Queen’s University Belfast has once again been crowned the number one university in Northern Ireland, according to The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
The university has also risen five places to hit the national top 30, ranking 26th out of 131 universities.
These academic rankings are based on an analysis of student satisfaction with teaching quality and their student experience, entry standards, research quality, sustainability and graduate prospects.
Welcoming the rankings, Queen’s University President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, said: “We are incredibly proud that Queen’s has been ranked in the national top 30 universities in the UK, moving up five places since last year. This progress is down to the hard work and dedication of our staff, whose primary focus is on providing an exceptional educational experience for our students and carrying out world-class research.
“As we look towards our 180th year, Queen’s will continue to be a force of positive transformation, changing lives for the better by providing educational opportunities, delivering our civic mission, driving prosperity, and carrying out research that provides solutions to the many major and existential challenges facing our communities and the wider world.”
Helen Davies, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “The best universities — whether they were founded in the 15th century or 2005 — are local and global powerhouses of intellectual thought and creativity, from the arts to science, that can power economic regeneration and lead the way to a better life. But what and where to study — and how to pay for it — has never been tougher. This is where our comprehensive guide can help.
“This year we have tweaked our methodology to keep up with contemporary concerns around climate change and careers and have added in a sustainability metric, teaming up with People & Planet, and boosted the weighting of graduate prospects.
“The higher education sector is facing unprecedented challenges from debates on free speech to financial stability, but it is important to remember the force for good that going to university can be. See how the universities compare subject by subject, a guide on campus life, and what scholarships and bursaries may be on offer online.”
The full Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide with 70 subject tables, full interactive tables and additional features can be found here.
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