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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).
4.04.14.11107 Student reviews
Sort:Latest reviewsThe University has been brilliant so far, there is always so much going on in every aspect of live. My course has be detailed and really well delivered. The campus is beautiful and always full of happy smiling faces, with support around every corner with someone available to help if needed. The best experience for me has been joining societies and getting so meet like minded people, allowing us to meet up weekly to see each other. I think Birmingham is a really great place to study, I feel I have not yet maximised it to its full ability utilising everything that is going on: carers support, wellbeing services, academic skills centre.
Birmingham is lively and friendly as a university with a diverse range of the types of people you meet and mix with. Being so close to the city (a short train and cheap return ticket) you can access the Bullring in under ten minutes. There is a wide variety of nightlife and societies with opportunities to start your own. Most lectures are in the modern facilities in-person, as opposed to online. It is a very large campus, with the walk from the Vale being about 25 minutes so you have to be capable of doing this every day, and 35 minutes from Selly Park if you live there in later years. It is, however, a very pretty walk!
I have had an extremely positive experience at the University of Birmingham and would highly recommend it. Coming from London, I was a little nervous about settling into a new city, but the university has been incredibly welcoming from the very start. The campus feels safe, well organised and supportive, which made the transition much easier and helped me feel at home quickly. The facilities are excellent and genuinely enhance student life. The 24/7 library is a huge advantage, especially during busy periods, and there are plenty of study spaces across campus to suit different ways of working. Everything feels well maintained and designed with students in mind. I study Psychology in Education and the teaching has been a real highlight. The lecturers are extremely knowledgeable, passionate about their subject, and very approachable. They are always willing to offer support, whether that is academic guidance or general advice, which creates a positive and encouraging learning environment. There is also a great variety of food options on and around campus, catering for different tastes and budgets. Overall, the University of Birmingham offers a brilliant balance of academic quality, strong support, and an enjoyable student experience.
18-24 years
UOB has an amazing campus with great facilities. It has loads of really good workspaces to do independent research and work, and has amazing sports facilities. Its campus is really its main selling point. However, the student accommodation in first year is really good too. The Vale was such a great place to live in first year. I amde so many friends and it was fairly affordable. The fact we all lived close together was great, and we now still live close to each other in Selly Oak. My course is fantastic. I feel like I am stretched enough in my degree but could maybe have some more contact hours, as it has dropped year on year. However, I make sure to utilise my office hours in order to maintain a high amount of contact with my professors. The standard of teaching is high though, and I recieve a good amount of feedback on my work which makes me feel like I am always improving. There are some aspects to the university which could be improved though. I think the price of some things is especially high considering we pay a student loan. For example, the cost of memberships to sports teams is really high, meaning many students cannot afford to play sports, or cannot afford to be a part of a team when I know many more would. There are also a lot of costs that come with joining the teams and memberships to different societies which makes it impossible to do as a student. For example, the price of booking a pitch is really high for students. Furthermore, the gym prices are too high for what you get. I have enjoyed the student life though. The Guild of Students is great and represents students really well. I also enjoy the events they put on for students.
The best aspects of my university experience involves socializing with my friends, the courses structure and delivery as well as the vast opportunities to study abroad!
The University of Birmingham is a great place to study as it is a representative university where there are students across the world studying different subjects and this makes me feel included. The sense of community is further strengthened with the myriads of societies that are in place, such as the Islamic Society and the sports society, which not only educates you, but inspires you to make change for the better. It enables you to connect with individuals who study the same course as you to implement the study buddy method and this helps you to revise and consolidate knowledge. It not only gives you confidence, but gives you moral support and can reassure you that you are not alone. Furthermore, the library and the teaching and learning building have the most useful resources that can ensure that you thrive during your time at the University. For example, with the use of Find it @ Bham, you are able to access numerous journal articles and books, which have strengthened my knowledge and helped me become intricate within applications and my studies. However, in order to study effectively, it is vital that students are given differing facilities that are specific towards their needs. For example, there are a lack of prayer rooms within each building. This can lead to a lot of time wasted for students to find a place to pray and this can also cause them to lose out on studying. To improve, if the university places a prayer room in each building or floor, then this can save time for students to worry about praying and they can pray in ease.
Being currently in my second year, the university provides a wide range of opportunities such as fresher events initially to get to know people including free pizza and open air cinemas, which allowed me to settle in faster. This combined with events such as board games night being held within my department, helped me find friends quicker. The uni also contains many study spaces around the campus, which means there are always new spaces to try and explore, from the library to the ctl, each are great places to study. But the best bit, is the uni life, from the night life and clubs a stones throw away to the opportunities through societies inclusive of sport, particularly in the lead up to BUCS, makes the uni life so much more enjoyable, creating everlasting memories. This combined with the lovely campus through all the greenery, is lovely to just walk through. There is a fair bit of walking of walking around uni, however this gives me good exercise and everything on campus is within 10mins of each other
There are lots of activities to get involved with on campus, including over 300 societies, club nights at the guild, crafting and wellbeing workshops, and more! There are also great sporting facilities, renovated for the common wealth games 2022. There are free counselling and drop in sessions on campus with really helpful counsellors, however this could be advertised a bit better. There is also lots of careers, financial, and emotional support with the guild. Birmingham is an amazing city with great nightlife, shopping, and activities in the city centre! Selly Oak has great connections to the centre, airport, and New Street train station. The campus is lovely and green, and in the summer, students will have picnics and relax on the green heart near Old Joe the lovely clock tower! It is a really recognisable and beautiful campus which is easy to navigate, however it could be made more accessible.
My course is very well taught and interesting, and the campus is nice. The societies are fun and varied and the night life is good. The campus could be a bit nicer as there are some weird statues (giant red pillows) that ruin it a bit but overall it’s a great university to study at.
Sport is great. Well-maintained facilities
So many study spots, has a linguistics lab and a common room in the linguistics department building which is great. Also has so many societies, including an English Language and Linguistics (and Digital Media and Communications) Society so there is a great community feel in the department.
Good career support
the campus being all in one and not spread out across the city makes it lovely and accessible!! I love the aesthetic on campus aswell with the lovely redbricks. However, the med school campus is much older and a bit rundown in some areas, i wish it were as modern and aesthetic as some buildings on main campus. Also the food options are a bit expensive, we are students after all lol
I love the campus but I think that the student support services could be improved
Campus is really nice - encourages you to get out of your house/flat to study. So many study places. I have felt very supported by the staff this past year and a half in the medical school. Selly Oak isn't the nicest area and can often feel unsafe but the student community and facilities in the area are still good and I still enjoy my time living in Selly oak.
I LOVE THE COURSE, its so interesting and learning this alongside the a campus like this is exhilarating. However, i do feel like student support could be better, as there are many issues with communications etc, and people could do with more simple reminders and advice personal from peers, coach etc
Amazing campus, loads of societies and events taking place, loads of opportunities to meet new people.
It is quite close to shopping areas and centres. It is also very convenient and lively.
Parking could be improved, but everything else is amazing!
4.3
I love the community and diversity here, even far from home, I feel like I can find food and people that I grew up with. I love the small town feel near the university and the convenience of also having easy transport to the city areas. The campus itself is gorgeous red-brick and I feel like the facilities are so nice, from modern seminar rooms to stunning vintage feel lecture theatres.
I do think the course hours are decent but the contact with lecturers is something that can be improved on, and I also feel that most of the time the content taught is just regurgitated from slides that are pretty easy to follow so it does bring into question what the lecturers are adding to it. I would however say that the seminars are very useful if one does do the work and ask the questions.
From what I have seen of the other halls, Jarratt Hall seems to be the most value for money especially considering the private bathroom and big common areas. It is also very conveniently placed in the bustling centre of Selly Oak and is a 5-minute walk from the university - which also contributes to its safety. The wifi can be improved on since it constantly asks us to sign-in again and again. The room allocation is the worst though, most people lie on their profiles that they are 'quiet' and 'early-risers' when they are the party types that will NOT let you sleep. So I would suggest to try and really. do your research on that front.