University of Buckingham: Courses, Fees & Admissions

University profile

About University of Buckingham

The University of Buckingham is an independent university in the market town of Buckingham, England. Founded in 1976 as the University College at Buckingham and granted a Royal Charter in 1983, it is the oldest of Britain's independent universities and the only independent university in the UK with a Royal Charter. It is a registered charity (no. 1141691) that receives no government subsidy, and it is best known for pioneering the two-year honours degree, taught through lectures and small-group tutorials across four-term years with January and September starts.

The main riverside campus in Buckingham runs across three sites: Hunter Street (the main site, with the Students' Union, library and Vinson Building), Chandos Road (home of the Medical School) and Verney Park (Applied Computing, Law and Psychology). Further residential campuses are at Moreton Road and Mount Pleasant, the Medical School also operates from a campus in Crewe, and the Humanities Research Institute has London offices. Milton Keynes is the nearest railway station, about 30 minutes by fast train from London.

Teaching is organised in faculties and schools, including the Faculty of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Faculty of Computing, Law and Psychology; the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; and the Faculty of Education. Schools include the School of Business, School of Computing, School of Education, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Law, School of Medicine, School of Postgraduate Medicine and Allied Health, School of Psychology and the Foundation Department. The Medical School offers a 4.5-year MB ChB and has held General Medical Council accreditation since May 2019; the School of Education has more than 1,000 teachers and school leaders studying with it.

Student life centres on Hunter Street, where the Old Tanlaw Mill houses the Students' Union, bar, restaurant and gym. The Fitness Centre is open from 6am to midnight daily, a Wellbeing Hub provides health and mental-health support with a university doctor holding an on-campus surgery, and there are careers, academic skills and IT services and two libraries. On-campus accommodation is guaranteed for first-year students who apply by the deadlines, in halls and houses such as Sunley House, Hailsham House, Beloff House, Mitre Court, Bishops Court, Harris House, Caine House and the Moreton Road flats and houses.

Buckingham welcomes students of over 100 nationalities and has more than 26,000 alumni living in 185 countries. The University is a UKVI Student Sponsor, holds a Silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023, and validates programmes delivered by partner institutions including Vogue College of Fashion, the College of Naturopathic Medicine and Learna.

University information

Tuition fees

Two-year undergraduate degrees such as Business Economics BSc start from £13,875 per year for UK students and £22,200 per year for international students. The MB ChB starts from £41,500 per year (UK) and £47,000 per year (international). The Foundation Pathway costs £9,250 (UK) and £14,800 (international) for 2026 and 2027 entry. Fees may rise annually in line with RPI. As a private university, Student Finance England loans may not cover the full tuition fee. Fees are paid through the Convera GlobalPay portal. See Fees and Finance.

Scholarships and bursaries

Awards are based on location, merit or financial need and are given as a partial reduction in tuition fees. Applicants must first apply for a course and receive an offer and an application ID, then complete the online form for each award; UCAS applicants who receive an award must make Buckingham their firm choice. The deadline for January 2027 applications is Monday 9 November 2026.

University of Buckingham Bursary – up to £9,500 over a two-year degree for full-time UK undergraduates with a maintenance loan of £7,500 or more or significant financial hardship; apply at least two months before registration.
International Undergraduate High Achiever Scholarship – £2,500 off first-year fees for international undergraduates with the equivalent of AAB at A-level.
High Achiever Scholarship – £2,000 off first-year fees for UK or Irish undergraduates with AAB or above (not Medicine).
Postgraduate First-Class Scholarship – 33% off tuition for new UK and international postgraduates with a First-Class bachelor's degree (not Education, PGCert or PGDip).
Gregory Scholarship – up to £4,000 for UK undergraduates in Business, Computing, Law, Humanities and Social Sciences or Psychology.
Coase Scholarship – £11,000 for UK Economics students with three A-levels including at least one B; 14 scholarships endowed by Professor Ronald Coase.
Swains Scholarship – up to £5,000 per year for undergraduates resident in Buckinghamshire or Milton Keynes for over a year with financial need.
Desborough Bursary – £5,000 for UK business undergraduates (excluding accounting) and MBA/MSc business students.
Diversity in Computing Bursary – £2,000 for female undergraduate Computing students (UK and international).
Also: Beloff Scholarship (£2,500, political economy), Paul E. H. Davis Scholarship (English Literature), Anthony V Martin Foundation Scholarship (£5,000 per year, UK undergraduates committed to animal welfare), and the Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarships for outstanding Arabic students (£40,000 undergraduate, £20,000 postgraduate). Full list: Scholarships and Bursaries.

Discounts

Only the highest eligible discount applies. Buckingham graduates from the previous five years receive 33% (First or Distinction) or 25% (2:1 or Merit) off eligible master's and PhD programmes for September 2026 and January 2027 intakes, applied automatically. A 5% family discount applies to second and subsequent concurrent family members (excluding MB ChB), a 5% alumni discount applies to alumni and their children and spouses, and serving British Armed Forces officers receive 20% off the MA in Modern War Studies and Contemporary Military History. See Discounts.

International Undergraduate High Achiever Scholarship →

Postgraduate First-Class Scholarship →

Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship (Undergraduate) →

Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Scholarship (Postgraduate) →

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Undergraduate entry

Undergraduate honours degrees normally take two years, with intakes in January and September. Applicants can apply through UCAS (institution code B90, as one of five choices) or directly at any time through the course pages, with no application fee. UCAS applications open in May of the year before entry, with late applications allowed until July. Recommended direct-application dates for September 2026 entry are Monday 17 August (international) and Monday 21 September (home); for January 2027 entry, Monday 7 December (international) and Monday 11 January (home). Deadlines differ for Medicine and Education programmes. Students must normally be 18 at registration, with exceptions possible for students aged 17 who turn 18 during their first term.

Entry requirements are set per course. For example, Business Economics BSc typically asks for A-levels BBB–BBC or IB 31–32, with BTEC and mixed BTEC/A-level profiles welcome, a slightly lower offer for applicants taking the EPQ, and GCSE English and Maths at grade 4/C. All undergraduate programmes operate flexible entry, considering relevant work experience and aptitude, and mature applicants (21+) are welcome. Applicants are usually invited to an informal interview with the Admissions Tutor; international applicants may be contacted by Microsoft Teams, email or phone. Decisions are normally made within three weeks of a complete application.

Medicine (MB ChB)

The 4.5-year MB ChB (UCAS code 71A8) requires at least ABB at A-level including Chemistry or Biology, or IB 32 points with three Higher Level subjects (HL6 in Chemistry or Biology and at least HL5 in the other), or a cognate bachelor's degree with a 2:1. BTECs are not accepted and qualifications older than five years are not considered. GCSE English and Maths at grade 4 are required. Selection has two stages: academic screening and Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). A £10,000 deposit secures a place and is credited against first-year fees.

Foundation and international entry

The nine-month Foundation Pathway (September or January) prepares students for degrees in Business/Economics, Humanities, International Studies, Law and Psychology. It requires five GCSEs at grades 4–9 including English and Maths plus A-levels at DD or BTEC National Diploma MPP (or international equivalents), and IELTS 6.0 with 5.5 in each component for international applicants. International applicants are assessed on equivalent national qualifications; for Ghana, for example, undergraduate entry normally needs WASSCE C4 or better in five subjects (one sitting) plus a recognised Foundation programme or HND, three A-levels at B or higher, or IB 29–34. Transfer students may apply with Accreditation of Prior Learning (not available for MB ChB).

English language requirements

Undergraduate and most postgraduate courses: IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component; TOEFL iBT 79 (Listening 12, Reading 13, Speaking 18, Writing 21; institution code 8775); PTE Academic 59–65 with 59 in each component (test centre only); LanguageCert Academic 70 with 65 in each component; Cambridge CPE 176–184 with 175 in each component; Skills for English B2 Pass with Merit.
Also accepted: WAEC/NECO English (C4, B3, B2 or A1, within five years), CBSE/CISCE or Indian 12th Standard English at 75% (not for Punjab or Haryana), iGCSE English First Language C or Second Language B, IB English 4 at SL or HL.
MB ChB: IELTS 7.0 with 6.5 in each component. MA English Literature by Research and London-based MA by Research degrees: IELTS 7.0 (6.5 each); PhD Accounting: IELTS 7.0; MA Biography by Research: IELTS 7.5.
TOEFL and IELTS results are valid for two years. A Pre-Sessional English Programme is offered for applicants below the required level.

Postgraduate taught and research entry

Postgraduate and research applications are made directly through the course pages via the online application system, with no fee except for postgraduate Education courses. Main intakes are January and September, with flexible start dates on some courses, and the same September 2026 and January 2027 deadlines apply. Applicants may apply before their first degree is awarded. Research degrees may be studied remotely by agreement with the supervisor.

Visas

International students receive a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) once offered a place and must hold it before applying for a Student visa. An ATAS certificate is required for certain sensitive postgraduate subjects for nationals outside the exempt countries. Recruitment from Ghana to postgraduate research programmes requiring a student visa is suspended for the January 2027 intake.

Hunter Street, Buckingham – main site: Students' Union, bar and restaurant in the Old Tanlaw Mill, Fitness Centre, Vinson Building (café, bookshop, group study spaces, main reception), Hunter Street Library and laundrette in Hailsham House. Accounting, Business, Economics, Communications, Marketing, Journalism, English, Languages, History, Life Sciences, Politics, International Studies and Medicine are based here. Residences: Sunley House, Nortons Place, Mitre Court, Hailsham House, Bishops Court and Beloff House.
Chandos Road, Buckingham – adjacent to Hunter Street; the Chandos Building houses the Medical School's teaching and study spaces and the Language Centre.
Verney Park, Buckingham – about a 10–15 minute walk from Hunter Street; Applied Computing, Law and Psychology, the Franciscan Library, a student social space, coffee shop and laundrette. Residences: Paulley House, Harris House, Caine House and Bateman House.
Moreton Road, Buckingham – residential flats and houses in a quiet estate, suited to mature and postgraduate students.
Mount Pleasant – over 60 en-suite catered rooms and 12 self-catered rooms, with a gym, swimming pool, spa, laundry and study spaces.
Crewe – second Medical School campus, linked to clinical placements at Leighton Hospital, Macclesfield General Hospital and other Cheshire trusts.
London Offices – used by Humanities Research Institute students.

Accommodation includes WiFi, utilities, contents insurance and cleaning of communal areas; a £700 security bond applies. Clinical placements near Buckingham include Milton Keynes University Hospital, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, St Andrews Hospital Northampton and South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust. Campus security operates 24 hours a day.

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