Excellent night life, brilliant first year halls (particularly catered), nice students and a great city. Notts genuinely has everything you could want from a university and I would recommend it to anyone.
Overview
The University of Nottingham was founded in its original form in 1881 and has since gained a strong reputation among UK universities, as well as opened campuses in China and Malaysia.
It was one of the 17 universities that founded the Russell Group in 1994, meaning it’s committed to providing excellent research and teaching and has strong links with business and the public sector.
Situated in the East Midlands, Nottingham is a vibrant city with two universities and a large student population of around 60,000. For those who enjoy an evening out, you’ll find plenty of pubs, bars and nightclubs and a lively nightlife scene, including plenty of student nights. It’s also one of the cheaper major cities in the UK.
Museums, theatres, galleries, cinemas and music venues all contribute to a city with lots of cultural attractions and it was made a UNESCO City of Literature in 2015. There are excellent shopping areas and several professional sports clubs and grounds, including two football clubs, a rugby union club and Trent Bridge, one of cricket’s most famous grounds.
Courses and lecturers
4.0Course rating
4.1Course content rating
4.0Lecturers and Teaching quality rating
The University of Nottingham offers a wide range of undergraduate courses which span the arts and humanities, engineering, medicine and health sciences, the hard sciences, and the social sciences.
Most undergraduate courses are only available on a full-time basis, however, some can be studied part-time. For example, the school of biosciences offers some courses that can be studied in this more flexible way. This allows you to take longer to complete your degree and fit it around other parts of life if necessary.
Typically, full-time undergraduate degrees at Nottingham take three or four years to study, but a number of courses include placement years, foundation years, study abroad options or an integrated master’s year. This usually increases the length of the course to four or five years. Medical courses usually take five years to study and some courses, like architecture, take longer.
Most degrees include optional modules, as well as core modules, meaning you can study the degree topics you’re most interested in.
It's also possible to combine two or three subjects within an undergraduate degree in what’s called a combined honours degree. For example, it’s fairly common to study a humanities course, like history, alongside a language, such as French or Spanish.
Entry requirements
A-levels are the most common qualification used to get onto undergraduate degree courses at the University of Nottingham, of which three are usually needed. However, a number of other qualifications are accepted too, like BTEC Nationals, Scottish Advanced Highers, the Welsh Baccalaureate and the International Baccalaureate.
Each degree programme has specific academic criteria that need to be met but the uni also takes into account other areas, like your personal statement, references, interest in the subject and evidence of additional achievements.
You can find each course’s exact entry requirements on the uni’s online course search function. We’ve also given you an idea of the range of grades needed to study certain subject areas here.
For example, to study a course in accounting, business or finance, you’ll probably be asked for A-level grades ranging from AAA–AAB (or equivalent qualification). To be accepted onto a degree course in the humanities, you’ll likely need A-levels ranging from AAB–BCC (or equivalent qualification) and to study a hard sciences course, you’ll need A*AA–ABB (or equivalent qualification).
It should be noted that entry requirements can change so you should always confirm these with the university before applying.
Accommodation & facilities
3.9Halls rating
4.3Facilities rating
There are several university accommodation options available, all of which are located within easy travelling distance of the university’s campuses. There’s a hopper bus service that connects the two main campuses, University Park Campus and Jubilee Campus.
There’s a range of accommodation types available. If you want most of your meals provided for you, you’ll want to be in one of the residences on either University Park or Jubilee, as these are all catered accommodations. Self-catered residences are found in the uni accommodations near the campuses.
You’ll also be able to choose whether you want an en suite room or a shared bathroom residence, as well as be able to decide on the size of your room. Rooms vary in size from single-occupancy to studio flats. If you’re not one for a noisy residence, you can select from the quieter living options, found in Lincoln, Cripps and Albion halls.
Halls’ prices range from around £90 to £190 per week.
The University of Nottingham has a dedicated careers service that you can take advantage of as a student at Nottingham, as well as once you’ve graduated.
For instance, the specialist online learning resource, magpie, helps you develop important career skills, increasing your chances of success in your future working life. You’ll also be able to book careers appointments with careers professionals to talk about anything from job options, CV writing advice, interview technique and more. These are available as one-to-one bookable appointments, both in-person and online.
You can also connect with career mentors from a range of different sectors and professions, giving access to information and advice from someone who’s already established in their working life.
The careers service also holds events, such as careers fairs and employer presentations. These will give you the chance to meet businesses, develop your skills and find out about industry sectors and opportunities.
You’ll also be given access to potential graduate jobs and work experience, including part-time positions, internships, placements and volunteering opportunities.
Scholarships and funding
The University of Nottingham offers various additional funding opportunities, in the form of scholarships and bursaries. The purpose of these funds is to provide students who meet certain criteria with an extra source of income. Scholarships and bursaries don’t need to be paid back.
Some university bursaries are guaranteed, meaning if you meet the eligibility criteria, you’ll definitely get the funding. These awards include the core bursary, which offers £1,000 for each year of study for students who have an annual household income of less than £35,000.
Other funding isn’t guaranteed and is more competitive. For example, the Witty Entrepreneurial Scholarship, gives an annual £500 cost of living allowance per academic year, up to £1,500, toward an internship or business start-up costs, and extra-curricular costs of up to £300 a year. To be eligible for this scholarship, you’ll need to fulfil various criteria, including coming from an annual household income of less than £35,000.
More information about the available funding and its eligibility criteria can be found online on the University of Nottingham’s funding pages.
As well as a wide range of courses, studying at University of Nottingham offers you loads of opportunities to boost your CV thanks to the careers department. You might even have the chance to do a work placement or sandwich year during your degree.
As well as providing you with opportunities to develop academically and professionally, you'll have a wide range of clubs and societies to join. You'll be able to pick up a new hobby and make loads of new friends by joining some of the clubs and societies on offer at University of Nottingham.
What can you do with a degree from University of Nottingham?
The world is your oyster! Of course, the exact options open to you will depend on which subject you choose to study. Employers often look to hire graduates, so you can be sure that your degree will give you a wider range of employment opportunities.
No matter what degree you choose, however, you'll have option of going on to further study. If you want to keep studying, your undergraduate degree will enable you to go on to a master's degree or even a PhD.
What accommodation does University of Nottingham offer?
If you opt to live in uni halls, you'll benefit from free WiFi and all-inclusive rent. Rent for uni halls also includes security and maintenance, so you can be sure you'll be well-looked after. There are several accessible rooms available, which are adapted for disabled students.
Halls also have communal areas such as kitchen facilities where you can meet your flatmates over a cup of tea. You'll also have access to dining facilities where you can share a meal with other students in your accommodation.