University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom

University profile

About University of the West of England, Bristol

The University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE Bristol) is a modern public university in Bristol, England. It gained university status in 1992 as the successor to Bristol Polytechnic, but its educational roots go back to the Society of Merchant Venturers' Navigation School founded in 1595. With more than 37,000 students and 4,200 staff in 2024/25, it is one of the largest providers of higher education in the South West with strong ties to employers and the NHS.

Teaching takes place across three campuses a short bus ride apart. Frenchay Campus, four miles north of the city centre, is the main site and home to most students, the Students' Union, a 24-hour library, the Centre for Sport and large on-campus residences. Glenside Campus in Fishponds is dedicated to allied health, nursing and midwifery, and City Campus brings together creative and cultural industries sites at Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.

Academic work is organised in three colleges:

College of Arts, Technology and Environment: School of Architecture and Environment, School of Computing and Creative Technologies, School of Engineering and School of Arts.
College of Business and Law: Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School.
College of Health, Science and Society: School of Health and Social Wellbeing, School of Applied Sciences, School of Social Sciences and School of Education and Childhood.

Notable facilities include the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (run jointly with the University of Bristol), the Engineering building with engine test cells and wind tunnels, the Bristol Business School building with a Bloomberg trading room and mock courtrooms, a replica hospital ward in the Glenside Skills and Simulation Centre and the City Campus film and fabrication studios. The University holds a Gold rating for student experience in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework and was the first university to achieve the University Mental Health Charter Award with Merit.

Student life centres on The Students' Union at UWE, with around 160 societies and sports clubs, more than 40 Team UWE Bristol competitive clubs, the free MOVE activity programme and a Centre for Music. First-year undergraduate and postgraduate students starting in September 2027 are guaranteed accommodation if they apply by the deadline, with on-campus halls at Frenchay and Glenside and partner residences in the city centre.

UWE Bristol had 9,474 international and EU students in 2024/25. International entry is supported by UWE Bristol International College, run by Kaplan on Frenchay Campus, by NCUK and other foundation pathways, and by a free online English test for offer holders. As a UK student sponsor, the University issues Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statements for Student visa applications.

University information

Tuition fees

Full-time undergraduate tuition fees for home students are £9,790 for 2026/27, rising to £10,050 for 2027/28. Postgraduate and international fees vary by course and are set out on each course page. For 2026/27, PhD/MPhil/DPhil fees are £5,238 full-time and £2,619 part-time for home students, and £17,915 full-time for new international students. International postgraduate students pay £8,500 before or at enrolment unless they are paying in full. Living costs are estimated at £14,000 to £15,000 per academic year for a single student.

UWE Bursary (UK undergraduates)

Undergraduates entitled to UK student finance, with household income of £25,000 or less, may receive the Low Income Bursary (£500), the UWE Childcare Bursary (£1,650) or the UWE Cares Bursary (£1,650) for carers, care leavers and estranged students. Most students are assessed automatically through Student Finance. UWE Bursary

International scholarships

International Student Scholarships: up to £4,000 (first year only) for international fee payers on undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses; no application, awarded at the University's discretion.
Global Success Scholarship: up to £9,000 over three years for international undergraduates (£2,500, £3,000 and £3,500), by invitation, with application within 14 days.
Postgraduate Success Scholarship: one-year scholarship for international postgraduates; no application required.
College of Arts, Technology and Environment Dean's International Scholarship: £5,000 for a full-time MA in the College.
College of Health, Science and Society Dean's Scholarship (100% of tuition fees) and MSc Scholarship (50% of tuition fees) for specific courses.
Employability Scholarship and Sustainability Scholarship: 50% of tuition fees for international and EU postgraduates.
FutureAI Scholarship: two £4,000 awards for international postgraduates with an interest in AI.
GREAT Scholarships: £10,000 towards one-year postgraduate fees for students from Egypt, India and Thailand.
Music Pathways Scholarship: £9,000 over three years for musically talented international undergraduates.
International Sport Scholarship: 30% tuition fee discount plus performance sport support for high-performing athletes.
International College Scholarships for students progressing from UWE Bristol International College.

Other University scholarships and bursaries

Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship: 50% off postgraduate tuition fees for UWE Bristol undergraduates; apply via the Welcome portal.
Alumni Scholarship: 20% discount on taught postgraduate fees; no application required.
UWE Cares PG Bursary: 50% fee discount for students registered with UWE Cares during their undergraduate course.
Wallscourt Scholarships: 15 awards for students from local schools and colleges, including £2,000 over three years for contextual offer holders.
Sanctuary Scholarship: two full tuition fee waivers plus a £5,000 annual bursary for refugee and asylum-seeking undergraduates.
Santander Universities Scholars Programme: £30,000 over three years for one home student from an under-represented group.
Paul Stephenson Bursary: £2,000 a year for three years for Global Majority students in the School of Education and Childhood.
Subject awards include the Applied Sciences Widening Participation award (50% of fees), the Water Conservation Trust Scholarship (£5,000), the Professor Frank Burnet MBE Bursary for Science Communication (£1,500), the Harris Scholarship (£1,500 for a final-year estranged student) and the Katherine Gamboa, Needham Cooper and Tony Papadopoullos scholarships.

External funding

Chevening, Commonwealth and Marshall scholarships can be used at UWE Bristol, and US students can use federal loans. Home students can apply for Student Finance tuition fee and maintenance loans, and doctoral students may be eligible for a UK Government Postgraduate Doctoral Loan. All scholarships and bursaries

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Undergraduate entry

Full-time undergraduate and foundation degree applications are made through UCAS, including for entry into year two or three. Honours degrees and degree apprenticeships usually require two A-levels or an equivalent such as a BTEC Diploma or Extended Diploma, the International Baccalaureate, Irish Highers, Scottish Highers, an Access to HE Diploma or T Levels; foundation courses usually require one A-level or equivalent. Offers are made in UCAS Tariff points, with subject and grade requirements listed for each course. GCSE English Language or Literature at grade C/4 or above is required for all undergraduate courses, and some courses also require GCSE Maths and/or Science at C/4. Part-time applicants apply directly to the University.

Contextual offers and UWE First

Eligible UK applicants receive a contextual offer reduced by 16 UCAS Tariff points for degrees and 8 points for foundation years, assessed through the Multiple Equality Measure and the UCAS More about you section, plus access to the Access to UWE Bristol support programme and a summer school. Guaranteed interviews apply for BSc(Hons) Nursing (Adult, Mental Health, Children and Young People) and Primary Education (QTS). UWE First offers the same tariff reduction, admissions support and guaranteed accommodation to local students from selected postcodes in Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire, Cardiff and Newport.

Selection and interviews

Nursing applicants complete a recorded interview on the KIRA Talent platform, with values-based recruitment for health and social care courses; art, design, drama, fashion, filmmaking and education courses have their own interview or portfolio processes.

Key dates for 2027 entry

UCAS applications open: 1 September 2026.
Equal consideration deadline: 13 January 2027 (18:00 UK time).
UCAS Extra opens: 25 February 2027.
Last day to apply before Clearing: 30 June 2027.
Clearing opens: 2 July 2027.
A-level results day: 12 August 2027.

International undergraduate entry

International students apply through UCAS, through an approved education agent or via a regional office. Entry requirements are set out by country; for example, applicants from Ghana with a good West African Higher School Certificate or A-levels plus a UK international foundation course, or who have completed the first year of a bachelor's degree in Ghana, are considered for direct entry. Students who do not meet direct-entry requirements can progress through UWE Bristol International College (delivered by Kaplan on Frenchay Campus), NCUK pathways or other recognised foundation programmes. Applicants under 18 need a signed parental consent form.

English language requirements

IELTS Academic: undergraduate 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each component; postgraduate 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each component.
PTE Academic: undergraduate 59 overall with 59 in each component; postgraduate 62 overall with 59 in each component.
TOEFL iBT (new scale): undergraduate 4.0 overall with 3.5 in each component; postgraduate 4.5 overall with 4.0 in each component.
WAEC/WASSCE, NECO or NABTEB English Language at C6 or higher; Indian Standard XII English at 70%.

Some courses have higher requirements. International offer holders can take the free UWE Bristol online English Language Test, and pre-sessional English courses are available, with a joint CAS possible for ten, five and two-week pre-sessional students.

Postgraduate taught entry

Applications are made online through the 'Apply now' button on each course page, and progress is tracked through the UWE Bristol Welcome website. Most courses accept applications until places are filled; PGCE and professional law courses use separate routes. Ghanaian applicants with a bachelor's degree at a GPA of 2.5 out of 4 or 2.7 out of 5 are considered for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate research entry

Applications for PhD, MPhil, DPhil and Professional Doctorates go directly to the Doctoral Academy, either for funded studentships or self-funded projects aligned to a research beacon.

Visa and CAS

International students must pay a tuition fee deposit to receive a CAS, unless they are government sponsored, sponsored by an international scholarship agency or using a US federal loan. Applicants from Sylhet (Bangladesh) and Pakistan pay £8,500 before a CAS is issued, and applicants from Afghanistan pay the full tuition fee. The University carries out credibility assessments, and applicants must declare all previous visa refusals and immigration history.

Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY (main campus, about 15 minutes from the city centre by Metrobus)

Most courses in engineering, computing, architecture and the built environment, business, law, applied sciences, social sciences and education.
Students' Union, 24-hour library, Centre for Sport (climbing wall, sports hall, fitness suite, artificial pitches), shops, cafes and bars.
Engineering building with engine test cells and wind tunnels; Bristol Business School building with Bloomberg trading room and mock courtrooms; Bristol Robotics Laboratory; Envirotron greenhouse; crime scene science and policing space; Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Residences: Student Village (over 2,000 students), Wallscourt Park (over 900 rooms), Purdown View (space for 900 students, Passivhaus standard) and Kingfisher Court (new for 2026-27).

Glenside Campus, Blackberry Hill, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 1DD (three miles north-east of the centre)

Allied health, nursing and midwifery, and health and social care courses (School of Health and Social Wellbeing).
Skills and Simulation Centre with a replica hospital ward, maternity and children's unit; Optometry and Clinical Skills Centre; UWE Bristol Eye Clinic; Glenside Sports Injury Clinic; Simulation House; Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training facilities; specialist health and social care library; Glenside Hospital Museum.
Residences: Glenside (over 280 students) and The Hollies (over 170 rooms).

City Campus, Bristol city centre (creative and cultural industries)

Bower Ashton: hub for creative disciplines, with design studios, the Fabrication Centre, the Centre for Fine Print Research, printmaking, fashion, sewing and knit facilities, an award-winning Film Studio building, animation and media studios.
Spike Island: Fine Art studios within the contemporary art centre.
Arnolfini: shared harbourside building with the Arnolfini Gallery.
Watershed: film and digital media centre, home to the Digital Cultures Research Centre.
City-centre partner residences include Blenheim Court, Cherry Court, Marketgate, Nelson and Drake House and Phoenix Court.

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University of the West of England, Bristol