Birmingham City University has a history dating back to 1843 and achieved university status in 1992. Situated in the heart of the West Midlands, Birmingham City University offers the chance to live and study in one of England's biggest cities, an incredibly diverse and bustling area. Birmingham is ideal for students; with four unis based in the city, it's home to around 90,000 students from across the world.
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4.03.64.1We think you'll like these!
4.2The uni has two main campuses – City Centre Campus and City South Campus. Its School of Art is separate from these, in a gothic-style historic building with a warren of workshops, studios, and teaching space. In contrast, the School of Jewellery is in a modern building right in the centre of Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter.
Birmingham City University invests to ensure its facilities are up to date. This keeps BCU's courses industry-relevant and means you'll be able to experience hands-on, innovative learning. Among its top-notch facilities are TV and radio studios, mock law courts, simulated healthcare clinics, and a replica city trading room.
To help you settle into uni life, the Students' Union has nearly 100 societies to choose from. This means you can find like-minded friends, as well as enjoy events throughout the year.
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3.6Most of the university accommodation at Birmingham City University is managed by accommodation partners rather than the university itself. Rooms are generally en-suite, and many of the student halls have three-quarter-size double beds.
On average, you can expect to be living in a flat of up to six rooms in BCU accommodation, though this varies slightly between the different halls. All halls are self-catered.
Facilities vary across different providers. Some halls offer common rooms, parking and an on-site gym. All student halls have laundry facilities. This allows you to choose halls with the facilities you prefer at the price that's best for you.
At Birmingham City University, student halls are located throughout the city, as well as on campus. As the halls aren't all located on campus, it means you can experience city living from your first year.
Prices in halls range from £150 to £209 per week, with contracts of 40, 41, 43, 44 and 45 weeks to suit undergraduates. It covers all utility costs and bills.
Social media pages are set up for students to meet prior to arrival. An events programme also helps students to make new friends.
The best way to get a feel for a university is to go to an open day or check out Birmingham on Whatuni's City Guides.
Birmingham City University offers bursaries and scholarships which you won't have to pay back, unlike the tuition fee loan and the maintenance loan offered by student finance services.
BCU offers scholarships to reward good grades, and to support students who may face financial barriers to attending uni.
BCU's High Achievers' Scholarship offers a £1,000 scholarship if you apply to to the uni by 30 June and go on to achieve 144 UCAS points or more from your main three qualifications. You'll also need to have five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above to qualify.
The Accelerate Scholarship supports students from lower-income households. You'll need to apply by the end of June and enrol with Birmingham City University via the Accelerate programme. Worth £1,000, the scholarship is paid in three instalments in your first year to support you as you make the move from school or college.
Music and sports scholarships are also offered to help talented students with the associated costs.
You can find information and eligibility criteria for all available scholarships and bursaries online, using the uni's undergraduate funding database.
Birmingham City University offers hundreds of courses to choose from, so you're sure to find one that's perfect for you. Departments range from Art & Design to Engineering to Social Sciences to Sport, offering you a huge range of choice. In the Complete University Guide league tables, Birmingham City University excels in Information Technology and Systems. It also performs well in Land and Property Management subjects (such as Real Estate degrees).
Many subjects provide different choices, such as sandwich years and integrated master's courses. These options allow you to transition easily from undergraduate to postgraduate study. A ‘sandwich year' is a professional placement year that allows you to apply your learning in a working environment.
Birmingham City University also has study abroad programmes, where you spend time studying at an institution in a different country. The university has partners worldwide, though where you can go to study may depend on your course.
Part-time study is available at Birmingham City University, which may suit you if you're working, or are a parent or a carer with other demands on your time.
Many courses also offer a foundation year. These have lower entry grades and allow you to gain study skills and grow in confidence as you start to explore your subject area.
Birmingham City University blends innovative teaching with strong partnerships. These connections include some of the best employers in the country. This means that your learning will build on what you learn in your degree studies, helping you to apply it in real-life scenarios. There's plenty of support to help you develop your academic study skills, including tips on exam techniques and help with literacy and numeracy.
Birmingham City University teaches in semesters. Undergraduate courses normally run over two semesters, starting in September.
Fees for UK-resident undergraduates (Home students) are currently £9,535. If you're an international student, course fees can be found in our course listings.
The city itself offers a wide variety of entertainment, food and drink. It's well-known for its culture, and this shows through in its variety of eateries, art galleries and museums. It also has a strong nightlife, offering you a wide choice of bars and clubs to dance the night away.
Birmingham is well placed for travel across the UK and is a major national and international hub. Birmingham Airport has direct flights to hundreds of destinations worldwide, and Birmingham New Street station makes rail travel within the UK easy.
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3.9Birmingham City University has a careers service to help students and graduates build their CVs and succeed in interviews. It offers careers events as well as mentoring, guidance with career planning, and appointments with advisers. After you graduate, you can continue to access the service for up to three years to help you with your first steps into your career.
Many of the degrees offered by Birmingham City University are vocational, leading to a specific profession. For these, BCU degrees will give you the skills and knowledge that you need to enter careers such as nursing, education, or to become an architect. Other degrees are more open, and the careers service can help you decide which career path will suit you best.
You'll have opportunities to meet employers at careers fairs on campus, and through employer talks on campus or online. You can learn directly from them about opportunities and get advice on applications. BCU also offers placements with employers. These include micro-placements with up to four weeks' paid employment working on real business tasks, challenges or projects.
Volunteering opportunities are another way in which you can develop your employability skills. These are widely available, advertised on an online platform in partnership with the Students' Union.
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