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Located in the West of Ireland, Galway is the fourth largest city in the country after Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Its population is about 80,000 inhabitants. It is very well connected to the rest of Ireland thanks to train and bus systems. Galway is easily accessible from all other destinations in the country. With its “postcard” landscapes and its people filled with happiness, Galway is often considered as the cultural capital of Ireland. In addition, the city is often quoted as the most charming in Ireland and one of the most welcoming in the world by well-known publications such as the New York Times or Travel + Leisure magazine.
Galway has several institutions of higher education; the two main ones being the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
With more than 18,000 registered students – including more than 3,000 foreign students – NUIG is one of the leading academic institutions in Ireland. It has an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally. This year, NUIG has entered the prestigious ranking of the 250 best universities worldwide. This is equivalent to the top 1% of universities. The university has also received the Excellent International Student Satisfaction Award 2015 (Ireland being ranked 1st country in Europe in terms of international student satisfaction)
GMIT is the second college in Galway; it has 9,000 students. Although smaller than NUIG and less known internationally, GMIT has a very good reputation. Lecturers and courses are of very good quality and the institute welcomes many foreign students.
It should be noted that there are other higher education institutions in Galway. We can mention, for example, the Galway Business School and the Galway Technical Institute (GTI).
Websites:
https://www.galwaybusinessschool.ie/
As mentioned above, Galway is a city in which it is very pleasant to live. A quarter of the inhabitants are students; which makes it a city always active and lively. Despite its City status, Galway is not very big so it is quick enough to go around. The advantage is that everything is available in one place. The size of the city coupled with the large numbers of things to do and visit makes it a very pleasant and accessible area.
With two shopping centres, a large shopping street, several supermarkets and many other shops of all kinds, Galway is well furnished with shopping. A significant part of the city’s economy is based on tourism; so it is very easy to find a place to eat. The choice of restaurants, cafes and fast-foods of all types is large wherever you are. As students represent a great proportion of Galway residents, a large number of retailers adapt to them and offer deals accordingly.
As mentioned before, it is very easy to get around Galway and everything is easily accessible. It is therefore possible to live anywhere in the city and being able to go to class fairly quickly. However, some neighbourhoods are still preferred by students. The Newcastle area (including – amongst others – Corrib Park, Hazel Park and Moyola Park) is popular with NUIG students. This is because it is a few-minute walk from the university and rents are cheaper than in city centre. For these same reasons, GMIT students often seek accommodation in Glasan, Renmore or Merlin estates.
Although further from those colleges, Salthill district is popular with Galway residents. If you do not want to live there, we recommend you at least to walk around there on a sunny afternoon. Its seaside landscape and peaceful side will seduce you for sure.
To help you in your search for accommodation, please read our article about this topic:
Student accommodations in Ireland: a guide to house hunting
It is also recommended to join the following Facebook group :
Galway – Rent, Let, House Hunting (For sound people)
Galway is considered by many Irish as THE city where to go out in Ireland. It has nothing to envy to bigger cities like Dublin or Cork. Galway is often described as the cultural capital of Ireland, partly because of its nightlife.
Galway is a city with a lot of activities and it is possible to go out 7 days a week. It has a lot of pubs and nightclubs but the city centre is still the best place to spend a night out. It is very easy to find what you like around Shop Street and Eyre Square (the central square of the city): many pubs all enjoyable, with local musicians offering Live Music.
Many pubs remain open late, so it is possible to spend your night there. For clubbers, Galway has several nightclubs all within walking distance of each other. They are affordable and the atmosphere is very good.
Fast-food restaurants in Ireland are actual insitutions that open late at night in order to welcome people leaving pubs and nightclubs. The best example is, without any doubt, the big Supermac’s (Irish fast-food chain) located in Eyre Square. The atmosphere is even better than in nightclubs and it is often considered as a very good choice of after-party (alcohol consumption is of course prohibited inside the restaurant…).
The perfect mix of high quality education, great way of life and incredible nightlife makes Galway the favourite city of students in Ireland. Thus, we highly recommend this place if you want to study in this country.
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