Our reputation

NUI Galway is internationally recognised for its excellence, and we are counted among the Top 1% of universities worldwide. In the past five years, NUI Galway has been the only university in Ireland to rise consistently in the most competitive World University Rankings. Both the QS and Times Higher Education Rankings have placed the University in a higher position year-on-year.

QS World University Ranking

University of Galway is ranked 273rd in the 2025 QS World University Ranking (published 2024) out of approximately 1,500 global universities. The rankings also place us within the top 100 Universities in Europe out of 685 institutions across 42 European locations. 

Times Higher Education

Our position in the THE World University Rankings has also risen consistently in recent years. In 2016, we rose 25 places, and for the first time leapt into the 201-250 range, compared to 351-400 in 2012.

NUI Galway is world-renowned as an expert research-led University.  We emphasise inter-disciplinary research programmes, and collaborations with industry partners in areas of strategic importance, both regionally and nationally. Our research focuses on some of the world's most pressing needs in five key areas:

• Applied Social Sciences and Public Policy
• Biomedical Science and Engineering
• Environment, Marine and Energy
• Humanities in Context, including Digital Humanities
• Informatics, Data Analytics, Physical and Computational Sciences

Horizon 2020

Our researchers are punching well above their weight in securing European Union funding through the Horizon 2020 programme. In 2016, we had the highest funding success rate in Ireland, and the second highest level of funding granted. These figures show that Galway is competing on a global stage.

World's Most Influential Scientific Minds

NUI Galway is the top Irish University for the world’s most influential scientists, with four of our researchers ranked among the world’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by multinational media body Thomson Reuters in 2015. Professor Donal O’Regan (Mathematics) Professor Colin O'Dowd (Physics), and Professor Henry Curran and Emeritus Professor John Simmie (Chemistry) received the awards in recognition of the impact of their research.

Galway is Ireland's most diverse city, and NUI Galway is Ireland's most international university. We attract more international students than anywhere else, with over 3,000 coming from over 110 countries to study here each year.

Located on the edge of Europe, Galway has a long history of reaching out to the world. We are consistently named among the world's friendliest cities.

Top 200 Most International Universities

In 2015 NUI Galway was ranked in the Top 200 most International Universities in the world for our International Outlook by the Times Higher Education Ranking. Furthermore, NUI Galway has been awarded the Excellent International Student Satisfaction Award 2015 and also ranked 2nd in Ireland for the International Student Experience, with Ireland voted the top European Country for International Student Satisfaction.

U-Multirank System

We received the highest ranking of 4 A grades in all four performance indicators of international orientation in the European Commission's U-Multirank system.

NUI Galway has been inspiring minds since 1845, when the University first opened with just 68 students. Today, over 18,000 people study here on a range of programmes offered on campus, online and through blended learning. We remain committed to educating students who are valued for their academic excellence, their distinctiveness, and their world-readiness.

A Rounded Education

We believe in providing our students with a holistic experience. As well as developing academically, our students benefit from top quality Sports Clubs, Societies and Volunteering opportunities. Our Societies consistently win more national BICS awards than any other university, and our ALIVE programme is pioneering student engagement in community and voluntary projects.

National Teaching Awards

We are rightly proud of the quality of our teaching staff, who bring their research expertise the classroom. Our lecturers are consistently counted among the best, and recognised through the National Teaching Awards, and other award programmes.

Galway is renowned as a place where arts and culture are celebrated, reinterpreted and shared with the world. NUI Galway has established partnerships with some of the key cultural organisations in the region to boost teaching and research in the arts.

Our Treasured Archives

NUI Galway has been trusted to preserve the archives of Ireland's leading theatre companies, including the Abbey Theatre, the Gate Theatre, the Druid Theatre, An Taibhdhearc, and the Lyric Theatre. Together we are safeguarding these cultural treasures for the future, and making them available to both researchers and the public.

Galway 2020

Galway has been designated European Capital of Culture 2020, beating competition from Dublin, Limerick and the south-east. The University will be a key player in what will be a celebration of Galway's unique spirit of creativity and our shared European culture.