Dates & Travel

Fall 2025

Please refer to the following guidelines when booking your flights:

Booking Your Flights to Northern Ireland          

• Arrive in Belfast: Thursday, August 28, 2025

• Depart Belfast: Saturday, December 6, 2025

Your program dates are August 28 - December 6, so arrive on Thursday, August 28 (or you can arrive before and arrange your own accommodation. See below visa guidelines), and depart on Saturday, December 6 (unless you are staying later to travel.)

Your flight MUST be scheduled to arrive in Belfast, Northern Ireland, no later than 11am on Thursday, August 28. This means you will leave the United States on Wednesday, August 27.

To activate your UK Tier 4 student visa, you must fly into the United Kingdom. You may NOT fly into a city in the Republic of Ireland (such as Dublin) and continue on to Belfast by train or bus. There is no passport control enforced between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (of which Northern Ireland is a part) due to an agreement between the two countries. This means that if you were to arrive into Belfast from Dublin, your visa would not be activated by UK immigration.

Belfast has two airports: Belfast City Airport (BHD) and Belfast International Airport (BFS). You must fly into Belfast City Airport (BHD). Nigel Glenny, the Northern Ireland program director, will meet you at Belfast City Airport (BHD) on August 28 and transport you to Ulster University’s Magee campus in Derry-Londonderry.

Derry-Londonderry is more than a 2-hour drive from Belfast, because of this Nigel can only make one round-trip drive on arrival day. If you arrive earlier, or at another destination, it will be your responsibility to get to Belfast City Airport (BHD) by 1:00pm on August 28 to be picked up by Nigel. Once you book your flights, we will figure out the details. Nigel will organize transportation for you to get to the airport on the morning of December 6 for your departure.

Please purchase a ticket back to the United States (or to a country outside the UK) prior to your program/arrival in Northern Ireland that proves you will be leaving the UK before your visa expires.

Traveling Before or After the Northern Ireland Program 

Travel Before:

1. The terms of your UK Tier 4 student visa will allow you to arrive in the UK 7 days before your program’s start date and remain in the UK 7 days after the program’s end date.

2. Because your program starts on August 28, you can arrive in the UK no earlier than August 21.

Travel After:

1. Because your program ends on December 6, you must leave the UK before your visa expires on December 13. Please note that December 13 is our best estimate of your visa expiration date. Your actual visa expiration date could be 2 days earlier or 2 days later, so please make your travel plans accordingly.

2. You are free to travel within the UK (Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales) for up to 7 days before officially exiting (either for return to the US or onward travel to a country outside the UK) via a UK airport.

3. You cannot fly from the Irish Republic e.g. Dublin (either for return to the US or onward travel to a country outside the UK) without first officially exiting the UK (by flying out of Northern Ireland).  As noted above, because there is no passport control enforced between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (of which Northern Ireland is a part) you do not officially exit the UK (your visa is not deactivated) when crossing the land border e.g. traveling by bus from Derry-Londonderry to Dublin.

4. You are free to travel outside the UK (subject to the country’s travel restrictions) and spend time that extends beyond your Tier 4 visa expiration date, as long as you officially leave the United Kingdom before your visa expires (via exit from the UK airport). 

Once you have left the UK and travel elsewhere (outside the UK), you would be able to re-enter the UK as a tourist after your Tier 4 visa expires if you would like. Entering as a tourist does not require a visa. At the time you re-enter, you should state that you are in the UK on holiday as a tourist. You should have your itinerary for your flight back to the United States with you at this time. The UK Border Agency will most likely ask to see it at passport control.

5. The key thing to remember when you are planning your travels is that you CANNOT be in the United Kingdom when your visa ends!

Remember to complete the Flight Information questionnaire in your Global Gateway account as soon as you have booked your flights. We need that information in order to schedule pick-ups at the airport in Derry.

Spring 2026

Please refer to the following guidelines when booking your flights:

Booking Your Flights to Northern Ireland          

• Arrive in Belfast: Thursday, January 29, 2026 

• Depart Belfast: Saturday, May 9, 2026

Your program dates are January 29-May 9, so arrive on Friday, January 29 and depart on Saturday, May 9 (unless you are staying later to travel around Europe).

Your flight MUST be scheduled to arrive in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by 11:00am on Friday, January 29. This means you will leave the United States on Thursday, January 28.

To activate your UK Tier 4 student visa, you must fly into the United Kingdom. You may NOT fly into a city in the Republic of Ireland (such as Dublin) and continue on to Belfast by train or bus. There is no passport control enforced between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (of which Northern Ireland is a part) due to an agreement between the two countries. This means that if you were to arrive into Belfast from Dublin, your visa would not be activated by UK immigration.

Belfast has two airports: Belfast City Airport (BHD) and Belfast International Airport (BFS). You must fly into Belfast City Airport (BHD). Nigel Glenny, the Northern Ireland program director, will meet you at Belfast City Airport (BHD) on January 29 and transport you to Ulster University’s Magee campus in Derry-Londonderry.

Derry-Londonderry is more than a 2-hour drive from Belfast, because of this Nigel can only make one round-trip drive on arrival day. If you arrive earlier, or at another destination, it will be your responsibility to get to Belfast City Airport (BHD) by 1:00pm on January 29 to be picked up by Nigel. Once you book your flights, we will figure out the details. Nigel will organize transportation for you to get to the airport on the morning of May 9 for your departure.

Please purchase a ticket back to the United States (or to a country outside the UK) prior to your program/arrival in Northern Ireland that proves you will be leaving the UK before your visa expires.  If possible, it is advisable to purchase a return flight that is after 11am due to limited public transportation to the airport earlier than that. 

• If you book a very early flight (like 6 am where you'd need to be to the airport by 4am, you will need to book accomodation for yourself overnight in Belfast at a hotel (not an Airbnb) from where you can book at taxi to the airport to get there by 4am.

• You cannot stay overnight in Belfast City airport – airport closes overnight and opens at 4am.

Traveling Before or After the Northern Ireland Program 

Travel Before:

1. The terms of your UK Tier 4 student visa will allow you to arrive in the UK 7 days before your program’s start date and remain in the UK 7 days after the program’s end date.

2. Because your program starts on January 29, you can arrive in the UK no earlier than January 22.

Travel After:

1. Because your program ends on May 9, you must leave the UK before your visa expires on May 16. Please note that May 16 is our best estimate of your visa expiration date. Your actual visa expiration date could be 2 days earlier or 2 days later, so please make your travel plans accordingly.

2. You are free to travel within the UK (Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales) for up to 7 days before officially exiting (either for return to the US or onward travel to a country outside the UK) via a UK airport.

3. You cannot fly from the Irish Republic e.g. Dublin (either for return to the US or onward travel to a country outside the UK) without first officially exiting the UK (by flying out of Northern Ireland).  As noted above, because there is no passport control enforced between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (of which Northern Ireland is a part) you do not officially exit the UK (your visa is not deactivated) when crossing the land border e.g. traveling by bus from Derry-Londonderry to Dublin.

4. You are free to travel outside the UK (subject to the country’s travel restrictions) and spend time that extends beyond your Tier 4/student visa expiration date, as long as you officially leave the United Kingdom before your visa expires (via exit from the UK airport). 

Once you have left the UK and travel elsewhere (outside the UK), you would be able to re-enter the UK as a tourist after your Tier 4/student visa expires if you would like. Entering as a tourist does not require a visa. At the time you re-enter, you should state that you are in the UK on holiday as a tourist. You should have your itinerary for your flight back to the United States with you at this time. The UK Border Agency will most likely ask to see it at passport control.

5. The key thing to remember when you are planning your travels is that you CANNOT be in the United Kingdom when your visa ends!

Remember to complete the Flight Information questionnaire in your Global Gateway account as soon as you have booked your flights. We need that information in order to schedule pick-ups at the airport in Derry.

Due to the large number of excursions and the overall intensity of the academic program, we recommend that family and friends plan to visit only during fall/spring break, before the program begins, or after the program ends. 

Break Dates:

• Spring 2026: Spring break starts on Satruday, 4 April. You need to return and be back in Derry by the evening of Sunday, 12 April.

• Fall 2025: Fall break starts on 25 October. You need to be back in Derry by evening of 2 November.

Please note the end date of your visa, since you will have to leave the approximately seven days U.K. after that date.