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The overall ranking is decided by students from this institution rating them in a 2026 Whatuni review. This forms the basis of the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs for short).
4.03.94.7473 Student reviews
Sort:Latest reviewsBristol offers many opportunities for those students who want to take them, the buildings are beautiful and the city is very eclectic and alive. Depending on your unit, contact hours can be limited and lecturers don't always achieve a cohesive classroom but that is also student dependant.
Great city to study in and brilliant staff, but it is a shame that the facilities are largely underfunded and are too small for the number of students at the university.
18-24 years
Good lectures and nice libraries and compact city campus, but bad strikes and sometimes disorganised
best: social worst: practical exams
Bristol is an amazing city, there are so many cool things to do whatever your interest. It's easy to walk around everywhere as well so it's very convenient to get to uni as it's all so close. The SU offers some really interesting and fun activities for students, allowing them to try out new societies and clubs as well as meet people at social events. They also offer specialised talks on a range of different issues which are very inspiring. They have many different libraries that are well equipped and some that stay open 24/7 for when you really need to study hard. The university professors and lectures are also on the whole very approachable and well learned. However I think the uni could improve by making sure they are treating their staff more fairly, giving them better job security, pensions and paying them more as I have been very affected by strikes during my degree. I have missed lots of seminars and lectures due to this but I am still having to pay the university, which doesn't seem to make sense.
I enjoy the amount of support that students receive from the SU. staff are always reassuring and accommodating and letting us know that if we need help all we have to do is reach out. the tech support is very good and they reply to emails reasonably quickly. I find the online library very helpful and allows me to find everything I need pretty quickly and efficiently.
The teaching stuff are clearly very passionate about their subjects. Most tutors/lecturers I have spoken to are more than happy to help you with anything you don't understand. What Bristol lacks is lack of career and pastoral support. Whilst there is a careers service, they very rarely have appointments available and they are only 15 minutes long. There's not many people who are there for you to give you advice (no personal tutors that you have a closer contact with)
The location, Bristol City, is an amazing place - bustling, vibrant and with so much to offer culturally. The University itself could do more to integrate student culture with local culture as the two feel very distinct and University as a result can feel relatively isolating and unsupportive. However, its Student Council is a brilliant organisation and well represents the diversity of students and their interests.
The SU doesn't organise/host as many events as other university SUs e.g. gigs. Good facilities and locations which makes student life good, but very expensive.
-Good social life -Hundreds of SU clubs and activities -Lots of study spaces, but often overcrowded -Student city - young, vibrant city -Halls of residence need updating/ renovating given the cost
Studying at this university has given me the privilege to cross paths with people from a wide range of backgrounds. The city is diverse and has a youthful feel; Bristol nurtures art and culture. The University of Bristol is a leading institution, providing incredible facilities and resources to its students.
Bristol is a great place to study. I've always found all my teachers to be passionate and ready to help with any further learning or inquiries. The pastoral care is exemplary, and in addition to the easily accessible health and counselling service, there is also a student-run helpline, and many different tiers of department staff to talk to. The study facilities on campus are lovely, and having such a nice environment to work really helps you stay motivated. The city itself is also great; there's so much variety within Bristol, and it definitely feels like a young-person-scene (i.e. it is filled with students and student-directed places). There's tons of independent shops, interesting restaurants, and second-hand clothing stores. There's easy access to green spaces and reasonably good public transport links throughout the city. However the big negative is the expense. On top of the extortionate rent and unusual early housing market, the areas where UOB students tend to live have little access to affordable supermarkets such as Lidl or Aldi, and mostly have to shop in locals and expresses, which massively increases the grocery bill. Going out is also limited, which is unfortunate because Bristol has a brilliant nightlife, but the drinks in some places are just too much to be going out several times a week. Bristol is dominated by students from wealthier backgrounds because of how expensive it is to live in the city, which does have an impact on the diversity of people you meet at the uni. The uni do have a good bursary system, but I think they could reach out more to students from less privileged backgrounds. For example, the uni seems to have a majority of UK students from Southern England, and the harassment and 'jokes' towards students with thick accents or from traditionally poorer areas can be incredibly ostracizing. This could be helped as well if the societies at the students union were a little better organised and if the students union were a little more involved in student life. They try, but they feel constantly a bit out of touch, and often offer events at short notice which makes it hard to plan and attend. Overall, I would recommend coming to Bristol. I love it here. The city is such a vibrant, beautiful place to live, and the university is generally very supportive and has some great, interesting research.
The University of Bristol is a great place to study Aerospace Engineering. Bristol is a key Aerospace hub and this means that the course is grounded and supplemented by the industry that surrounds it. The lab facilities at the University are great and the amount of student access is really beneficial. As it is a research-led university all the academics are passionate individuals and this comes across in the teaching. Even though there have been many improvements during my time at the university, the level and detail of feedback are not as high as students want, but it is something that is improving.
Bristol is a great city to live in as a student as there's always tonnes of events going on. It often takes a lot of pushing to get the uni to actually listen to students and implement changes. The uni has not helped vet students secure accommodation around the veterinary campus for the later years of my degree when we're expected to move closer to it. They really badly need to make an accommodation block out there but haven't.
Nice location, several free bus routes to get around the campus, many places to relax and study, a sensory room in place. Issues regarding facilities/wellbeing mostly get resolved in a few days. Qualified & engaged professors, great presentation of the academic material. Would like more support with the counselling services, more events not centred around alcohol and help with the part-time job opportunities (esp. for international and disabled students).
Good academically, bad culture of drinking.
STEM subjects at the University of Bristol come very well equipped with equipment needed to carry out various experiments, and all the lecturers are really supportive if you have any questions or problems with the content. Bristol also has plenty of opportunities and talks happening throughout the year for all sorts of interests and future plans. I always felt I had a place to turn to whenever I had an inquiry about anything educational, or I wanted experience in a certain area. One qualm would be how experimental some of the modules we take are; our year seem to constantly be testing new ways of teaching and weightings of coursework to exams which most of the time cannot be improved, but on some occasions will not work in favour of the students at all. The student health service as well is not the best run, and students struggling with mental health can often feel isolated and feel the need to search for external help.
Absolutely no functional wellbeing or disability support for serious mental health. Great course. Everyone's very rich and white so not much diversity.
I think the student support is very good, much better than I was used to in The Netherlands. Everytime I ask for help, there is someone who not only helps me very well but also very quick. The student union organises a lot - I think there is something nice for everyone and the facilities are very good. I live in a University accommodation that is catered and I was surprised by the food, room and location. Also the library (Will's memorial building) is absolutely stunning. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to study abroad at the University of Bristol.
4.2
The many libraries, the beautiful city, and the green space. Would be better if there was more social mobility for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, better forms of integration, and if the Wills Memorial Library was also open for 24 hours.
Replay should be available for all degrees and units. Support for neurodiverse students and anyone with learning disabilities should be mentioned in lectures.
A good way to socialise, is less hassle than private renting and is usually safer. Fairer prices would be preferred, and if there were common rooms and study centres in all halls.