University College Cork

University College Cork

Visit University Website
We’re an award-winning institution with a history of independent thinking. Established in 1845 our beautiful university opened its gates to just 115 students in 1849. We now have a student population of over 26,000.

History

Set on 42 acres of wooded ground, only a 10 minute walk from Cork City Centre, our college was established in 1845 after a long campaign for a higher education institution in Munster. On these pages you can find out more about the history of UCC.

Research

University College Cork is ranked in the top 1.1% of universities in the world.  It is Ireland’s leading institution for the delivery of research impact and the top Irish institution for highly cited researchers. We are the leading global university for sustainability and the Irish university with the highest level of industry collaboration.

Top reasons to study here

  • UCC improved its overall rank by 27 places in the QS World University Rankings 2025-2026 which published on 19 June 2025.
  • UCC is the only Irish university to have been ranked inside the Top 10 in the world for its work on one of the SDGs, SDG 2 - Zero Hunger.
  • UCC is ranked in the 351-400 band in the 21st edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings which published on 9 October 2024.

University College Cork Key Statistics & Highlights

  • #246 Ranking
  • 906 Academic Staff
  • 26,000 Students

University College Cork Overview

University College Cork Scholarships

University College Cork Scholarships

Below you will find scholarships related to University College Cork. Distinction can be made between scholarships provided by the University and those provided by independent providers.

Provided by university
Grant
2000 EUR
Deadline
Anytime
BEdGaeilge Scholarships
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
10500 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
Quercus University Scholarships
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
250 EUR
Deadline
Anytime
Kavanagh Celtic Civilisation Entrance Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
22000 EUR
Deadline
15 May 2026
Cubs Phd Scholarship Opportunity in Management (Human Resources)/Economics
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
Various benefits
Deadline
Not specified
George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
5000 EUR
Deadline
24 Oct 2026
RDJ Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
3000 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
Monex Scholarship Program
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
600 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
The John Kelly Prize in Clinical Surgery
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
Various benefits
Deadline
Anytime
Quercus Entrance Scholarships
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
315 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
The Donal (Doc) Gleeson Instrumental Tuition Awards
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
Various benefits
Deadline
Anytime
The Rick and Rebecca Riordan Postgraduate Scholarship in Modern Irish
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
Various benefits
Deadline
20 Jun 2026
30% Club UCC CUBS Executive MBA Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
1000 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
The Ann Moloney Bursary
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
250 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
The James And Mary Hogan Prize In History
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
6000 EUR
Deadline
01 Sep 2026
The Michael Joseph McEnery Memorial Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
1500 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
The Dr Elmer Morrissey Memorial Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
500 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
Quercus College Scholarships CACSSS
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
100 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
The Jennifer O'Reilly Prize in Medieval History
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
1000 EUR
Deadline
Not specified
College of Business and Law PG - EU Merit Based Scholarship
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland
Provided by university
Grant
200 EUR
Deadline
Anytime
The Danijela Kulezic-Wilson Undergraduate Award for Exceptional Innovation in Research
Merit-based

Read more about eligibility

University College Cork
Cork, Ireland

Complete overview of scholarships

University College Cork Rankings

Study Portals Meta Ranking

Top 4.4% Ireland
Top 4% Worldwide

Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.

QS World University Rankings

246

By TopUniversities

Climbed 27 places compared to 2025

QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend QS World University Rankings

2024 2025 2026
292 273 246

Academic Ranking of World Universities

301

By Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.

ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities

2023 2024 2025
301 301 301

World University Rankings

351

By Times Higher Education

The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.

World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.

3 year trend World University Rankings

2024 2025 2026
301 351 351

Best Global Universities Rankings

399

By U.S. News & World Report

Climbed 13 places compared to 2025

Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.

3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings

2024 2025 2026
397 412 399

Library services

At University College Cork Library we offer innovative services, resources and spaces that align with your learning, teaching and research needs.  The Library consists of the Boole Library and branch library Boston Scientific Health Sciences Library. We support the UCC community and bring together many sources of information not readily available elsewhere in Munster. 

Campus life

In March 2020, University College Cork celebrated 10 years since becoming the first University in the world to be awarded a Green Flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education.  Green Campus involves a seven-step programme and a cycle of continual improvement. Campuses are fully reassessed, by a panel of external experts, every 3 years. UCC has successfully renewed it’s Green Flag five times. 

The Green Campus Programme in UCC has evolved significantly since its inception. Strong commitment and support from the highest levels in the university has contributed to embedding sustainability across our operations, teaching, research and outreach.

University College Cork Campus Locations

#1 Main Campus
Ireland Country
Cork City

University College Cork Student Reviews & Awards

4.3

Based on 100 reviews

  • 5 Star
    32 Reviews
  • 4 Star
    56 Reviews
  • 3 Star
    11 Reviews
  • 2 Star
    0 Reviews
  • 1 Star
    1 Review

How Students Rated This University

  • Overall Satisfaction 4.2
  • Student Teacher Interaction 4.1
  • Student Diversity 4.0
  • Online Classroom Experience 4.4
  • Admission Process 4.6
  • Quality of Student Life 4.1
  • Career Development 4.2
4/5

UCC - The real capital of Universities in ireland

Love the campus, the student ethos, the traditions and history. Plenty of fantastic lecturers and departments that are enthusiastic and engaging. I find that the university is not very financially accessible unless from a wealthy background or so underprivileged that you actually qualify for financial support.

Posted by Anonymous
Studied from Sep 2022 - Nov 2025
Posted on Apr 2026
3/5

IAM YET TO GIVE MY REVIEW

I HAVE NOT STARTED MY STUDIES YET,I AM PLANNING TO START SEPTEMBER 2026,AFTER THAT I WILL GIVE MY REVIEW.FROM THE REVIEWS FROM PREVIOUS ALUMNAI,IT SOUNDS GOOD TO BE PART OF YOUR INSTITUTION' STORY, SO I AM YET TO GET MY EXPERIENCE

Posted by Anonymous
Studied from Sep 2025 - Sep 2027
Posted on Nov 2025
1/5

Studying Abroad

I'm very much pleased and satisfied with the results and i would like to know more about the scholarships as their details are very limited.

Posted by Anonymous
Studied from Aug 2024 - Jun 2027
Posted on Jan 2026
Studied here? Share your experience

Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025

The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!

  • Overall Satisfaction badge
    Overall Satisfaction

    How would you rate your overall study experience?

  • Student Teacher Interaction badge
    Student Teacher Interaction

    How helpful were your teachers?

  • Student Diversity badge
    Student Diversity

    How diverse was the atmosphere at your university?

  • Online Classroom Experience badge
    Online Classroom Experience

    How was your experience with online courses?

  • Admission Process badge
    Admission Process

    How simple was it to apply to your programme?

  • Quality of Student Life badge
    Quality of Student Life

    How was your everyday life?

  • Career Development badge
    Career Development

    Did the university provide support for your career development?

Read more

Gallery

Wishlist

Go to your profile page to get personalised recommendations!