A new video campaign by Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University aims to promote Northern Ireland as a top study destination to the US Higher Education market.
The campaign, Start your Own Journey – Study in Northern Ireland - is in partnership with the British Council, and features North American student ambassadors who are currently studying at one of the two institutions. It shows Northern Ireland as a young, vibrant and dynamic region of the UK, renowned for its stunning scenery, academic excellence and warmth and welcome.
Viewers will see some of Northern Ireland’s top attractions and landmarks, like Harland & Wolff cranes and Cave Hill in Belfast, the Mourne Mountains, the Peace Bridge and Guildhall in Derry-Londonderry and the Giant’s Causeway on the North Coast.
The US is an important market for both universities – with a report published earlier this year by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Universities UK International (UUKI) citing that international students contribute about £260m to the Northern Ireland economy, with international students from outside the EU contributing about £102,000 each to the UK economy for the duration of their study.
Speaking about the campaign, Anya O’Connor, Senior International Officer at Queen's University Belfast, said: “Queen’s University is delighted to be launching this campaign in partnership with Ulster University and the British Council. North America continues to be an important, strategic region for the university and, despite the challenges of the last 18 months, Queen’s welcomed its largest student intake from North America in September 2021.
“We will continue to grow our strong partnerships across the USA and Canada in the months to come and believe that this campaign will support that work by highlighting the fantastic student experience that Northern Ireland offers. Our students loved being part of this project and we look forward to seeing where they will go on their journey as ambassadors for both QUB and Northern Ireland.”
Also commenting, Jonathan Hill, Regional Manager for the Americas at Ulster University said: “Ulster University is excited to be partnering on this campaign with Queen’s University, Belfast and the British Council. We have witnessed a significant growth in recent years in the number of international students coming to Ulster. North America is a key region for us and this campaign will help support our own efforts in further developing our partnerships across the region. The Start Your Own Journey video truly captures everything that makes Northern Ireland a wonderful study destination and we look forward to welcoming more North American students to Northern Ireland and Ulster University.”
Jonathan Stewart, British Council Northern Ireland Director, said: “We’re delighted to work with both Ulster University and Queen’s University to create this stunning video, which highlights our great cities, spectacular scenery and the many reasons which make Northern Ireland a top choice for international students.
“We hope this campaign drives growth in the US market, as not only do international students make a vital contribution to the Northern Ireland economy, they also bring greater cultural diversity to our universities and colleges, enrich the experience for all students who study here, as well as our wider communities.”
The campaign is also supported by Study UK, a global campaign that promotes the UK as the first-choice study destination to international students and their influencers. It is led and delivered by the British Council in partnership with the UK government’s GREAT campaign.
As part of the campaign, an online event will be hosted on Tuesday, 14 December aimed at students and counsellors in the US who might be thinking about studying in Northern Ireland.
The videos produced for raising awareness of Northern Ireland in the US and Canada can be used by other partners and stakeholders and can be accessed via British Council Northern Ireland’s website: https://nireland.britishcouncil.org/start-your-own-journey-study-northern-ireland
This campaign continues British Council’s work, building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and overseas through arts, education and English language teaching. To find out more about their work in Northern Ireland visit nireland.britishcouncil.org or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.