Bournemouth University guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Bournemouth has forged a strong reputation in film, television and the media that is reflected in its graduate employment ratings, which are among the strongest in the modern university sector. Only some lacklustre scores in the annual National Student Survey (NSS) - where the university now ranks outside the top 100 on all three of our NSS-derived performance measures covering teaching excellence, student support and student experience - hold the university back from a much higher ranking in our table. The coastal location makes this a popular student choice, with just under 4,000 undergraduates admitted last year, three-quarters of them from the South East and South West. There are two main campuses: Talbot, which is home to the faculty of media and communication, the faculty of science and technology and the business school; and Lansdowne, which houses the faculty of health and social sciences. All undergraduate degrees offer the opportunity to undertake a work placement, and many students meet their future employer this way. Bournemouth's earn-while-you-learn degree apprenticeship portfolio has also been expanded following Ofsted's outstanding rating in 2024 for all aspects of provision. New pathways have been added for the likes of social workers, biomedical scientists, accounting finance managers and digital marketers.
Paying the bills
More than 22% of full-time undergraduates received some form of university-funded financial support in 2023-24 - and the recent extension of the university's Maintenance Bursary should ensure that this proportion grows. The Maintenance Bursary is the most common form of student support, worth £800 a year. This adds up to £2,400 over the course of a three-year degree or £3,200 for a degree that includes a foundation year. To qualify for the award, they must have a family income of £25,000 or less per year. This has risen from £16,000, which will bring many more students within its scope. Care leavers and those estranged from their parents can qualify for dedicated bursaries, each worth £9,000 over three years or £12,000 over four. There are also music scholarships worth £600 and sports scholarships worth up to £5,000 for elite athletes. University accommodation is plentiful and starts at £5,638 for a 40-week let with shared bathroom in the Bournemouth Student Village, rising to £11,950 for a premium studio in the Bailey Point residences on a 50-week contract. The seaside resort has no shortage of private accommodation for the majority of students who live out, either.
What's new?
Every film awards season brings new success for Bournemouth, which enjoys a stellar big-screen reputation. This year's Oscars were no exception, with more than 40 Bournemouth graduates contributing to Oscar-nominated films, including Wicked, Dune: Part Two, Conclave, Gladiator II, The Apprentice and Alien: Romulus. The alumni included camera operators, graphic designers, animation directors and digital and visual-effects artists. If you want to go into the film industry with a relevant degree behind you, you could not do much better than Bournemouth. It's home to the renowned National Centre for Computer Animation, too. Degree apprentices also get a good deal here, with Ofsted judging all aspects of provision to be outstanding in June 2024. Ofsted found excellence in the quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management; and the apprenticeships themselves. The university has expanded its degree apprenticeship provision from three health and social care subjects - nursing, operating department practitioner and enhanced clinical practitioner - to now include programmes for digital marketers, accounting finance managers, advanced clinical practitioners, biomedical scientists, social workers, manufacturing engineers, and product design and development engineers.
Admissions, teaching and student support
Distinguishing features of Bournemouth's student mental health and wellbeing provision include the University Retreat, a drop-in centre on the Talbot campus open to students from all three of the city's higher-education institutions. Run in partnership with the local NHS Trust and two charities, the centre is open from 2pm to 9pm, Monday to Saturday, and staffed by peer specialists and mental health professionals. While it does not offer medication or structured therapy, staff dispense advice to help students find solutions to aid their recovery. Students can also take advantage of Bournemouth's stunning location if they are referred by university support teams to Resurface, a local 'therapeutic surfing, sauna and cold-water community' which seeks to improve mental and physical health through cold-water immersion therapy and sauna experiences on the beach. For students who are struggling, the Achieve@BU team is there to signpost services such as additional learning support, mental health advisers and counselling. A 24-hour, year-round student assistance programme offers immediate online or telephone counselling in more than 250 languages. More than a quarter of all admissions in September 2024 qualified for a contextual offer, known as an AccessBU offer. Applicants are eligible if they live in a postcode among the 40% with the highest levels of deprivation, are care-experienced, have received free school meals, or come from an Armed Forces family. The university also uses Ucas's Multiple Equality Measure 1 to identify potential AccessBU offer candidates. Although AccessBU candidates get an offer at the standard rate, the university commits to accepting them with results that are anywhere from eight Ucas tariff points (equivalent to one A-level grade) to 16 points (two A-level grades) below the standard entry requirement.