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Compare any two UK universities

Select any two universities below and we'll generate an instant, data-driven comparison — rankings, salaries, student satisfaction, international community, and more.

Q
Queen's University Belfast

Belfast · QS World #174

U
University of Manchester

Manchester · QS World #40

Head-to-Head Summary

Based on 9 datapoints

We looked at 9 data points — world rankings, student satisfaction, graduate salaries, employment rates, and more — to see which university scores higher in each category.

2/9

Queen's University Belfast

scored higher in 2 categories

VS

7/9

Manchester

scored higher in 7 categories

Quick Verdict

University of Manchester leads in 7 of 9 categories where both have data (ranking, established, international, courses, scholarship). Queen's University Belfast is ahead on satisfaction, employment.

Queen's University Belfast vs University of Manchester at a glance

Queen's University Belfast and University of Manchester both teach 79 subject areas, the largest being Politics & International Relations, Mathematics and Physics. Queen's University Belfast offers 494 courses across 93 subject areas; University of Manchester offers 1,041 courses across 116 subject areas.

For undergraduate study, the typical published international fee is £20,800 a year at Queen's University Belfast and £32,300 at University of Manchester: Queen's University Belfast is about £11,500 a year cheaper.

Of the 40 subject areas both teach where each publishes a student satisfaction score, Queen's University Belfast is higher in 23 and University of Manchester in 16, with 1 about level.

World & National Rankings

Compare world and national league table positions, TEF ratings, and Russell Group membership.

#174
QS World
#40
#198
THE World
#56
#36
Guardian UK
#29
1845
Established
1824
Yes
Russell Group
Yes
—
TEF Rating
Silver

Visual Breakdown

Key metrics at a glance

Longer bars indicate better performance. Metrics include student satisfaction, graduate salaries, and more.

Queen's University Belfast

University of Manchester

86.4%
85.1%

Satisfaction

Student satisfaction with teaching (NSS Survey, out of 100%)

No data
£36,500

Graduate Salaries (5y)

Median graduate salary 5 years after graduation

84.9%
80%

Employment

Graduate employment rate

21.9%
40%

International

International student share

494
1041

Course Counts

Number of courses offered

1
6

Scholarships

Number of scholarships

International Community

Where do international students come from?

Top source countries based on official HESA enrolment data. A higher diversity of nationalities often means a richer campus experience.

Queen's University Belfast

74 countries · 21.9% international

  • 🇮🇪Ireland30.3%
  • 🇮🇳India14.3%
  • 🇨🇳China11%
  • 🇺🇸United States7%
  • 🇲🇾Malaysia5%
VS

Manchester

120 countries · 40% international

  • 🇨🇳China51%
  • 🇮🇳India7.6%
  • 🇲🇾Malaysia4.9%
  • 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia3.1%
  • 🇭🇰Hong Kong2.5%

Subjects

79 subjects you can study at both

Courses listed at each university in the subject, and the typical (median) international fee a year. Select a count to see the courses.

Queen's University Belfast

University of Manchester

Also taught at both: Nursing (General), Planning & Housing, Business & Management (General), French, Public Health & Epidemiology, Anthropology, Mechanical Engineering, English Studies, Geology & Earth Sciences, Medicine, Media & Film Studies, Anatomy & Pathology, Biomedical Sciences, Linguistics, Pharmacy, Psychology (General), Environmental Sciences, Finance & Actuarial Science, Pharmacology, Spanish & Portuguese, Biological Sciences (General), Childhood & Youth Studies, Education Studies, Social Work, Aerospace Engineering, Architecture, Music, Zoology & Animal Biology, Computer Science, Information Systems & Data Science, Archaeology, Human Geography & Environment, Accounting, Business Studies, Clinical & Health Psychology, Design & Fashion, Geography (General), Manufacturing & Production Engineering, Philosophy, Software Engineering, Physical Geography & Climate, Ecology & Conservation, General Engineering, Drama & Theatre, Health Sciences & Paramedic Science, Midwifery, Ancient Languages, Applied Biology & Human Biology, Business Information Systems, Computing & IT, Developmental & Educational Psychology, Mental Health Nursing, Social Policy & Public Policy, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Humanities, Adult Nursing, Children's Nursing, Counselling & Psychotherapy, Health & Social Care, Human Resource Management, Liberal Arts, Marketing, Cultural Studies.

Only at Queen's University Belfast

Only at University of Manchester

Fees

What it costs international students

The typical (median) international tuition fee a year across each university's published course fees. Individual courses vary; each course page shows its own fee.

Undergraduate

Queen's University Belfast
£20,800
University of Manchester
£32,300

Queen's University Belfast is about £11,500 a year cheaper.

Postgraduate

Queen's University Belfast
No data
University of Manchester
£26,800

We do not have reliable international fee data for Queen's University Belfast yet.

Outcomes

Graduate outcomes by subject

Median graduate salary three years after graduating, and student satisfaction with teaching, across each university's undergraduate courses in the subject. Source: Discover Uni.

Queen's University Belfast

University of Manchester

  • Politics & International Relations

    No dataSalary (3 years)£26,500
    84%Satisfaction88%

  • Mathematics

    No dataSalary (3 years)£31,000
    87%Satisfaction83%

  • Physics

    No dataSalary (3 years)£34,000
    90%Satisfaction89%

  • Civil Engineering

    No dataSalary (3 years)£30,500
    89%Satisfaction77%

  • Management

    No dataSalary (3 years)£29,000
    78%Satisfaction84%

  • Chemical Engineering

    No dataSalary (3 years)£36,000
    78%Satisfaction84%

  • Law

    No dataSalary (3 years)£24,000
    86%Satisfaction89%

  • Microbiology & Cell Biology

    No dataSalary (3 years)£27,500
    88%Satisfaction81%

  • Chemistry

    No dataSalary (3 years)£27,500
    97%Satisfaction87%

  • Economics

    No dataSalary (3 years)£32,500
    82%Satisfaction85%

  • Biochemistry

    No dataSalary (3 years)£26,000
    91%Satisfaction87%

  • History

    No dataSalary (3 years)£26,000
    91%Satisfaction91%

Showing the 12 largest of 40 shared subjects with published outcomes.

Scholarships for International Students

Exclusive

Queen's University Belfast

Future-Ready Award

See details

Deadline: N/A

View all scholarships →

University of Manchester

Spärck AI Scholarship

£20,780

Deadline: N/A

The Sadler Bursary

£10,000

Deadline: N/A

The Bason Family Bursary

£6,000

Deadline: N/A

The Cowrie Foundation Scholarships

£6,000

Deadline: N/A

Accommodation Bursary

£2,050

Deadline: Jul 2026

View all scholarships →

FAQ

Queen's University Belfast vs University of Manchester: common questions

Is Queen's University Belfast or University of Manchester cheaper for international students?

For undergraduate study, the typical published international fee is £20,800 a year at Queen's University Belfast and £32,300 at University of Manchester: Queen's University Belfast is about £11,500 a year cheaper. These are medians of the international tuition fees each university publishes for its courses; the fee for a specific course is on its course page.

What subjects can you study at both Queen's University Belfast and University of Manchester?

Both universities teach 79 subject areas: Politics & International Relations, Mathematics, Physics, Civil Engineering, Management, Chemical Engineering, Law, Microbiology & Cell Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Biochemistry, History and 67 more.

Does Queen's University Belfast or University of Manchester offer more courses?

University of Manchester lists 1,041 courses on CourseOptions and Queen's University Belfast lists 494 courses.

What can you study at Queen's University Belfast but not at University of Manchester?

Queen's University Belfast teaches 14 subject areas that University of Manchester does not, including Irish Studies, Animal Science, Building & Construction, Social Sciences (General), Food Science, Community & Specialist Nursing, Games Design & Computer Animation, Agriculture & Land Management and 6 more.

What can you study at University of Manchester but not at Queen's University Belfast?

University of Manchester teaches 37 subject areas that Queen's University Belfast does not, including Materials Science, Statistics, Biology, Clinical Specialities, Genetics & Genomics, English Literature, Healthcare Science, International Development and 29 more.

Ready to explore courses?

Browse available courses, check entry requirements, and find scholarships at each university.

Q
Queen's University Belfast494 courses · 1 scholarshipBrowse Courses
U
University of Manchester1,041 courses · 6 scholarshipsBrowse Courses