Life’s near a beach at Bournemouth University (BU). On the Jurassic Coast close to seven miles of sandy shoreline (and clean water with blue flag certification), BU has an enviable geographical location. The New Forest National Park is not far away either. The university’s professional work placement pledge is another draw: every undergraduate degree course brings an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with an employer in the UK or abroad. Several courses are accredited by leading professional bodies and many organisations turn to BU to recruit students for placements or to fill graduate positions.
The university is also noted for its commitment to environmental sustainability and ethical practices: it is ranked tenth in the People & Planet 2023-24 university league table. For 18 years it has been a Fairtrade university and has held EcoCampus Platinum status since 2016.
What is Bournemouth University’s reputation?
A university since 1992, BU traces its earliest history to the Bournemouth Municipal College founded in the early 20th century. In the 1970s, the Talbot campus was built for the Bournemouth College of Technology.
Today, the curriculum spans 100 degree programmes and 20 subject areas. BU has become renowned for computer animation, TV and media production, music and sound production degrees, as well as its well-regarded tourism courses. The university hosts the National Centre for Computer Animation, and an expanded portfolio of media courses includes degrees in virtual and augmented reality, and immersive media.
Research in communication, cultural and media studies, and leisure and tourism performed well in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). The breadth and volume of the university's submission was substantially increased since the previous assessment in 2014 and involved three times as many staff. However, BU dropped 16 places to rank 80th in our research quality rating, against stronger gains at other universities.
BU was awarded silver overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), with silver for student outcomes but only bronze for the student experience. However, the university drew praise for “effectively integrating research, professional practice, and education to create a stimulating student experience that promotes successful employment,” while assessors also noted “very high quality rates of successful progression for students and courses”.
Rates of student satisfaction at BU, which tumbled in the pandemic and pushed the university outside the top 100 of our league table, began to recover in 2022. But in our latest analysis of the National Student Survey, BU has more or less stayed still, slipping five places to 114th for satisfaction with teaching quality and rising five places to 98th for satisfaction with the wider undergraduate experience.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
New degree courses in esports, digital technologies, and education psychology began in September 2024.
What are Bournemouth University’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?
With an average of 113 Ucas tariff points among new entrants, Bournemouth 108= for entry standards. After a record year for applications and new student enrolments in 2022, the demand for places cooled. The AccessBU programme considers personal circumstances and those who meet the criteria may find their offer reduced by up to 16 Ucas tariff points.
What are the graduate prospects?
BU is 61st in our analysis of the proportion of graduates in highly skilled work or further study 15 months after finishing their degree. This represents a slight dip: it was 55th last year and in the top 50 the year before that.
Dedicated university staff help students to find the ideal work placement posting from four weeks to a year in a range of workplaces. The university has cultivated links with more than 70 institutions worldwide, enabling students to have opportunities to study abroad too.
There are more chances to help them shine as graduates via BU’s graduate skills programme, which offers industry-led masterclasses to get ahead.
The university’s small portfolio of degree apprenticeships gained a new healthcare programme in operating department practice in September 2024. It has trainees in nursing; senior leadership; and clinical practice (advanced or enhanced).
What is Bournemouth University’s campus like?
The university has invested more than £200 million in its facilities and IT, adding gateway buildings on each of its campuses: Talbot (the main site) and Lansdowne (where most accommodation is based), a short bus ride away. At Talbot the 5,000 sq m Poole Gateway Building has industry-standard TV studios and a motion-capture studio for animation.
Students also have access to games PC and Mac laboratories and a critical listening lab. New on the Talbot campus is a hub for student services, which should help further boost rates of student satisfaction by providing a central point for access to help and support.
The faculty of health is based at Lansdowne, where the Bournemouth Gateway Building provides health students with simulation suites replicating an operating theatre, hospital wards, and an ambulance.
Everything you need to know about Bournemouth University’s student life and wellbeing support
On the Talbot campus, students can get in shape with pole fitness, yoga, boxercise, Zumba and spin. BU runs activities including basketball drop-in sessions, and courses in jiu-jitsu, surfing and kayaking – which are also open to the students of neighbouring Arts University Bournemouth.
For BU’s own creative students, there are three bookable art spaces to show their work.
Proactive support teams work with BU’s faculties to offer pastoral or academic help. An out-of-hours welfare duty officer ensures that round-the-clock care is available. BU’s student assistance programme also operates 24 hours, 365 days a year, providing immediate phone or online support from qualified counsellors. The university has launched a Dorset universities suicide prevention strategy in partnership with the NHS and in February 2023, BU opened the Retreat drop-in centre where students can get help in a crisis.
What do the students say?
"Bournemouth is a great place to live, with the beach right on our doorstep and a plethora of amazing places to explore, there’s always something to do and enjoy. Whatever your interests are, there are clubs, societies and network groups for you, which makes it really easy to find your people. There is a lot of support available throughout the year, and the university and students’ union actively work very closely together to enhance the student experience."
Chike Dike, Bournemouth students’ union president and graduate of a master’s in political psychology
What about student accommodation at Bournemouth University?
First-years who select BU as their first choice by the deadline are guaranteed one of 3,800 study bedrooms.
How diverse and inclusive is Bournemouth University?
Placed 70th overall in our social inclusion table, BU is in the top 20 for its proportion of white working-class male students, one of the most underrepresented groups, and nearly half of new students in 2023 were the first in their family to go to university (46.5 per cent, 45=). Bournemouth’s black achievement gap, at minus 31.3 per cent (90th) lets the university down.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Bournemouth University
BU maintenance bursaries for students from low-income households (up to £16,000) provide £800 a year. Care leaver bursaries are available, of up to £12,000 in total if a student’s degree studies start with a foundation year. Scholarships are offered to reward academic excellence, musical or sporting talent, and there is a dedicated scholarship awarded to female students of cybersecurity.
