Lectures have returned to full in-person delivery and the prevalent teaching model at BGU is face-to-face. Rated gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, BGU was commended for an “outstanding learning environment and a personalised approach with high-quality support maximising retention, attainment and progression”. Course design and assessment were highlighted for providing outstanding levels of stretch, ensuring students are consistently challenged and engage with developments from the forefront of research, scholarship or working practice. 

Teaching degrees are the focus at BGU, which was founded as an Anglican teacher-training college for women in 1862 and named after Robert Grosseteste, a 13th-century bishop of Lincoln. The university now offers a range of degrees to people of all genders, and of all faiths and none. 

Theology produced by far BGU's best results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). The university increased its submission to eight subject areas submitted by four times more staff than were assessed in the previous REF in 2014.

Graduate prospects have fallen out of the top 50 to 65th. Our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey examined the proportion in highly skilled work or further study 15 months after finishing their degree.

New degrees in business (finance) and business (marketing) joined the curriculum in September 2022 — both offered either with or without a foundation year. A portfolio of three degree apprenticeships — in business-to-business sales, chartered management, and career development — has resulted in a steady increase in student numbers. More than 200 apprentices are expected to be signed up by September 2023. 

The leafy campus in historic Lincoln features two on-site halls of residence, one of them with modern teaching and learning facilities attached after a £2.2 million extension that doubled the teaching space. An extended library houses student advice and learning development teams.

At the heart of the campus is the Venue, mostly used as a theatre during the daytime by drama and performing arts students. By night it transforms into a cinema, with Dolby surround sound and the latest film releases. 

The campus grounds have a peace garden where students can relax. A round-the-clock mental health and wellbeing service has been introduced, linking students with counsellors over the phone or in structured sessions. The chaplaincy is another source of support.

Underpinned by the belief that every student has the right to consider higher education, BGU focuses its outreach work on school students in years 9-12. It provides presentations, campus visits and help with study skills. Students who complete the year 12 programme and apply to BGU qualify for a contextual offer under a reduced Ucas tariff — also extended to those from low-participation backgrounds and to those who have been in care.

About half of BGU’s 18-year-old applicants each year qualify for a contextual offer. The same proportion of entrants qualify for some form of financial help, such as bursaries or scholarships ranging from £600 to £3,600. A £150,000 budget annually supports students in need — including student parents and carers, mature students and those from low-income families. 

The university’s initiatives to widen participation pay dividends in our social inclusion ranking, where BGU is in the top four overall. Breaking down the figures, it is also fourth for recruiting students from areas with low take-up of higher education (28.2 per cent), in the top five for the number of students in receipt of Disability Support Allowance (15.9 per cent) and sixth for the recruitment of students who are the first in their family to attend university (60.7 per cent).  

BGU’s sports facilities include a sports hall, gym and acres of outdoor fields, offering opportunities to take part in activities from fitness classes and indoor tennis to hockey, volleyball and rugby.

All first-years are guaranteed student accommodation, although not necessarily on campus. The university has more than 300 spaces spread across Wickham Hall, Constance Stewart Hall and Cloud Houses.

A friendly city, Lincoln hasa more lively nightlife than you might think, boosted by the presence of the much larger University of Lincoln.