International experiences are part of Coventry’s ethos, with overseas opportunities for UK students ranging from field trips to a semester or year abroad studying, working or both.  

An overhaul of undergraduate provision for the September 2023 cohort has increased teaching and learning hours in the first year of courses and enhanced hands-on experiences. A “common first year” is being introduced to enable students to mix and learn with those from other related courses. There will be an option to switch courses at the end of the first year. 

Success coaches have been introduced, working one-to-one and identifying where students might need extra support. Students continue to give their university the thumbs-up in the National Student Survey (NSS). In our analysis of the latest NSS results, Coventry ranks in the top 20 for student satisfaction with teaching quality (18=) and the wider undergraduate experience (16th), improving on top-25 rankings in 2021. 

The university was awarded gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework for “consistently outstanding” student support services, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, which aid retention and progression. It has won plaudits in our guide as well, having scooped our Modern University of the Year award three times between 2014 and 2016, and University of the Year for Student Experience in 2018. Coventry was also shortlisted for our University of the Year 2021. 

At the city centre campus a £64 million redevelopment of facilities at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities will give students access to a hyper-studio for cross-disciplinary projects and immersive studios with virtual and mixed-reality technologies. Scheduled to open fully in early 2023, it will also bring high-quality workshops for film, photography, printmaking, metal and ceramic fibre clay among other creative disciplines. 

It follows the opening in 2020 of the Beatrice Shilling Building for the Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing and a revamp of the Lanchester library. The university’s Starley Gardens open-air urban space was unveiled in May 2021, its pedestrian areas and landscape gardens enabling events to take place year-round. A Bloomberg trading floor, hospitality suite and fashion studio are among facilities at the London campuses.

The curriculum is growing across the UK campuses: degrees in health and social care at Greenwich, sport performance and coaching at Scarborough and architectural engineering, philosophy and forensic science at Coventry are among 28 new options. Coventry offers 42 apprenticeships from levels 4 to 7, with about 2,000 learners on level 6 (degree) and 7 (postgraduate) programmes. Options cover roles in business and administration, care services, construction, digital, education and childcare, engineering and manufacturing, environmental, health and science, legal, finance and accounting, and protective services. 

There was evidence that Coventry’s investment in research had paid off in the results of the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), in which 70 per cent of its submission was classed as world-leading or internationally excellent, the top two categories. The best results were in architecture; education; linguistics; and communication and media studies. The university rises 35 places from 108= to 73rd in our research quality index on the back of considerable improvement since the previous national assessment in 2014, when 61 per cent of its submission reached the top two categories. Coventry has expanded its research centres, increased research and doctoral staff and developed purpose-built facilities. 

Coventry ranks 74= for graduate prospects, based on the proportion of graduates in highly skilled work or further study within 15 months.

More than 60 per cent of Coventry’s students are from ethnic minorities, a top-20 ranking, while the university is steady in 56th place on our measures of social inclusion overall.

The university’s indoor Sport and Recreation Centre in Coventry city centre features a dance studio, two sports halls and a fitness suite among its resources. Students can access the Westwood Heath outdoor facilities, five miles away by public transport. 

Applicants who make Coventry their firm choice and request accommodation by mid-July are guaranteed a room in halls of residence. 

All students can take part in a training course called I Heart Consent, delivered in sexual health and guidance week. Support for mental wellbeing is extensive, ranging from one-to-one appointments with counsellors to a harassment reporting team.

Student-oriented nightlife creates a lively atmosphere in Coventry, while the £14 million Scarborough seaside campus is close to beaches and the North Yorkshire Moors.