On the banks of the River Nene, Northampton’s £300 million Waterside Campus has been the university’s home since 2018. Its modern setting befits one of the UK’s youngest universities, which gained full status in 2005. Courses have a practical, industry-focused edge and the university aims to banish digital poverty by giving all full-time UK undergraduates entering in 2025 a free laptop.
Everyone gets £500 credit to spend on campus catering too, or the same amount discounted from their accommodation costs. Added to that, Northampton students won’t miss a compulsory course trip due to expenses — because the university picks up the bill for their travel and accommodation. Generous financial help also includes cash bursaries in year two, which give a boost to students from low-income backgrounds who stick with their studies beyond their first year.
What is the University of Northampton’s reputation?
A seven-place improvement in our main academic ranking is helped by a higher proportion of Northampton students achieving 2:1 or a first in their degree, and much improved student satisfaction with teaching quality — with Northampton up 30 places to 51= in our analysis of the National Student Survey. This is matched by a triple silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023). It fares less positively for the broad student experience however (94=, a ten-place decline), and Northampton’s continuation rate remains a sticking point, with only 84.3 per cent of new students still studying one year later.
Even though the university increased the size of its submission to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), it fell into the bottom ten in our research quality rating, against bigger gains at other universities.
Northampton is among the many universities looking to make cost savings to balance their books, and has proposed a restructuring, called the Resilience & Institutional Sustainability Exercise, which aims to save nearly £13 million by 2029.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
Apprenticeship versions of nursing, physiotherapy and management degrees are new for 2025, as well as courses in physiotherapy; acting for stage and screen; graphic design; and hospitality management. A BA in criminal justice begins in 2026.
Degrees ending in 2025 are politics and international relations; film and screen studies; economics; and sports management and leadership, while some courses in various areas including fine art, acting, computer networks engineering and events management have been renamed and merged.
What are the University of Northampton’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Courses typically ask for BBB to BCC. Contextual offers, typically DDD and made to applicants who meet widening participation criteria, applied to about 10 per cent of admissions in 2024. Approximately 17 per cent of new starters arrived through clearing.
What are the graduate prospects?
Each year 3,500 students undertake a placement every year as part of their course with over 800 organisations in healthcare, education, business and marketing. In our analysis of the national Graduate Outcomes survey Northampton is 101st, based on 69.7 per cent of leavers in highly skilled jobs or postgraduate study within 15 months.
The Northampton Employment Promise guarantees an internship of at least three months or a postgraduate course to any graduates who have not found full-time work within a year of graduating with at least a 2:2 degree or Higher National Diploma.
What is the University of Northampton’s campus like?
Northampton moved to its £300 million Waterside campus in 2018. A few minutes’ walk from the town centre, the 58-acre campus is located along the River Nene on a former brownfield site. At its centre is a four-storey Learning Hub where large lecture theatres have been replaced by classrooms for up to 40 people and smaller lecture spaces.
When can I visit?
northampton.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about the University of Northampton’s student life and wellbeing support
The students’ union occupies a prominent spot on campus and the expanded Waterside Bar & Restaurant has gaming areas and social spaces. There are cycleways surrounded by open parkland, linking the campus to the town and the Platform, a students’ union venue housing a nightclub, bar and café.
The university’s sports dome is used for teaching as well as recreation, and there is a pavilion as well as outdoor games areas and an artificial pitch. Student sports clubs are free. The Active Campus initiative features a mile-long trim trail, table tennis tables, table football, and lawn games such as badminton or boules. Leisure facilities are shared with the local community.
Students can access counselling, mental health advice and drop-in support.
What do the students say?
“The teaching is practical and industry-focused, with lecturers who bring real-world experience to the classroom. Opportunities such as placements, guest speakers, and live projects help prepare you for a future career. Beyond academics, students thrive in clubs, societies and events that make it easier to meet others and explore. It’s a place where you’re encouraged to grow, challenge yourself and feel genuinely supported.”
Alex Boden, third-year esports student
What about student accommodation at the University of Northampton?
All new full-time students are guaranteed a room in halls, either on or within five minutes' walk of the campus in the town centre or, for those who prefer, about five miles away with a shuttle bus link. While the university can accommodate all first years, in practice only about 60 per cent choose to live in halls.
How diverse and inclusive is the University of Northampton?
Initiatives aimed at widening participation include campus visits for pupils from primary-school age to post-16, and there is tailored support for mature students, who represent more than a fifth of entrants. In our social inclusion index Northampton is joint 18th for its high proportion of students from non-selective state schools (96.4 per cent) and joint 41st overall in England and Wales.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Northampton
About two thirds (67 per cent) of new entrants qualify for some form of financial assistance. Awards include fully funded accommodation for students who have left care or who are estranged from their families, and £1,500 scholarships to undergraduates from the area.
There are £500-a-year bursaries for students of environmental science; computing; or engineering and scholarships for students aged over 21.
Student carers can apply for up to £2,000, and there are also awards for care leavers and estranged students. The £2,000 John Lowe Scholarship is open for applications from first-year undergraduates of degrees in accounting and finance, while the Sir Thomas White scholarship is worth £4,500 over three years and open to students who are local residents.
