Professor David Mba — the first black vice-chancellor at Birmingham City University (BCU) — took up his role in October 2023, determined to improve opportunities for others and make an impact on a city that has earned a reputation as a leading student destination where the populations from five universities create a vibrant atmosphere.
BCU’s City Centre campus is in up-and-coming Eastside — the site of the Curzon Street HS2 rail station — where the £70 million STEAMhouse innovation centre mixes it up to encourage collaboration between the arts, science, technology, engineering and maths sectors in a Victorian former factory. BNU has poured £8 million into specialist facilities for sports and exercise degree courses at Alexander Stadium, one of the main venues for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
What is Birmingham City University’s reputation?
In the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), BCU won silver overall, and silver for student outcomes. A gold rating for student experience rewarded excellence in teaching, assessment and feedback, course content and delivery. The TEF panel commended “the use of research in relevant disciples, innovation, professional practice and extensive employer engagement to contribute to an outstanding academic experience”. Results from the latest National Student Survey (NSS) do little to back this up, however, with our analysis showing a fall of 20 places for satisfaction with teaching quality (82nd) and a rise of four places for how students rate their overall experience at BCU (77th). Teaching and learning takes place in-person. And BCU’s policy on generative AI is that it cannot be used unless specifically identified within an assessment brief.
In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) BCU more than doubled its submission, compared with the previous national assessment in 2014. Creative writing and English produced the best results, while land and property management, building, and town and country planning also did well.
BCU’s Centre for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts holds public lectures and workshops. A top-30 university in the People & Planet university league table 2023-24, BCU is taking steps to reduce its emissions even further by investing more than £9 million in carbon reduction measures at the City South Campus.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
New for September 2025: BSc (Hons) degrees in game design; game technical art; game programming; and game technology.
Courses in video game design; video game development; and video game digital art accepted their final intake in September 2024.
What are Birmingham City University’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?
BCU’s lowest requirement is for music (32 Ucas tariff points) and its highest is architecture (136). For applicants who are not predicted to meet their course requirement BCU may make an alternative offer such as a foundation degree or HND in the same subject. Contextual offers (two grades below standard) are available in all full-time three-year degrees via the university’s Accelerate programme and benefited about 13 per cent of new entrants in 2023.
What are the graduate prospects?
BCU has about 50 professional accreditations for a wide range of its courses, recognised by bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Royal Institute of British Architects. Students can also build experience through the Graduate+ range of extracurricular, employment-related activities, recording their achievements in an online e-portfolio.
More than 1,500 trainees are enrolled on BCU’s 15 degree apprenticeships, which include architecture, nursing and diagnostic radiography. BCU has fallen nine places year-on-year to be ranked 101st in our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey, based on the numbers in highly skilled work or further study after 15 months.
What is Birmingham City University’s campus like?
City Centre and City South are the main campuses and extra sites throughout Birmingham are equipped to provide students with hands-on learning experiences, including television and film studios and mock law courts. There are also rehearsal rooms and teaching spaces at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s 500-seat concert hall.
A £5 million healthcare simulation facility opened early in 2023 at the City South campus, and a £13 million project has begun to turn University House on the City Centre campus into a base for education and community courses. BCU’s world-renowned School of Jewellery, founded in 1890, is based in the city’s Jewellery Quarter. The university has also branched out with an outpost in Wuhan, China, where the Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Art opened in 2016, run jointly with Wuhan Textile University.
Everything you need to know about Birmingham City University’s student life and wellbeing support
Students have access to top sports facilities across Birmingham for free or at reduced membership fees. The Pavilion has an all-weather pitch, 12 football pitches and two rugby pitches. Pre-entry appointments are available for any students who want to discuss what mental health support is available at BCU. The university’s mental health and wellbeing team operates Monday to Friday, 51 weeks of the year, and students can self-refer online. The BCU wellbeing app has tips and tools to create healthy habits and combat anxiety.
What do the students say?
“Birmingham has become my second home, offering a perfect balance of vibrant culture and a welcoming community. The diverse range of societies at BCU has been instrumental in helping me find friends and a sense of belonging. I'm proud to have attended a university that actively listens to student feedback and continuously strives to enhance the uni experience. It is an exceptional place to grow both academically and personally.”
Jay Dave, BCUSU president 2023-24 and a mechanical engineering graduate
What about student accommodation in Birmingham City University?
Up to a quarter of first-years tend to live on campus, while the majority commute from home. Accommodation is guaranteed to full-time new undergraduates who meet the September deadline.
How diverse and inclusive is Birmingham City University?
Work to widen participation includes student mentoring and summer schools under the AimHigher scheme as well as BCU literacy tutors — undergraduates who practise reading and comprehension skills with school pupils aged 4-11. The university has jumped 12 places year-on-year to rank 40th overall in our social inclusion table. For ethnic diversity, BCU ranks 14=.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Birmingham City University
Students from low-income households who enrol via the Accelerate partnership can qualify for a £1,000 scholarship in three instalments in the first year. Applicants who arrive with 144 Ucas points or more can qualify for a High Achievers’ Scholarship worth £1,000.
