Widening access to higher education is a key priority for Queen’s University Belfast.

We are committed to ensuring that those who are the most able, but least likely to pursue a university education have an equal opportunity to do so.Our flagship outreach initiative is the Pathway Opportunity Programme which engages schools across Northern Ireland to provide an entry route to Queen’s for talented young people who have the ability to thrive at Queen’s but face additional barriers and need support and encouragement. We know that living expenses, rather than fees, can become a major barrier to success for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and that financial hardship is one of the major reasons students in this demographic may withdraw from their studies.   

Thanks to a generous founding donation from Kilwaughter Minerals Ltd, we established the Pathway Bursary Fund in 2018 to support students, helping to alleviate financial stress and ensuring that they can make the most of their university experience.  Since then, further donations have enabled us to provide every Pathway Student with a bursary in every year of their studies at Queen’s.  

You can hear from our Pathway Students highlighting the impact the Pathway Bursary Fund has had on them during their time at Queen’s. 

Meet our Pathway students