A leading light among the UK’s modern universities, Northumbria continues to drive social mobility and provide a higher education bedrock to the northeast’s talent pipeline. Students are based at two campuses in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (City and Coach Lane) and can access nearly 200 undergraduate programmes. The city’s affordability, friendliness and legendary nightlife are key to its appeal. 

What is Northumbria University’s reputation? 

The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2025, Northumbria’s six-place rise in our new academic table is boosted by increasing student satisfaction: our analysis of the latest National Student Survey puts it 68= for students’ evaluation of teaching quality and 55= for the wider experience (up 14 places and 30 places respectively). The biggest university in the northeast, it rose six places in our research quality index to 58th, based on our analysis of the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). Sport and exercise science, English language and literature, and geography and environmental studies did best.

Among recent advances in its research capacity, Northumbria has become one of 12 UK Centres for Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence, with an award of more than £9 million to create the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Citizen-Centred Artificial Intelligence. Powered by investments totalling £25 million from the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin UK Space, Northumbria is developing the £50 million North East Space Skills and Technology centre on the City campus. Renewable energy has had a boost via almost £11.5 million funding to create ReNU+, an extension of the existing ReNU centre, run by Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham universities. 

Northumbria is a pioneer of degree apprenticeships. It offers more than 20 programmes, with about 2,100 students enrolled across the fields of building, business, education, engineering, policing, law, nursing and social sciences. With a view to helping to speed up the process of nurses joining the NHS front line, the university has doubled the size of its nursing competence centre in a £2 million expansion. 

When awarding Northumbria a silver rating overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), the judging panel reserved gold for the student outcomes aspect of the assessment, along with another silver for the student experience. 

What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?

From September 2024 the university has closed its degrees in mass communication (including pathways with public relations and advertising); and evidence-based psychological therapy (parenting intervention). Launching in September 2025 are a degree apprenticeship in social work and a degree in digital design. Also new are degrees in film; product design; media and communication; furniture and product design; business and entrepreneurship. 

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

Applicants need from 112 Ucas tariff points to 128 points to gain entry to degree courses. The university’s successful pilot of a contextual offers scheme (which knocks eight Ucas points off the standard requirements) has extended its eligibility criteria. Almost 5,900 first-years were accepted onto courses in 2023, 11 per cent of those based at the Newcastle campus having gained their places through clearing.

What are the graduate prospects?

More than 60 per cent of Northumbria graduates progress into jobs in the northeast, cementing the university’s proud record of producing more highly skilled employees in the region than any other university. Almost four in five (78.4 per cent) of graduates were in high-skilled jobs or postgraduate study 15 months after leaving according to our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey (50th), showing stability — Northumbria ranked 50th for this metric last year. The university calls upon employers and professional bodies to sponsor or accredit its programmes and it has committed to give all on-campus undergraduates access to experiential learning by the end of its Strategy 2030 period — which will include business clinics, live projects, degree apprenticeships, placements and research opportunities.

What is Northumbria University’s campus like?

In the heart of Newcastle, the City campus has had a £200 million upgrade over the past decade. The Coach Lane campus, three miles away, houses the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Further afield, the university has a base in London and offers courses in Amsterdam in partnership with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. There is a £30 million Sport Central facility, and nearly 30 competitive teams compete in British Universities and Colleges Sport (Bucs) fixtures, where their successes put Northumbria in the UK top 30 of the overall points table for 2023-24.

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

The Sport Central development at the City site was refurbished in 2019 and has a pool, sports science laboratories, sports halls and a 3,000-seat arena. The cultural centre of the northeast, Newcastle’s arts organisations include Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, and the university has its own Gallery North for exhibitions. Beyond the clubs and pubs, Blue Flag Tynemouth beach is a Metro journey from the city.

A multidisciplinary counselling and mental health team offers face-to-face, online or phone appointments and a 24/7 helpline. There is an initiative for addressing bullying, discrimination, harassment, religious hate incidents and sexual misconduct — through anonymous reports online. 

What do the students say?

“The quality of teaching on my course led me to pursuing a PHd and I’ve made friends through extracurricular activities like musical theatre and sport. Newcastle is still one of the more affordable places to be a student and to get around easily and cheaply, with the coast and countryside nearby.”
Liv Bird, students’ union vice-president, education and English literature graduate

What about student accommodation at Northumbria University?

Accommodation is guaranteed for all undergraduates who apply by June 30. Northumbria has more than 3,100 places in halls and weekly rents start at £116.62.

How diverse and inclusive is Northumbria University?

Located in the region with the lowest take-up of higher education in the UK, Northumbria succeeds in drawing 18 per cent of its intake of students from areas of low participation (27th). For recruitment of white working-class boys (the most underrepresented group in higher education) it places 15= and ranks 62= in our social inclusion index, its overall position held back by recruiting among the least ethnically diverse intakes (10.7 per cent, 102nd).

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at Northumbria University

British students may qualify for one of 35 Northumbria Undergraduate UK scholarships, worth £4,000 in the first year. There are also subject-specific awards and bursaries of £2,000 for care leavers, carers and estranged undergraduates. Students at the Amsterdam campus qualify for discounted fees and there are international scholarships of up to £5,000 available to eligible students from overseas.