University in United Kingdom
Guildford, England, United Kingdom
University profile
The University of Surrey is a campus-based public research university in Guildford, Surrey, which received its Royal Charter on 9 September 1966 and traces its roots to the Battersea Polytechnic Institute, founded in London in 1891. In the 2025/26 academic year it had 17,974 students, with more than 140 nationalities represented, and began its 60th anniversary year on 9 September 2026.
Teaching is based on two neighbouring campuses a short distance from Guildford town centre: Stag Hill, home to the Library, the Students' Union and most academic buildings, and Manor Park, which holds a large area of student accommodation, Surrey Sports Park and the School of Veterinary Medicine. The adjoining Surrey Research Park, opened in 1985, hosts more than 100 companies and the Kate Granger building for the School of Health Sciences. London is just over 30 minutes away by train.
Academic work is organised in three faculties and their schools:
Pan-university institutes include the Institute for People-Centred AI, the Institute for Sustainability, the Surrey Space Institute (launched in 2025) and the Surrey Institute of Education. The Guildford School of Acting (GSA), which merged with the University in 2009, trains actors, musical theatre performers and production staff. Many degrees offer a Professional Training placement year, with more than 2,300 placement partners. Surrey is also a partner in the Surrey International Institute at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (SII-DUFE) in Dalian, China, and is preparing an international branch campus in GIFT City, Gujarat, India, with a first intake planned for summer 2027.
The University has 5,750 rooms, and new first-year undergraduates holding Surrey as firm or insurance choice, and new September-entry postgraduates, are guaranteed a place if they apply by the deadlines. The Students' Union runs over 170 clubs and societies, and Surrey Sports Park provides an Olympic-size swimming pool, climbing walls and sports courts. The Library is open 24 hours a day during semester and houses more than 100 archive and special collections.
In 2025/26 Surrey had 5,406 international students in Guildford, with a further 1,391 at its campus in China in 2024/25. International applicants who do not meet direct entry requirements can take International Foundation Year or Pre-Masters programmes at the University of Surrey International Study Centre on the Guildford campus, and pre-sessional English courses are available.
Undergraduate fees for UK students are £10,050 a year, with a reduced fee of £2,010 for the Professional Training placement year. Overseas undergraduate fees vary by course, for example £24,600 for Accounting and Finance BSc, £28,100 for Computer Science BSc and Aerospace Engineering BEng, and £44,900 for Veterinary Medicine and Science BVMSci. Overseas fees rise by 4% for each later year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100. Postgraduate taught fees are set per course (for example, Accounting and Finance MSc full-time September 2027: UK £15,600, overseas £25,800). Tuition fees
A cash award of up to £3,000 for full-time home undergraduates from IMD quintile 1 or 2 areas who are means-tested through Student Finance England: £3,000 for household income under £10,000 and £1,200 for £10,000 to £25,000 (2026/27 entry), paid in December and March. University of Surrey Bursary
The Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursary pays £3,000 a year, with care leavers also receiving £500 on graduation. The Sam and John Dawson Care-Experienced Scholarship offers up to £15,000 to home undergraduates. Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursary
Most University scholarships cannot be combined with one another. Funded PhD studentships are advertised year-round. All scholarships and bursaries
Vice-Chancellor's Future Leaders Award (Undergraduate) →
Vice-Chancellor's Future Leaders Award (Postgraduate) →
International Excellence Award (Undergraduate) →
International Excellence Award (Postgraduate) →
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View scholarships for University of Surrey →Applications for foundation and undergraduate degrees are made only through UCAS; Surrey's institution code is S85, and course codes appear in each course's options box. Entry requirements vary by course and are given in A-level, BTEC, International Baccalaureate, Access to HE Diploma and Scottish Highers terms. For example, Computer Science BSc (Hons) asks for ABB at A-level including Mathematics, DDD in BTECs with A-level Mathematics at grade B, 33 points in the IB Diploma, or AABBB in Scottish Highers including Mathematics; the MEng asks for AAA. Combinations of A-levels with BTEC, Cambridge Technical, WJEC and new Alternative Academic Qualifications are accepted for most courses, and T-levels are accepted where the course page lists them.
UK-domiciled applicants from POLAR4 or IMD quintile 1 areas, care leavers, those who received free school meals or estranged students automatically receive a contextual offer, typically two A-level grades or one BTEC grade below the published offer; subject requirements are not reduced. The In2Surrey scheme offers a one-grade reduction to further eligible state school applicants, and contextual offer holders are invited to the In2Surrey Transition Programme (June to October) and can receive a travel bursary for offer holder events.
After applying, applicants receive a University number and access to Surrey Self-Service within 24 hours. Initial screening aims to finish within two weeks; some courses hold selection events, interviews or auditions, which are booked through Surrey Self-Service.
Applicants whose qualifications do not meet direct entry can take an International Foundation Year at the University of Surrey International Study Centre in Business, Economics, Law and Social Sciences; Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences; or Life Sciences, then progress to a Surrey degree. Country pages set out accepted national qualifications; for example, the Ghanaian Senior Secondary School Certificate is not accepted for direct undergraduate entry. Students needing a visa complete their CAS request through CAS Shield, and some subjects require an ATAS certificate.
Requirements vary by course and are expressed as an IELTS Academic overall score with component minimums; for example, Computer Science BSc asks for IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each element. IELTS Academic (including IELTS Online), TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic (not the online version) and Duolingo results must be within two years; GCSE English Language grade C/4, IB English and Cambridge CAE/CPE within five years; and the Oxford ELLT within 18 months. For courses needing IELTS 6.5 with 6.0 in each component, WASSCE English at C6 is accepted for applicants from Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Pre-sessional English courses are available for those below the requirement.
Masters applications are made online through the apply section of each course page, together with a fee status questionnaire; there is no application fee and decisions are usually made within 14 working days. Many courses require a UK 2:1 or 2:2; for Ghanaian applicants this equates to a GPA of 3.25 (2:1) or 2.5 (2:2). For September 2027 entry, applications open on 1 October 2026 and close on 23 July 2027 for applicants needing a visa (CAS application by 20 August 2027) and 31 August 2027 for others. For February 2027 entry they close on 11 December 2026 for visa applicants and 23 January 2027 for others. A Pre-Masters programme in Management, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism is available at the International Study Centre.
Applicants identify a potential supervisor, check studentship and other funding, then apply online through the programme page with a research proposal where required, two referees (not the prospective supervisor) and translated transcripts. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed, and offers are accepted through Surrey Self-Service. The Doctoral College supports postgraduate researchers.
5,750 University rooms across the campuses, including en-suite, single-sex, studio flat, shared and single rooms, all furnished with bed, desk, chair, lamp, bookshelf and storage.
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