University of Bristol

Overview

The University of Bristol has been around in some form since 1876. It originally existed as the University College Bristol before becoming the establishment we know it as today. Nowadays it is seen as one of the UK’s top universities and regularly rankly highly in university league tables.

The city of Bristol is situated in the South West of England and is the largest in the surrounding area. It’s known for its friendly atmosphere, quirky culture and independent nature. The main university campus sits in the heart of the city, making it a key part of its make-up.

It’s known to have a vibrant nightlife with plenty of pubs, music venues and nightclubs, as well as independent cinemas, theatres and comedy venues.

An active Students’ Union means there are over 350 societies and 70 sports clubs to join, as well as various on-site facilities, including a pool and theatres.

Bristol is an easy city to get around on foot and by bike or bus and no journey within the city will be too taxing. There is an international airport and two well-connected train stations, meaning there is great access to and from Bristol. You can get to London in around two hours for example. It’s also easy to get to Cardiff and to explore the English and Welsh coastlines, especially if you have access to a car.

The University of Bristol offers a wide range of undergraduate courses, making up both single and joint honours degrees, allowing you to tailor your studies to your interests. Single honours degrees give the chance to specialise in one subject, while joint honours programmes combine two or three subjects.

The length of your degree depends on what you choose to study.

Many of Bristol’s courses include a year in industry, usually in third year, and some courses can involve a year spent abroad, either studying or working. In these instances, your degree length will be increased.

Some degrees include optional modules, as well as core modules, meaning you can study the degree topics you’re most interested in.

Bristol accepts many UK qualifications, such as A-levels, BTECs, Cambridge Technicals and the International Baccalaureate, as well as international equivalents. The most common qualifications are A-levels and in general, Bristol’s standard requirement for undergraduate courses is three of them. If you’re applying with different qualifications, you’ll need the equivalent of three A-levels.

Many courses will ask that you’ve studied specific subjects. These can be found online in the university’s course details pages.

General studies, global perspectives and critical thinking are subjects that are not accepted as A-levels and therefore can’t be put towards an offer.

It should be noted that requirements can change so you should always confirm these with the university before applying.

You’ll find a range of accommodation options at the University of Bristol that cater to different budgets and requirements. A number of the residences are situated in the heart of the city, giving great access to the university and everything Bristol has to offer.

All residences have a dedicated facilities team, and the university has its own security services and police officer. Rooms vary in size and facilities. You can choose from basic, standard and standard plus room categories and will have the choice between single-occupancy, en-suite, twin-occupancy and studios.

Most of Bristol’s halls of residence are self-catered, meaning you’ll have access to kitchen facilities and will prepare all of your own meals. It should be noted that you’ll have to bring your own pots, pans, crockery and cutlery in the self-catered options. If you don’t want to cook for yourself, there are also catered accommodation options, providing two meals a day – breakfast and dinner during the week and breakfast and lunch at weekends.

If you don’t want to stay in halls, the university will give you in-depth advice on how to go about renting private accommodation.

The University of Bristol has a Careers Service that supports its students and graduates in a number of ways. For example, it has several resources to help you explore different career options based on your degree. A specialised course is available to help you better understand yourself and what career is best for you.

There are plenty of resources to teach you about networking, the Bristol Connects service even allows you to connect with previous students to help find a mentor who’s been through it all already.

The Careers Service can also help you look for internships, part-time work and work experience while you’re studying at Bristol. This can give you valuable experience and help you find employment once you’ve graduated. The SME Internship Scheme allows you to find paid internships and the City Challenges programme sets students up to help work on real-life challenges in the local community.

As a student at Bristol, you’ll also be able to get plenty of support writing CVs, cover letters and job applications, as well as preparing for interviews and assessment days.

There are plenty of scholarships and bursaries available for students who meet the required criteria at Bristol, to contribute towards the payment of student fees and living costs. Scholarships and bursaries are given on top of student loans and provided directly by the university. They don’t need to be paid back.

Scholarships and bursaries can be awarded to students who excel in various areas, like academia, sports, music and drama. They are also given out based on personal circumstances, such as household income, background and geographical location.

The University of Bristol Bursary is paid to thousands of students every year, with awards for every year of the course. Eligibility for this funding includes being a Home (UK) undergraduate student, who is eligible for and has applied for a means-tested government maintenance loan, and has a household income below the given threshold.

All scholarships and bursaries have their own eligibility criteria that must be met to receive them. You can find out more about the funding opportunities, and their eligibility criteria, on Bristol’s online funding pages.