University College Cork
University College Cork (UCC) was founded as a college in 1845 under the original name of Queen’s College, Cork. It became University College, Cork under a charter issued after the Irish Universities Act, 1908 was passed. The university combines a rich tradition of teaching, research and scholarship across it’s four colleges – Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences: Business and Law; Science, Engineering and Food Science; and Medicine and Health. It’s degrees, conferred by the National University of Ireland, are internationally recognised.
UCC Main Campus
The site chosen for the university was particularly appropriate given its connection with the patron saint of Cork, St Finbarr, who it is said, set up his monastery and school on the banks of the river Lee, the southern tributary of which runs through the grounds of the university. UCC’s motto is ‘Where Finbarr Taught, Let Munster Learn.’ The campus grounds are generally regarded as one of the most, if not the most, beautiful in Ireland.
The River Lee Running Through UCC Main Campus
UCC today has a student population of over 18,500 pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate studies. At undergraduate level the University offers a large variety of degree programmes and there is a full range of postgraduate degrees (both taught and by research) at the level of Master and Doctor in all departments. UCC also attracts a great number of international students with more than 2,400 students from 98 countries currently registered. The greatest number of international students come from the USA, followed by China, France and Malaysia.
There are also 85 active societies and 50 different sports clubs in UCC. There are Academic, Charitable, Creative, Gaming/Role-playing, Political, Religious, and Social Societies and Clubs incorporate field sports, martial arts, watersports as well outdoor and indoor team and individual sports. The famous UCC Skull and Crossbones is the mascot for all UCC sports teams. 100 students received scholarships in 26 different sports in 2010.
UCC was chosen by The Irish Sunday Times as the Irish University of the year for 2003/04, and again for 2005/06. This Award was given for a number of reasons- the University’s position as the leading research institution in Ireland; it’s cosmopolitan character with an admirable student mix; the excellence of its teaching and academic standards; the flexibility of it’s degree programmes; it’s low drop-out rates; it’s high level of graduate employment; it’s links with business and industry and its successful Access and Bridging the Gap programmes. In 2008, it jumped 60 places to 226th in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings. In 2010 the QS World University Rankings ranked UCC 184th.
Every academic year, UCC students choose the 4 College Accommodation Cork complexes as their UCC Accommodation due to the proximity of our 4 locations to UCC’s Main Campus as can be seen from the map on our home page.