Queen’s marks 180 years with key achievements and call for sustainable funding
The University has published its Annual Report 2024–25, marking a milestone year of record performance, civic contribution and global impact in its 180th anniversary year while renewing its call for sustainable funding.
The report highlights exceptional progress in research, education, sustainability and social responsibility while underlining the urgent need for a sustainable funding model for higher education in Northern Ireland.
Key highlights include a record £124.6m in research income and an independent analysis by London Economics confirming that Queen’s contributes over £3.35 bn annually to the UK economy, reinforcing its role as a key driver of prosperity, innovation and skills development for Northern Ireland.
The 180th year was significant in terms of rankings with the University breaking into the top 200 universities worldwide, placing it in the top 14%.
The Students’ Union was ranked No. 1 in the UK (WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2025) and the University was recognised as Northern Ireland’s first ‘University of Sanctuary’, in acknowledgement of its inclusive culture and support for refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant communities.
Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer said:
“Our 180th year has been an historic year – our most successful to date in terms of research and civic engagement. Highlights include achieving official University of Sanctuary status and the many accolades achieved in terms of global rankings, reflecting the hard work among our staff and students.
“However, it has also been a challenging year within which we have reported a sizeable deficit. This is reflective of the issues facing the Higher Education sector across the UK and exacerbated by the unique funding model in Northern Ireland where the Executive limits the number of places available to local students.
He added:
“As a result, we have been forced to make difficult decisions, including a voluntary redundancy scheme. We continue to call for a long-term, sustainable funding model and a review of the Maximum Student Numbers cap to protect opportunities for students and support Northern Ireland’s continued economic and societal development."
“Queen’s stands ready to play its full part in shaping a thriving, inclusive, and globally connected Northern Ireland and I look forward to what more we can achieve.”
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