Our collection of real, honest student reviews of unis and courses is the largest in the UK, and help you make well-informed decisions about your future. Student reviews also form the basis of our annual Whatuni Student Choice Awards(WUSCAs), which highlight great work carried out by institutions for their students.
2023 WUSCA winners
Friendly, small so very one on one type of learning Could be improved with better business lecturers
Good range of hands on learning and class room learning. Allows knowledge to be applied
Good niche courses but not much going on in the town. Hit and miss with lecturers but good plans for new facilities.
Not very practical in a subject that is very practical heavy
Good size rooms and location, no common room though
The lecturers are all really knowdgeable and come with lots of industry experience. A lot of my course is spent out in the field, putting to practice what we have learned, as well as networking with different companies. The campus is the perfect place to study wildlife conservation because it is heaving with wildlife and green space. Because of the size of the university, everyone is super friendly and there are loads of social activities to take part in. The staff, especially the library staff are some of the nicest I've met . They always manage to get hold of the papers I need! Overall I love it and it has met my every expectations :)
My lecturers are just the best! They allow us to have different discussions, no matter if they're difficult or not. It is a nice mix of in-class work and field trips/practical days. The lecturers are knowledge and able to answer any questions that arise. They are always easy to contact if there are any problems and encourage us to explore out interests in the conservation area. I have felt encouraged throughout my degree to do the best I can.
Cirencester is a beautiful town, but rent is sometimes expensive when you don't want to live in a student house, especially as a mature student.
For me as an international student, it is a good experience to do the Master's programme at the RAU. Through the campus life, you quickly make connections, which is also promoted by many events organised by the Student Union. The quality of the lectures varies greatly depending on the lecturer, but they are usually very informative and prepare you well for the exams.
In principle, it is also possible to participate in many lectures online.
One of the cheaper accommodations on campus, which is also evident in the inventory and furnishings.
It is true what they say. RAU is a family environment. It is a home away from home. But like with all families you have the louder more bold family members and sometimes they can be a bit much. However the university is great for making people feel comfortable and welcome, and know how to get people to behave.
The course is super enjoyable and interesting. As a dyslexic student university was quiet daunting but the uni is great at making sure everything is accessible and easy to understand.
It is like living in an agricultural Hogwarts
We only have 8 hours of teaching a week and the other time we’re supposed to be doing our own work in our own time their are no workshops to help students with work which some need.
Only 8 hours of in person teaching a week. I personally really struggle with this
No ensuit but I chose this but the rooms are outdated like the rest of the halls
Beautiful place Friendly like minded people Great social Lovely pubs Plenty of student support for dyslexia and mental health
Knowledgable lecturers who are passionate about their subjects Reduces contact time and left to work more on your own over the 3 years
Marking of assignments not consistent. Social life is fab!
Would like more farm visits
Was great accommodation
RAU is a great place to study agribusiness and it provides the opportunity to meet with the business people in the agribusiness industries in the UK. Additionally, all the staffs are very supportive and I have started to feel here as my second home. In RAU, the student support team is excellent and they never leave me alone when I faced any problems and I shared with them. However, it would be excellent if RAU can organise different trips in different tourist attractions places as most of the international students don't have car. Additionally, RAU can also introduce an English language support department where the information students can make an appointment with someone who will help in academic writing. It will help the international students to prepare their assignments properly and learn academic English as well.
The best thing in my course is, my tutors are very helpful and RAU gives us opportunity to meet our tutors when we need them and without any appointments.
The RAU is the perfect place for toffs. However, if you don't partake in that lifestyle there's not much else going for it. Student life is good if you like heavy drinking and sports, however the presence of other societies is lacking. There are more are being formed this year, so that is an improvement. The uni has had several incidents that did not go to the press, so nothing was done about them. These include: swastika graffiti, racism, ablism, homophobia (general and attacks), classism, and animal cruelty, to name a few. I believe that if the story of the fox strapped to the roof of a car was not on the news, the uni wouldn't have batted an eyelid. Being in this kind of environment makes me feel unwelcome, unsafe, and very ashamed to have attended such a place.
I was attracted to my course because it was sold as a practical course. In 3 years, we have done a handful of field walks to see the same 3 crop varieties. No visits to other farms in the area. Obviously during covid this was not possible, but we were promised that we would have visits to make up for it. I'm still waiting and there's 2 months of my course left. Some of my lectures are incredible. They inspire me to learn and make lectures as interesting as possible in the little time we have in the week. Other lectures are not so great. They are good people and have a lot of experience, but they aren't good lectures. As far as course content, I was told there would be a lot more focus on innovative new farming methods and sustainability. There has not been as much of this as i had wished, and you can kiss goodbye assuming they'll teach anything about organic or permaculture in undergrad. The RAU does not own any farmland, which is kind of an issue when that's what they're all about
Cirencester is a cute little town, but that's it. It's in the centre of the cotswolds, but if you don't have a car you're really stuck. The nearest train station is Kemble, which you have to drive to. There's a national express coach stop but it only goes to London. Uni is about a 20 minute walk into the town centre and there's lots of charity shops and cafes.
The halls I stayed in for 2 years were self catered en suite. I really enjoyed living there, the view from the common room was amazing. Not all the rooms are the same size, but they are all the same price, some people have double what others get. There are mice on the top floor. They have been there for at least 3 years, and nothing had been done except for signs warning that there might be mice so don't leave food out. You can hear them scattering in the walls on the top floor. The whole building also has carpet moths, they've tried to get rid of them but as far as i know they're still there. Ruined so many of my clothes. Overall though I'd say they are a nice place to stay, definitely get self catered bc the cantine food is rank. There's also free parking and all the halls are on campus so that's good. The wifi sometimes is unreliable but overall decent enough. Some phone companies don't get service though. If there's something broken or there's a problem, maintenance usually come on the same day to fix it which is really good.