University in United Kingdom
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
University profile
The University of Birmingham is a public research university in Edgbaston, Birmingham, founded by Royal Charter in 1900 as England's first civic university, where students from all backgrounds were accepted on an equal basis. It describes itself as the original 'redbrick' university and is a member of the Russell Group. Its community numbers approximately 45,000 students, 10,000 staff and more than 400,000 alumni, and 10 Nobel laureates are counted among its staff and alumni.
The main Edgbaston campus covers 672 acres about 4km from Birmingham city centre and has its own railway station, University, seven minutes from the city centre. At its heart are Sir Aston Webb's redbrick buildings around Chancellor's Court and the 99m clock tower known as 'Old Joe'. Since 2018 the University has also taught in Dubai, moving in 2022 to a purpose-built campus in Dubai International Academic City for up to 3,000 students.
Teaching and research are organised in five colleges: Arts and Law; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Life and Environmental Sciences; Medicine and Health; and Social Sciences. Their schools include Birmingham Business School, Birmingham Law School, Birmingham Medical School, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing and Midwifery, Computer Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, Metallurgy and Materials, Biosciences, Psychology, Education, Government, Social Policy and Society, History and Cultures, and Philosophy, Theology and Religion. The Shakespeare Institute, the Institute of Local Government Studies, the Health Services Management Centre and the Doctoral School also sit within this structure.
Campus facilities include a Main Library holding over 2.1 million printed books and journals, a Sport and Fitness Centre with a 50m pool, the Collaborative Teaching Laboratory, the Teaching and Learning Building and the Molecular Sciences building. Cultural venues include the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, the Lapworth Museum of Geology, the Bramall Music Building with the Elgar Concert Hall, and Winterbourne House and Garden. The students' union is the Guild of Students. University accommodation offers around 7,500 rooms in three villages, The Vale, Pritchatts Park and Selly Oak, plus partner accommodation.
International students are supported by the Birmingham International Academy, accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK, which runs one-year and four-year foundation pathways and Presessional English. The University holds University of Sanctuary status (2023), a Silver Race Equality Charter award and a Bronze Athena Swan award, and is approved by the US Department of Education to offer Federal Direct Loans to eligible American students.
The tuition fee for UK undergraduates is £9,790 for 2026 entry and is expected to be £10,050 for 2027 entry, rising for later years if Parliament increases the maximum fee. Home students pay 15% of the fee for a year abroad and 20% for an industrial placement year; international students pay 50%. International undergraduate fees depend on the programme and are confirmed in the offer letter. They stay the same for the length of the course, except for the International Foundation Programme and clinical courses. Postgraduate fees vary by course and fee status and are shown on each course page. Fees can be paid in full or in instalments by Direct Debit.
UK students starting a first undergraduate degree in September 2025 or 2026 may receive up to £2,000 a year: £2,000 for household income of £25,000 or less and £1,000 for £25,001 to £35,000. The award is paid in two instalments. Chamberlain Award
The Enhanced Chamberlain Award contributes to University accommodation costs or is paid as a £3,000 cash bursary. The Care Leaver Scholarship pays £2,000 per year plus £500 on graduation, with at least two awarded each year.
Music scholarships provide about 17 hours of tuition a year for three years (equivalent to £3,000) for Grade 8 performers on non-Music degrees. Sports scholarships offer facility membership, strength and conditioning, sports science and medicine support. The Elite Dual Career Athlete Pathway is the highest tier.
More than £10 million in scholarships is available for international students. For 2026 entry, examples included:
Commonwealth Scholarships, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships and other external funding are also open to Birmingham students. US Federal Direct Loans and Canada Student Loans can be used at Birmingham. Scholarships of up to 30% are offered at the Dubai campus. International scholarships | Scholarships, grants and bursaries
Postgraduate High Fliers Scholarship →
Future Skills Scholarship for Indian Students →
Postgraduate Chancellor's Scholarships for Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya →
High Fliers Undergraduate Scholarships for Africa →
Browse the scholarships listed for University of Birmingham and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of Birmingham →All undergraduate applications go through UCAS (institution code B32). For September 2027 entry the deadline for most courses is 13 January 2027; for Medicine and Dentistry it is 15 October 2026. Some courses require an interview or audition, usually between November and April. Offer holders reply through UCAS Hub, choosing firm and insurance places.
Applicants need GCSE English and GCSE Mathematics (including IGCSEs) at grade 4 or above, and must normally be 17 by 1 October of the year of entry (18 for programmes with a mandatory clinical placement). Some medical, health and education programmes require a DBS check, Fitness to Practise declarations, immunisations and a health declaration. Accepted qualifications include three A levels (including International A levels), the IB Diploma, SQA Highers and Advanced Highers, the Cambridge Pre-U, the Irish Leaving Certificate Higher Level, the European Baccalaureate and the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales combined with two A levels. BTEC Extended Diplomas, T Levels and Access to HE are accepted on some programmes. Offers are not made in UCAS tariff points.
IB offers are based on three Higher Level grades with a minimum of 32 points overall: A*AA = 7,6,6; AAA = 6,6,6; AAB = 6,6,5; ABB = 6,5,5 (excluding Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences).
Applicants who have received Free School Meals in the last six years or spent time in local authority care can receive a contextual offer, typically one grade below the standard offer, if Birmingham is their firm choice. Graduates of Pathways to Birmingham programmes (Access to Birmingham, Routes to the Professions, Belong at Birmingham) receive an alternative offer typically two grades below the standard offer. One-grade reductions are available for a grade B in the EPQ (excluding Medicine and Dentistry), Core Maths on selected programmes, Grade 8 music performance and county-level sport.
The University accepts A levels and equivalent overseas qualifications, including the IB and recognised foundation programmes; country-specific grade equivalents are given on each course page and on country pages. The Birmingham International Academy offers one-year foundation pathways (Arts, Social Sciences, Business and Law; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Life and Environmental Sciences; Medicine and Health; Social Sciences, Business and Law) and four-year degrees with an integrated foundation year. Students who pass and meet the language requirements are guaranteed progression to a wide range of degrees. Applications are handled with Kaplan International Pathways.
Undergraduate courses fall into four groups, with test scores normally taken within two years of the start date:
TOEFL iBT, Cambridge English, LanguageCert, Trinity ISE II/III and Oxford ELLT are also accepted, as are IELTS One Skill Retakes. For one-year foundation pathways the minimum is IELTS (UKVI) 5.5 with 5.0 in each band, or 6.0 for Law, English Literature, Physiotherapy, Medicine and Pharmacy routes. Presessional English is an alternative to retaking a test for conditional offer holders.
Applications are made online through the University's admissions portal from each course page, with no application fee. For September 2027 entry the overseas application deadline for most courses is 2 July 2027, with deposits due by 30 July 2027 and conditions to be met by 30 August 2027; the home deadline is 27 August 2027. For January 2027 entry the overseas deadline is 30 October 2026. MA Social Work, MSc Physician Associate and Graduate Entry Medicine are applied for through UCAS, PGCE through DfE Apply and the Graduate Diploma in Law through the Law Central Applications Board. International applicants submit transcripts translated into English. English requirements are IELTS 6.0 (no band below 5.5) for science, 6.5 (no band below 6.0) for arts, business, engineering, law, medicine and social sciences, and 7.0 (no band below 6.5) for ClinPsyD, Education (research) and Management.
Applicants either apply for an advertised PhD, usually funded and attached to a research project, or propose their own research, usually with a research proposal and a named supervisor. There are 140 research degrees across 47 subject areas, including part-time and online options.
International postgraduate taught students must pay a tuition fee deposit through the applicant portal before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued for the Student Route visa; the deposit is deducted from tuition fees. No deposit is required for PhD, MPhil or MSc by Research.
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