Students at Bolton tend to be among the most satisfied with their time at university. Year after year, their feedback in the National Student Survey (NSS) has kept the university in the top ranks of our analysis for teaching quality and for the wider undergraduate experience. The high rates of student satisfaction were also reflected in a gold for student experience in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) leading to an overall silver. 

Helping to create contentment, the northwest university – two stops on the train from Manchester city centre – operates a Life Lounge on campus where a team of mental health professionals provide support to students. A technology-enabled approach is being boosted across campus too, giving students access to more virtual meetings and streamlined remote support, while at the new £40 million Institute of Medical Science at the Bolton Royal Hospital site, virtual queuing and electronic check-in platforms are among the high-tech fixtures.

A proposed name change to the University of Greater Manchester, reflecting its presences in Trafford, central Manchester and Wigan as well as its home town, has been controversial, and has yet to be green-lighted.

What is the University of Bolton’s reputation? 

Founded as the Bolton Mechanics Institute in 1824, it changed its name to the Bolton Institute of Higher Education in 1982 and university status was approved in 2004. Bolton was commended for embedding “outstanding teaching, feedback and assessment practices that are tailored to the needs of its students,” as well as the use of “research and employer engagement to contribute to a very high quality experience for its students”. However, the TEF panel awarded only bronze for student outcomes, reflecting the university’s above-benchmark dropout rate, although assessors noted that Bolton “effectively supports its students to succeed in and progress beyond their studies”.  

But our latest NSS analysis shows a step down from its usual form for Bolton: the university has slipped from 12th to 38th for satisfaction with teaching quality and from 15th to 62nd for the wider undergraduate experience.

Research facilities at the university include the Centre for Islamic Finance and the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering, which incorporates the renowned Centre for Advanced Performance Engineering (Cape) training base. The university helps to run a professional motor racing team in conjunction with a motorsports company. Students work and learn alongside its engineers and mechanics as they study for degrees in automotive performance engineering or motorsport technology.  

In the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), Bolton submitted a broader body of work from a third more academics compared with the previous national assessment in 2014. English and engineering produced the best results. However, as results improved across the sector, Bolton fell 16 places to 129th in our research quality rankings.

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

An expanding curriculum has gained more than 20 new degrees over the past two years – among them a number of psychology-based courses, artificial intelligence and biomedical science. Another four launch in 2025: practical creature and character effects (with or without a foundation), renewable energy engineering, and business management with industrial placement.

What are the University of Bolton’s entry requirements – and my chances of getting in?

For three-year degrees offers start at 96 Ucas tariff points, while foundation degrees entry may be gained from 48 points in the Ucas tariff. Bolton’s highest entry requirements are 120 Ucas points. The university does not make contextual offers. Nearly four in ten (38 per cent) of new entrants in 2023 gained their places via clearing.

What are the graduate prospects? 

Bolton has leapt 26 places to 71= for graduate prospects compared with our previous edition, according to the latest Graduate Outcomes survey. Fifteen months after completing their degrees, 74.8 per cent of Bolton graduates were in high-skilled jobs or continuing their studies, up from 73 per cent last year.

Getting students ready for the world of work is a longstanding focus at Bolton. Its degree programmes in special effects, for instance, are connected with some of the biggest SFX houses in the world, associated with Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel and James Bond films. 

Bolton’s careers service has an employer engagement team, which works with local, regional and national employers to source work placements, live project briefs and internships for students, and advertises graduate job vacancies.

The University Graduate Attribute Matrix for Employability (Game) is embedded within the curriculum, with the aim of equipping graduates with a competitive edge in the job market.

The university merged with the local further education provider Bolton College in 2018 and owns Alliance Learning, one of the northwest’s largest independent apprenticeship training providers.

What is the University of Bolton campus like?

The main Deane campus houses the £31 million Bolton One health, leisure and research centre and the Greater Manchester Business School. Bolton has also established an outpost in Salford through a training partnership. Much further afield, a campus at Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates has 700 students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Everything you need to know about the University of Bolton’s student life and wellbeing support

On-campus facilities at the Bolton One development include a multisports hall, climbing wall and a sports and spinal injuries clinic, as well as a 25m competition swimming pool and a hydrotherapy pool, fitness suite and community gym. There are also competition-level trampolines. Students also have access to outdoor pursuits such as kayaking and paddleboarding at the university’s Anderton Centre. Off-campus, a partnership with Bolton Arena means that students can use its facilities at Middlebrook.

At Bolton’s Life Lounge on campus, a team of mental health professionals provide support to students. They also have access to the Togetherall online support service 24/7, while therapeutic services include counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy.

What do the students say?

“The combination of our tailored academic strategies and supportive community creates an exceptional environment for personal and professional growth. Our community's values inspire students to excel and transform into the best versions of themselves.”
Uchenna Victor Moses, students' union president and international management graduate 

What about student accommodation at the University of Bolton?

The 383 rooms available in Bolton’s Orlando Village are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The majority of Bolton students live locally and commute to university.

How diverse and inclusive is the University of Bolton university?

Widening participation in higher education among underrepresented groups is a guiding tenet at Bolton, which features in the top ten of our social inclusion index: six in ten entrants are the first in their family to go to university, around two in ten are from deprived areas and seven in ten students are aged over 21 when they enrol (eighth) according to the latest available data.

Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Bolton

Students who have served for at least three years in the armed forces since their 18th birthday qualify for an award of £500 a year for three years. Bursaries for students who have lived in care are worth up to £3,000. 

There are progression scholarships of £500 per academic year for students who were at one of the university’s group partners.