Charles Lanyon. At its opening, Queen’s College had 23 professors and 195 students, with some early students taking University of London examinations. The Irish Universities Act of 1908 dissolved the Royal University of Ireland and established two new universities: the National University of Ireland and Queen’s University of Belfast.
Queen’s University Belfast held a parliamentary seat in the House of Commons at Westminster until 1950 and was represented in the Parliament of Northern Ireland from 1920 to 1968, with graduates electing four members. In the 2019/20 academic year, the university had a student population of 24,915, including 18,310 undergraduates and 6,605 postgraduates.
If you fancy learning more about the Queen’s Quarter, come on my tour of the area! Details are here.