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University of Galway

University of Galway

Quick facts

City
Galway
Country
Ireland
Type
Public
Founded
1845
Students
19,000
National ranking
#4
International ranking
#275
Tuition (local students)
€2,500
Tuition (international)
€20,650
Guide score
7.6/10

Official website: www.universityofgalway.ie

Overview

The University of Galway (formerly NUI Galway) was founded in 1845 as Queen's College Galway and enrols over 19,000 students from 110 countries. It sits at 275th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (up from 284th in 2026) and fourth nationally. The 105-hectare campus runs along the River Corrib on the northern edge of the city centre, centred on the landmark limestone Quadrangle, built in the 1840s and modelled on Christ Church, Oxford, which now houses the university's administrative offices and is the backdrop for graduations and society events.

Galway is a small, walkable city on Ireland's Atlantic coast with a reputation as the country's most bohemian and social student city: festivals nearly every month (Galway International Arts Festival, Film Fleadh, Oyster Festival), a strong traditional-music scene and Shop Street's pubs a 15-minute walk from campus. Its size and rain-heavy weather are the main trade-offs.

Academic programs

The university is organised into four colleges: Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies; Business, Public Policy and Law; Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; and Science and Engineering. It is particularly strong in Biomedical Engineering and MedTech (Galway is one of Europe's largest medical-device clusters, with Medtronic and Boston Scientific nearby), Marine Science, Human Rights Law (Irish Centre for Human Rights), Nursing and Irish-language studies. The J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics is the main destination for Business exchange students.

EU undergraduates under the Free Fees Initiative pay the student contribution of €2,500 for 2025/26 (reduced from €3,000 in Budget 2026). The university's published undergraduate fee schedule lists non-EU tuition from roughly €16,000 (Business Studies and International Hotel Management) to €20,650–€23,150 for Arts and up to about €29,550 for Science and Engineering; Medicine and Pharmacy are priced separately and are much higher, so check the fees page for your course.

Campus life

Student life is exceptionally active: more than 100 societies and over 45 sports clubs run through the Students' Union and the Áras na Mac Léinn student centre. The Kingfisher Sports Centre on campus has a 25 m pool, gym and courts, and the Corrib is used by the rowing and kayak clubs. On-campus accommodation (Corrib Village, Goldcrest Village, Dunlin Village) is allocated partly by lottery and is in short supply; 2025/26 prices ran from roughly €368 per month for a twin room in Corrib Village to about €750 per month for a single en-suite in Goldcrest or Dunlin, plus deposits and a utilities prepayment. Galway's private rental market is tight and rooms typically cost €600–€850 per month, so exchange students are strongly advised to apply for campus housing as soon as they are nominated.

Exchange programs

The university has about 200 Erasmus bilateral agreements, linking it with some 130 European universities, and a long tradition of hosting Spanish students, with agreements including Universidad de Valladolid, Universitat de Girona, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (Valencia) and a number of others in Business, Engineering, Law and Hispanic Studies, in addition to bilateral exchanges with universities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Asia. Incoming Erasmus students are nominated by their home coordinator and apply through the Global Galway office; in the 2026/27 calendar nominations are due on 15 March for Semester 1 or the full year and on 15 October for Semester 2, with student applications due on 15 April and 31 October respectively (check the page for 2027/28 dates). The university runs a dedicated orientation for exchange students, a buddy scheme and offers Irish-culture and English modules alongside regular courses.

Academic programs

Application deadlines

Exchange

About 200 Erasmus bilateral agreements with some 130 European universities, including Spanish partners such as Universidad de Valladolid, Universitat de Girona, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera and others across Arts, Business and Engineering, plus bilateral exchanges in the US, Canada and Asia. Incoming nominations are due around 15 March for Semester 1 / full year and 15 October for Semester 2 (2026/27 calendar).

Next steps

Sources