Progressive thinking abounds in the ivy-clad redbrick buildings of Hull, one of Britain’s oldest universities.  Founded in 1927 as University College Hull with only 39 students, the university is investing in its leafy campus on the outskirts of the city to become carbon-neutral by its centenary in 2027. It also invests in its undergraduates with financial help extended to one in four students (see below). The Chancellor’s Scholarship was introduced in 2024, providing a full fee waiver to ten undergraduates in any subject each year. 

Hull is the only university to become an official partner of Team GB. Such was the success of the initial six-year partnership, which ran until the Paris Games in 2024, that it was renewed for another four years — to include the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and the Los Angeles Games in 2028. The link has been a game-changer for students on and off the sports field, resulting in opportunities for them to volunteer, gain work experience and take part in study initiatives and motivational talks. It has also led to some inspirational athletes popping up on campus, including the star gymnast Max Whitlock.

What is the University of Hull’s reputation? 

Hull was rated gold overall in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) underpinned by gold for the student experience and silver for student outcomes. The university, which was rated silver in 2018, won praise for its “course content and delivery that inspires students to actively engage in and commit to their learning”. 

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 82 per cent of Hull’s submissions were assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, raising the university two places in our research quality index to 52nd. Since then, Hull has joined the Turing University Network, which unites researchers to work on global challenges in data science and AI, and it is leading the £2 million COAST-R project working to protect precarious coastal communities. A new research centre on offshore wind challenges is a joint enterprise with Durham, Loughborough and Sheffield universities while Hull’s partnership with the Salvation Army is focusing on tackling modern slavery.

As well as helping Team GB to chase its goals through its Olympics and Research Centre, the university has also teamed up with the rugby league side Hull FC to create the first Rugby and Education Hub. It offers work placements for students in sports science, coaching, analysis and media. 

Student satisfaction rates have shot up in our analysis of the National Student Survey, reflecting Hull’s consolidation of support services into a single location on campus and enhanced pastoral and academic support. The university ranks 25th in the UK for satisfaction with teaching quality (up from 50th in our previous edition) and 34th for the wider undergraduate experience (up 25 places).

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

Courses in diagnostic radiography, game design, and creative writing begin in 2025. American studies has been dropped from the curriculum. English language and English literature will be offered as separate degrees from now on with no joint honours option. Two more degree apprenticeships will begin in 2025, joining five healthcare programmes already in operation.

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

You need 104 to 128 Ucas tariff points for most degrees. Contextual offers reduce the requirements by up to 16 points if you qualify. Clearing places went to 12 per cent of entrants in 2023. Foundation year programmes require 80 Ucas tariff points. 

What are the graduate prospects?

Hull consistently occupies a middling position in our table, now ranking 58th based on the proportion in highly skilled work or postgraduate study 15 months on. The university helps students to find work placements in a wide range of organisations. 

The Westminster-Hull internship programme offers a year-long placement for politics students, producing a steady flow of graduates into the House of Commons.

What is the University of Hull campus like?

Everything is within a ten-minute walk on Hull’s self-contained campus, where a £200 million investment project is improving resources for a wide range of courses. Among the most recent developments is a data science, AI and modelling (DAIM) facility which houses a computational teaching space over two floors. Ten new virtual clinical environments, including live x-ray training rooms for the new diagnostic radiography course, are boosting provision for healthcare students. For sports scientists, there is a new strength and conditioning suite alongside the laboratories.

Hull’s media centre has facilities for augmented and virtual reality equipment, essential for games design, while criminology students have access to a crime scene investigation house for their studies. A Formula 1-standard racing car simulator is among the specialist facilities for engineering and a team from Hull races an electric single-seater at Silverstone.

The Hull York Medical School (shared with the University of York) is based at Hull’s £28 million health campus and offers a gateway year for students from underrepresented backgrounds.

The university has also established a postgraduate centre in Bloomsbury, central London, offering courses in business-related fields with three intakes per year.

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

The university’s art collection in the Brynmor Jones Library specialises in art in Britain between 1890-1940, and Middleton Hall is a versatile 400-seat cultural venue on campus. There is also the Gulbenkian Centre, the base for teaching drama, which has a theatre attached. Partnerships with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera North are among links which provide opportunities for internships, volunteering and masterclasses. 

The city’s nightlife exceeds expectations for some, although it may not compare with bigger cities. Hull’s ferry links make a weekend getaway to Amsterdam or Bruges easy. Asylum — Hull’s on-campus nightclub — is fresh from a glow-up that has refurbished the bar, redesigned the dancefloor and improved the lighting. 

Sports provision is world class at Hull: artificial and grass pitches, six international-standard squash courts, an indoor arena and a 120-station fitness gym are among the facilities open to all.

Any student who is struggling to cope can turn to the mental health and wellbeing team for a one-to-one appointment — or time with a therapy dog. There are self-help tools available online and in-the-moment support is provided around the clock by a student assistance programme.

What do the students say?

"I was drawn in by the incredible facilities, the friendly community of staff and students, and the feeling that both the university and the city are vibrant places to be. I’ve been involved in so many projects and had so many fun opportunities that helped me gain valuable skills and contacts that will help me develop a career."
Chloe Fenton, Hull students' union president, and education and music graduate

What about student accommodation at the University of Hull?

First-years are guaranteed a room if they apply by October 1. Shared live-and-learn spaces are being introduced in the Courtyard halls of residence on campus.  

How diverse and inclusive is the University of Hull?

Hull performs well in our social inclusion index, where it ranks 10th overall. Based in a region with comparatively low participation in higher education, the university succeeds in recruiting the third-highest proportion of students from deprived areas, and 55.1 per cent of students are the first in their family to go to university (20th).

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

As well as the Chancellor’s Scholarship, which provides a full fee waiver to ten undergraduates in any subject each year, merit-based awards greet students who excel in maths and sport. Six bursaries of £2,400 per year are given to medical students from low-income households and one £10,000 scholarship paid over three years goes to an economics undergraduate from a low-income background. LGBT students with a disability or household income below £25,000 may qualify for £1,000 through the Jeremy Round scholarship, in memory of the Hull alumnus, cookery writer and journalist, or via the Attitude Magazine foundation scholarship. Sanctuary scholarships and bursaries for care leavers add to Hull’s generous provision.