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About University
The University of Galway (Irish: Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 2012, and was ranked among the top 1 percent of universities in the 2018 QS World University Rankings.
The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Galway" (UCG) (Irish: Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh), until 1997 and as "National University of Ireland, Galway" (NUI Galway) (Irish: Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh; OÉ Gaillimh), until 2022. In late April 2022, it was announced that NUI Galway would be renamed "Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway" in summer 2022, amid confusion over its proper title.
University of Galway is a member of the Coimbra Group, a network of 40 long-established European universities.
The university was established in 1845 as Queen's College, Galway, together with Queen's College, Cork, and Queen's College, Belfast. It opened for teaching on 30 October 1849 with 68 students. In 1850, it became part of the Queen's University of Ireland, and its degrees were conferred in the name of that university.
Located close to the city centre, the university campus stretches along the River Corrib. The oldest part of the university, the Quadrangle with its Aula Maxima, was designed by John Benjamin Keane in a Tudor Gothic architectural style and was constructed from local limestone; it is a replica of Christ Church, one of the colleges at the University of Oxford.