International Students at QUB set to treble by 2020

Currently 7% of Queen’s student population come from abroad. By 2020 Johnston pledges to increase this figure to 15-20%.

With his commanding salary, it is no surprise Johnston is aware of the economics of the move. ‘It would be very good for our economy’ he claimed. On average each international student brings in an extra £20,000.

Reaction to the scheme has been encouraging. There is a belief that the proposal reflects Belfast’s progression into the  global arena. Johnston specified links with projected big-hitters in the near future such as Brazil, China and continental Europe.

Current international students embraced the idea and said that at present Belfast is a great place to study.

Chelsea Goodwin, an English and Politics Student from the USA said, ‘I think it’s a good proposal for the university. I think Belfast is the best place to come. It’s easy to get around and everyone’s very welcoming.’

The positive depiction of Belfast was echoed by  Mathilde Saliant, a French student taking English and History.

She said “the history of the city is really interesting and the atmosphere is very welcoming and friendly. It’s really not the war-torn country that it’s made out to be”.

She did say  however  that while the proposal would be ‘a good thing for international students’ it may not be realistic, “the number of international students may drop because our scholarships are getting cut”.

But Valerie Galle, a Belgian Sociology student, suggests it’s Queen’s teaching practices that may entice more students from abroad.

She told us “the way of teaching and approaching theories is very different from overseas universities, which makes it interesting for foreign students to discover how they want to approach their subject. It is not too tourist based and a great environment to study.”

Music to the new Vice-Chancellor’s ears.