The sporting tradition has gone full circle at St Mary’s, where facilities include the Sir Mo Farah Athletics Track, named after the Olympian long-distance runner and St Mary’s alumnus, to a new esports arena, which is kitted out with 60 high-performance gaming machines, a stage and a 217-inch video wall, part of a £3 million investment in computer science facilities. The university’s strength in sport and exercise science is long established, and the St Mary’s Endurance and Performance Centre (EPC) offers an elite training setup, with 14 of its athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
The 35-acre campus near the River Thames in Twickenham is home to a new student venue, the 1850, which has a bar, pool room and terrace areas, and it is only 40 minutes from central London.
What is St Mary’s University, Twickenham’s reputation?
The university was founded in 1850 to train teachers and its School of Education maintains that ethos — holding Ofsted’s top rating since 2011. St Mary’s was awarded silver overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), with gold for the student experience and silver for student outcomes.
The university ranks 87th in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), with sport and theology the leading subject areas. A relatively low proportion of students achieving firsts and 2.1s (67.9 per cent) holds the university back in our main academic ranking, as do its lower entry standards.
Student satisfaction is typically St Mary’s strongest suit, but feedback cooled in the latest National Student Survey: the university has gone from ranking ninth for feedback on teaching quality to 36= and from 16= for the wider experience to 58=, based on our analysis of the survey.
It moved to a three-faculty structure from 2023, focusing on business and law; education, theology and the arts; and sport, technology and health sciences.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
St Mary’s is offering psychology with counselling from September 2025, and from 2026 will welcome students (initially international only) to its new school of medicine. No courses have been listed for withdrawal.
What are St Mary’s University, Twickenham’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Applications and enrolments to St Mary’s have been fairly consistent over the past decade. Entry standards are inclusive, with new students averaging 108 Ucas tariff points.
What are the graduate prospects?
Our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey shows 79.8 per cent of St Mary’s graduates were in high-skilled jobs or postgraduate study 15 months after finishing their degrees, which puts it in the top 50 (42nd). Students benefit from a range of collaborations with industry and it has partnerships with the Chelsea Football Club Foundation and the Royal Ballet Company.
What is St Mary’s University, Twickenham’s campus like?
The Student Heart development, which opened last year, has social and study spaces, a roof terrace and an upgraded student bar. Its computer science, physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation facilities have also been recently upgraded. A computer science suite and upgraded facilities for physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation were added in 2023. The university has a community building, the Exchange, in Twickenham, which includes a theatre, and offers courses for residents and companies, plus teaching space.
At the Teddington Lock sports campus, the university’s facilities are used for fixtures organised by British Universities and Colleges Sport (Bucs) as well as lectures.
A postgraduate facility in Edinburgh offers programmes in theology and education.
When can I visit?
stmarys.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about St Mary’s University, Twickenham’s student life and wellbeing support
St Mary’s has 20 competitive sports clubs that take advantage of the fantastic facilities on offer including a fitness and conditioning suite as well as two rugby pitches, the athletics track and grounds at Teddington Lock.
Also on campus is Strawberry Hill House — built by Horace Walpole in the 18th century and said to be Britain’s finest example of Georgian gothic revival architecture — which is home to a fine art collection.
Students can seek help from mental health advisers — with links to community services — as well as counselling and the 24/7 Togetherall online support platform. St Mary’s has made sexual consent training mandatory, as well as sessions on hate incidents, bullying and harassment, alcohol and drugs, and bystander intervention.
What do the students say?
“The beautiful campus quickly felt like home, and living on campus made everything so convenient, from classes to social life. I love the surrounding area, it’s vibrant, safe and full of charm. What truly stands out, though, is the personal connection with lecturers who genuinely care. St Mary‘s isn’t just a university — it’s a community!”
Mara Kurth, first-year law student (LLB)
What about student accommodation at St Mary’s University, Twickenham?
First-years who apply before the June deadline are guaranteed a room. Almost all St Mary’s rooms in halls are catered — highly unusual among UK universities — and all are on campus.
How diverse and inclusive is St Mary’s University, Twickenham?
St Mary’s draws 94.9 per cent its students from non-selective state schools, putting it 38th on that metric, and (33.2 per cent are from ethnic minority backgrounds (53rd). More than half (55.3 per cent) are aged over 21 when they enrol. But with relatively few students from low participation areas, and a black awarding gap that ranks it 89= St Mary’s has fallen outside the upper half of our social inclusion index, to 82nd place.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at St Mary’s University, Twickenham
The St Mary’s Bursary is worth £2,000 a year for students from low-income households, and those who have been in care or are estranged from their families are eligible for a £3,000 annual bursary.
Sport scholarships are in three tiers depending on an applicant’s competition level: gold for senior international; silver, junior international/national; or bronze, county/regional. They are worth up to £2,000 and include free gym membership, nutrition and psychology support and access to the strength and conditioning suite and massage clinic
There are also organ and choral scholarships.
