UCC and TCD placed on international list of ‘must-see’ universities

University College Cork has been named as one of three Irish universities worth visiting by international travel site FlipKey.

The site, which is part of global travel review site TripAdvisor, listed UCC alongside Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University in Belfast as the three Irish third-level institutions it said were “must-see attractions”.

They were named alongside others, such as the University of Oxford, University College London, the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and the University of Rostock in Germany.

According to FlipKey: “Outside of academic interests, these international schools feature jaw-dropping architecture, flawless grounds, and must-see attractions. Whether you are college-age and shopping around, or checking off boxes on your bucket list — consider stopping by our list of top international universities worth visiting on your next vacation.”

FlipKey is used predominantly by those living in the US and allows people to make accommodation bookings. It lists 300,000 properties in 179 countries.

The site launched in 2008 and in one month alone last year had 4m unique visits.

The list of 40 ‘must-see’ universities is based on industry research and traveller feedback, as well as the standard of architecture and the history of the various campuses.

The news came as a welcome surprise to UCC, said Tom McCarthy, media and public relations officer, ahead a new term and UCC’s Open Door Welcome event for students tomorrow, which starts at 10am.

“Such organic international recognition of what UCC has to offer is really appreciated,” said Mr McCarthy. “We have been working to improve UCC’s visibility on TripAdvisor, which owns FlipKey, over the last few years. We are now ranked eighth out of 82 attractions in Cork, for instance, with a 4.5 star rating out of 5. Many of the positive reviews, often from international visitors or students, stem from the work of the UCC Visitors’ Centre team, led by JP Quinn, as the central greeting and guidance point on campus.”