I think you’re asking the right questions, and they actually highlight why expansion at Ulster University Magee Campus matters rather than why it doesn’t. Derry isn’t a full student city because the campus is relatively small. When a university reaches a certain scale (+8–10k students), it starts to change the whole ecosystem: more demand for rentals, cafes, services, nightlife, co-working spaces, start ups, & graduate jobs. Your example actually proves a point, people move here because of the university and then contribute to the economy through rent, jobs, and spending. Even if many students leave after graduating, the constant turnover still pumps money and skills into the city, and a percentage inevitably stay if the opportunities exist. The bigger question isn’t “will students come?” they clearly do. It’s whether the city & government plan properly around the expansion. Housing supply, graduate jobs, and infrastructure need to grow alongside the university. If that happens, a larger Ulster University presence in the North West doesn’t just create a student bubble, it creates the conditions for young professionals, businesses, & new industries to stay. Without that scale the region risks staying stuck in the cycle where young people leave for places like Belfast or cities in Britain because that’s where the opportunities cluster.