Aston University

The Aston Forward scholarship — £5,000 across the duration of a degree — is awarded to successful applicants from low-income households who have “amazing ambitions”. It sums up the energetic spirit of enterprise and aspiration at the Birmingham-based former College of Advanced Technology. 

New core curricular elements aim to futureproof the employability of students by focusing on AI and digital, innovation and entrepreneurship, inclusive leadership and environmental sustainability. 

Investment includes the new Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute where industry partners and Aston researchers and undergraduates can collaborate to advance AI and digital innovation. Meanwhile, on the main 60-acre campus, students can let off steam with a few sets of padel in the new glass-walled courts. 

Need to know

Category

Result

Rank

Entry standards (Ucas points)

120

56=

Teaching quality

85.5%

82=

Student experience

84.9%

32=

Research quality

40.9%

56

First and 2:1s

73.5%

92=

Continuation rate

94.4%

35=

Graduate prospects

73.8%

52

People & Planet

48.2%

85

How much it costs

UK fees

£10,050

Fees (placement year)

£1,250

Fees (overseas year)

£1,250

Fees (international)

£23,500

Fees (international, medical)

£47,000

Places in accommodation

1,333

Rent per week

£172-£178

Rent for catered accommodation per week

n/a

Social inclusion index

Social inclusion ranking

66

State school (non-grammar) admissions

92.2%

Grammar school admissions

9.3%

Independent school admissions

5.2%

Ethnic minority students

85.2%

Black awarding gap

-17.5%

White working-class males

1.5%

First-generation students

52.5%

Low-participation areas

12.2%

Low-participation areas dropout

-1.3%

Mature students

4.6%

Overseas students

22.8%

Disabled students

11.9%

Student satisfaction with teaching quality

Accounting and finance

83.5%

Aeronautical and manufacturing engineering

79.2%

Bioengineering and biomedical engineering

84.4%

Biological sciences

89.9%

Biomedical Sciences

86.6%

Building

87.4%

Business, management and marketing

84.6%

Chemical engineering

90.8%

Chemistry

84.4%

Civil engineering

77.2%

Computer science

83.7%

Economics

90.5%

Electrical and electronic engineering

80.8%

English

87.7%

General engineering

81.4%

History

91.8%

Law

89.3%

Mathematics

86.9%

Mechanical engineering

77.6%

Medicine

85.6%

Nursing

96.6%

Pharmacology and pharmacy

85.6%

Politics and international relations

86.5%

Psychology

85.7%

Sociology

84.2%

Subjects allied to medicine

86.7%

What is Aston University’s academic reputation?

Since its foundation in the 1960s, Aston has grown into a multifaculty institution with schools covering business, law, medicine, pharmacy, biosciences, engineering and technology, computer science and digital technologies, infrastructure and sustainable engineering, optometry, psychology and social sciences and humanities. Almost half of Aston’s students, though, are based at the highly rated business school.

The university achieved the best possible results in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), with triple gold for student experience, student outcomes and overall grades. It was praised for “outstanding teaching, feedback and assessment practices that are highly effective, embedded and tailored to students’ needs”. Aston was also commended for “work-based learning and preparing students for the world of work”, and its “highly effective support for educational gains that are aligned with industry needs and social mobility”.

The university doubled the number of staff who took part in its submission to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), and 79 per cent of the team's work was assessed to be world-leading or internationally excellent — earning Aston a spot in the top half of our research quality ranking. The university hosts research centres in bioenergy, photonic technologies, neuroscience and forensic linguistics, among others. Its new Digital Futures Institute is a hub for its work within big data, machine learning, AI and the Internet of Things.

In our analysis of the National Student Survey Aston has climbed from 47= to 32= for student experience, and is 82= for teaching quality, up one place from last year. 

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What are Aston University’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

Aston’s medical school requires the highest entry grades: A*AA. The lowest requirement for foundation year courses is CCD. Those who qualify for a contextual offer can expect a reduction of one or two grades.

Applications to study at Aston have soared during the past decade, from nearly 16,500 in 2016 to more than 22,000 in 2025. The pioneer of degree apprenticeships in the UK, Aston had 1,129 enrolments in sectors including business, IT, engineering and healthcare in 2025.

What are the graduate prospects and how will the university help me get career-ready?

A work placement in the UK or abroad is a compulsory element of most degrees, facilitated by the careers and placements team. Students can experience work-based learning at employers such as the clothing retailer Asos, the pharmacy giant GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Rolls-Royce and a range of small and medium-sized enterprises. However, Aston has fallen out of the top 25 in our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey for the proportion of its graduates who are in highly skilled jobs or further study within 15 months, with a drop of 27 places to 52nd. 

What is Aston University’s campus like?

The Main Building is Aston’s 1950s redbrick landmark, while the wider university stretches across 60 acres. Formerly the Birmingham city council headquarters, Aston’s new Woodcock Street building will house the business and law faculties and have its own restaurant, exhibition and study spaces as it continues to open, while pockets of greenery provide places to relax among outdoor sculptures. It is intended to embed the university at the heart of the Birmingham Innovation Precinct — a strategic initiative to regenerate the city’s eastside. 

When can I visit?

aston.ac.uk

Everything you need to know about Aston University’s student life and wellbeing support

Birmingham is home to five universities and offers student-friendly nightlife as well as rich cultural diversity. Aston’s central location means students are in the heart of the UK’s second city, while on campus the £10 million students’ union stages gigs and open-mic nights.

Astonbury festival is an annual highlight showcasing music, art and culture. The university also runs more than 20 sports clubs, and its Sir Doug Ellis Woodcock Sports Centre includes a swimming pool with a sauna and steam room, and a sports hall with indoor courts. Women-only sessions are available at the gym. Three five-a-side all-weather pitches are also on site and the outdoor Recreation Centre, six miles away, has pitches for football, cricket and hockey. 

Counsellors are available to provide mental health and wellbeing support. There is also a multifaith chaplaincy as well as disability and neurodiversity services. 

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What do the students say?

“I chose Aston because I wanted to go to a city university with lots of things to do and a great reputation. My course has allowed me to pursue my passion but it also gave me real-world skills. It allowed me the opportunity to start my own business and work with real-life clients, as well as go abroad. The people here genuinely want to see you succeed.”
Yean, business enterprise development graduate

What about student accommodation at Aston University?

First-years who meet criteria are guaranteed student accommodation in Aston Student Village.

How diverse and inclusive is Aston University?

Aston has an impressive record on social mobility — ranking second in England for four successive years in the English Social Mobility Index according to analysis by the Higher Education Policy Institute, a think tank. The Aston University Mathematics School opened in 2025 and aims to further its impressive record on social mobility while powering the Stem skills pipeline. 

One of the better-performing pre-1992 universities in our social inclusion index, Aston has the most ethnically diverse intake in England and Wales (85.2 per cent). Its overall rank (66th) is kept down by relatively low enrolments of white working-class boys, mature and disabled students. With 52.5 per cent of students who are the first in their family to go to university, Aston ranks 41st. 

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What financial assistance is available?

Nearly half (45 per cent) of entrants in 2025 benefited from financial assistance. Awards include the £500 Aston Aspirational scholarships for students from households with incomes of less than £42,875. Placement scholarships of £1,250 help students within the same fiscal threshold to pay living expenses during an unpaid or international placement year. 

The university also offers up to four sanctuary scholarships for asylum seekers who cannot access traditional UK student finance.