The Potteries institution with an eye for innovation, Staffordshire’s latest development is a competitive esports facility at the main Stoke-on-Trent campus. Computer games degrees have been on the curriculum for more than 20 years and in 2018 it became the first UK university to introduce esports as a degree. From a £2.7 million investment, the esports arena features player desks and audience seating, networked with a broadcast studio. 

The university has built a reputation for practice-based learning across the academic disciplines, coining its approach “simmersive” to reflect the immersive experiences in simulated facilities on campus. At the forefront of widening participation in higher education, Staffordshire moves seven places up our social inclusion index, to rank fourth in England and Wales. The university recruits more than a quarter of its intake from deprived areas and has a strong retention rate.

What is Staffordshire University’s reputation? 

Staffordshire, a university since 1992, is now based at campuses in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and London. It was rated triple silver in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), overall and for the student experience and student outcomes. The most popular subjects were computing, followed by creative arts and design, and nursing and midwifery. Staffordshire ranked as high as 53rd in our guide only five years ago, but a further eight-place fall takes it to rank 101 this year. Faltering rates of student satisfaction account for much of its decline. In our analysis of the National Student Survey, it has dropped to 114= for undergraduates’ evaluation of teaching quality (down 63 places). A 33-place fall has sunk Staffordshire to the bottom ten UK universities for the student experience. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) submission, 68 per cent of Staffordshire’s was rated world-leading or internationally excellent — a leap from the 37 per cent that achieved these top standards in the previous REF 2014. In our research quality index, Staffordshire ranks 30th, 55 places up from 85= last year. 

Extensive higher and degree apprenticeship provision encompasses nine earn-while-you-learn programmes with nearly 2,500 trainees enrolled across areas that include police constable, social worker and chartered manager. Another eight are due to launch, including paramedic and digital user experience.

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

Ending in September 2024 are degrees in humanitarian archaeology; surface pattern and textile design (part-time); and fine art (part-time). Foundation years have been dropped from a range of creative and media courses. Staffordshire is introducing degrees in artificial intelligence; cloud computing; software development; and cybersecurity.

What are the entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?

Staffordshire’s Ucas tariff band ranges from 112 to 128 points. The number of students starting courses in 2023 rose more sharply, by about 19 per cent, with more than 5,000 new undergraduates admitted onto courses, nearly 23 per cent through clearing.

What are the graduate prospects?

Digital skills badges, extracurricular micro credits and industry internships are among the career-boosting opportunities. Graduate employers include games studios, Amazon and Bentley as well as the education and healthcare sectors. Staffordshire graduates’ recorded improved progress in the latest Graduate Outcomes survey, our analysis shows, and with 73.7 per cent in high-skilled jobs or further study 15 months on from their degrees, Staffordshire ranks 80= for graduate prospects, an 18-place hike.

What is Staffordshire University’s campus like?

The main campus in Stoke-on-Trent is in the heart of the university quarter, which forms a gateway to the city. The Catalyst building is the base for apprenticeship and skills training. The £4.4 million Woodlands Day Nursery and Forest School has learning spaces enhanced with digital technology as well as access to a nature reserve. A new flexible simulation suite at Stoke-on-Trent provides suites replicating community settings such as living rooms, a bedsit and a custody suite. These join the simulated hospital wards on the campus. The Centre for Health Innovation in Stafford has one of the world’s largest immersive and interactive suites. Fitted with technology that can alter real-world settings, the learning space can change from a patient’s home or hospital to an airport or store. 

Further south, the university has doubled the size of its Here East London campus near Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with a £3.5 million extension. Courses in London specialise in technology-focused degrees such as gaming, computer science and cybersecurity. A satellite campus at Lichfield, with an integrated further and higher education centre, is a base for primary teacher training. 

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

The Sir Stanley Matthews sports centre on the Stoke campus is close to university accommodation and includes a gym, grass and synthetic pitches, a sports hall and a strength and conditioning suite.

The Stoke campus is close to the city’s theatre venues, cinemas and eateries. In Stafford, the university has partnered with the Gatehouse Theatre, providing opportunities for students to get involved behind the scenes. On campus, students’ union venues offer drinks, club nights and places to eat, while the Hanley area is known for clubbing and nearby Newcastle-under-Lyme for its pubs.

Students can access wellbeing support face-to-face or remotely. Out-of-hours provision and crisis support are on hand too, as is the online Togetherall platform. Students may prefer to talk to a peer mentor who specialises in mental health.

What do the students say?

"Staffordshire’s vibrant and supportive culture makes it stand out. From the state-of-the-art facilities to the innovative and applied learning approach, academic excellence and practical expertise are ingrained.”
Olayemi Ajiteru, students’ union president and cybersecurity master’s graduate

What about student accommodation?

University-owned halls at the Stoke-on-Trent campus are not far from the teaching and sport facilities. A new student village is due to open in 2026 at the Leek Road site in Stoke-on-Trent, adding more than 700 student rooms. The Clarice Cliff accommodation is being upgraded too. Students who make Staffordshire their firm choice and apply for accommodation before the end of August  are guaranteed a room.

How diverse and inclusive is Staffordshire University?

Staffordshire’s efforts to promote social mobility demonstrate considerable success. As well as the high proportion of students who come from deprived areas, six in ten students come from families where the parents did not go to university and white working-class boys (one of the most underrepresented groups in UK higher education) represent one in ten of the student intake. Once enrolled there is financial help of up to £1,000 from the Horizon Fund Employability Award, which supports students to secure an employability-related opportunity that they would otherwise miss.

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

About 1,200 new entrants access some type of financial help in their first year, more than in previous years due to new £750 “cost of living” scholarships for students from households with lower incomes and bursaries for adult nursing students. The Denise Coates Foundation, a charity founded by the Stoke-based co-chief executive of the gambling giant Bet365, has funded bursaries for Staffordshire students for the past decade. The cash bursary of up to £3,500 over three years is for local students who meet widening participation criteria.