interstudy: National University of Ireland, Galway

  Ireland

Galway

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring 
Dates: Late August - Middle December / Early January - Late May

Description: Founded in 1845 as Queen's College Galway, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) has been a constituent institution of the National University of Ireland since 1908.

Previously known as University College Galway (UCG) until 1998, the University now has over 11,500 students taking undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the Faculties of Arts, Celtic Studies, Commerce, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Health Sciences and Science. In recent years the University has drawn a growing and increasingly diverse pool of students to Galway. Apart from Irish students, from every corner of the island, overseas students from over forty nations have come to play an increasingly active part in University life. These overseas students may be North Americans, such as those on the interstudy Program, spending a semester/year abroad, scholarship students from developing countries, or, increasingly, students from other parts of Europe who come to study full-time at Galway.

Galway, with a population of just over 70,000 is an ideal setting for a university. During the academic year, about fifteen percent of Galway's population is University students; the resulting inter-dependence of the city upon the University and of the University upon the city has helped to build a thriving town that caters to students as few other places can. Galway has been riding an economic boom for the past twenty years, with the tempo of social and cultural life continually quickening. The grand remnants of medieval Galway mix well with the city's new prosperity. Galway has been the largest and most important city in the west of Ireland for centuries. Its pedestrianized center makes it one of Ireland's most appealing cities; Ancient Galway's strong trade links with Iberia account for the city's uniquely Mediterranean ambience and outlook. It is a thriving cultural center with many of the West of Ireland's best bookshops; the internationally-praised Druid Theatre Company; and the Taibhdhearc, Ireland's only Irish-speaking theater, at the core. These, with Galway's forty-odd seasonal street parties and celebrations among them the Arts Festival, the Galway Races, the Busking Festival and the Oyster Festival along with the traditional music sessions held regularly in pubs and clubs, make Galway an irresistible social center. Culturally, Galway is a privileged place. It is at the heart of Gaelic Ireland; the Connemara area contains the largest remaining Gaeltacht, or Irish-speaking area, in Ireland today. Galway's bilingualism makes it an exceptionally rich setting for students who want to experience the full cultural charge of historic Ireland from a modern base, fully in tune with the information age. The rugged Aran Islands outside Galway Bay where J.M. Synge wrote his 'Playboy of the Western World' are a particular popular destination for language-learners and sightseers.

Highlights: There are several aspects of the interstudy National University of Ireland, Galway program that set it apart from other study abroad experiences. Among these are:

- Academic flexibility - interstudy's open academic policy allows students to take virtually any course in the undergraduate course catalog, without imposing interstudy course requirements.
- Beautiful green campus with a mix of historic and modern buildings, all within a short walk of the vibrant and charming Galway city center.
- Full academic integration - courses are taught by Irish professors, in classes filled with Irish students
- Convenient access to sites such as Kylemore Abbey, The Aran Islands, and The Cliffs of Moher
- Specific academic strengths in English, Environmental Science, Political Science, and Psychology

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: See interstudy's website

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American and Canadian Participants.

Participants Travel to Ireland Independently or in Groups

Scholarships are Available. interstudy awards scholarships each semester based on academic merit and/or financial need. Award amounts vary. Scholarship applications may be downloaded from the interstudy website, and must be submitted no later than May 1st for Fall Semester and November 1st for Spring Semester.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Year Founded: 1980