The UK’s only “island city” — separated from the mainland by the Portsea creek — is a draw for students who like the idea of studying by the seaside on the south coast. The University of Portsmouth is among a minority to reach the top half of our main academic table (55th) while achieving a similar ranking in our social inclusion index (52nd). Under a partnership with King’s College London (KCL), the first medical students enrolled at Portsmouth in August 2024 — a long-held ambition for the university. The four-year course, with graduate entry for the first cohort of 54 students, will result in a medical degree awarded by KCL. The scheme is an expansion of a longstanding partnership with KCL in which the London university’s dental students work with Portsmouth’s to enhance their collective clinical experience. Portsmouth’s new northeast London branch campus in Waltham Forest opened in 2023 and launched its first undergraduate courses in September 2024. 

What is the University of Portsmouth’s reputation? 

Portsmouth earned gold overall in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), underpinned by gold for the student experience and silver for student outcomes. The TEF panel said Portsmouth showed outstanding tailored “approaches that are highly effective in ensuring its students succeed in and progress beyond their studies”.

The institution’s roots can be traced to the Portsmouth and Gosport School of Science and Art, established in 1870. University status came in 1992. A growing focus on research paid off in Portsmouth’s results in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) which moved the university into the top half of our research quality index (61st). Physics led the way with 100 per cent of its REF submission rated world-leading or internationally excellent. 

Student feedback shows that the university must be doing something right. Our analysis of the National Student Survey (NSS 2024) ranks Portsmouth 28= for teaching quality and 23= for the broad experience — both an improvement since our previous edition — and helps raise the university ten places in our main academic league table. 

Like much of the higher education sector, Portsmouth has been hit by financial troubles. In March 2024 the university announced redundancies as part of an “academic reset” and faculties may be merged further down the line. 

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

New for 2024 entry are degrees in global dispute resolution; construction management (top-up); fashion communication; psychological sciences; geoinformatics; geomatics; survey engineering; and mathematics with machine learning. At the time of writing, no degrees were scheduled to close in 2024 or 2025.

Portsmouth’s new London campus introduced four undergraduate programmes for 2024 entry in business and management; economics, finance and banking; marketing; and computer science. The ambition is to have 5,000 students in the capital by 2029, with a full range of academic faculties.

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

With new entrants averaging 115 Ucas points Portsmouth is just outside the top 100 for entry standards. Applications for 2023 entry continued a ten-year downward trend. Just under 20,000 applied, about 40 per cent lower than in 2014. In 2023, 4155 undergraduates were accepted onto courses, a 15 per cent drop year-on-year. Portsmouth did not supply its clearing figures.

What are the graduate prospects?

Three-quarters (75.1 per cent) of leavers had highly skilled jobs or had returned to study 15 months after finishing their degree, the latest Graduate Outcomes survey found, ranking Portsmouth 68= for graduate prospects. New entrants will benefit from the “connected degrees” approach, a UK first, which allows students to take a work placement year at any stage, rather than after the second year, the current norm. They will even be able to take a year’s work placement at the end of their degree programme. 

What is the University of Portsmouth campus like?

A £250 million development programme is set to transform the main city campus over the next decade. Much of the university’s recent investment has gone towards simulation facilities to give students hands-on training. Healthcare students, for example, learn to dispense medicines in a pharmacy and to treat NHS patients at a dental clinic. At the £7 million Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality, students have access to the latest XR technologies. The Guildhall campus has a remodelled library and hosts the Future Technology Centre. 

The London campus has good transport links in one of the capital’s most diverse areas. Portsmouth also has a University Centre in Basingstoke, offering professional courses in partnership with the University of Reading.

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

Halls of residence are near the Southsea seafront, known for its quirky shops and lively social scene. Facilities at the £57 million Ravelin Sports Centre include a ski simulator as well as squash courts and a 175-station fitness centre. There is also an eight-lane 25m swimming pool and a climbing wall from the basement to the roof. The smaller Langstone campus, on the outskirts of Portsmouth, is dedicated to outdoor sport. The university has more than 35 competitive sports clubs, from athletics to sailing. Portsmouth also has a volunteering programme that offers opportunities such as youth and adult coaching and refereeing.

Support for students begins before they even start their studies through the Get Connected event in September. Beyond enrolment, students can self-refer online to advisers and counsellors through the  wellbeing service.

What do the students say?

“Near the sea and in a city, the student experience at Portsmouth is thriving. Walks by the seafront are a personal favourite of mine, while at the Students’ Union we partner with the university to improve services for students and make sure their voices are heard. Our tie-ins with local organisations add to life on campus — from vintage clothing sales to bubble tea giveaways.”
Dan Ummu-Salamah, elected development officer 2024-25

What about student accommodation at the University of Portsmouth?

New students who apply by the June deadline and make Portsmouth their firm choice are guaranteed accommodation. Places in halls are allocated in the order they are received, so early applications pay off. 

How diverse and inclusive is the University of Portsmouth?

Nine out of ten undergraduates are from non-selective state schools and Portsmouth ranks 21= for recruitment figures for white working-class males, the most underrepresented group in higher education. The university set up a multi-academy trust in 2022, bringing together two primary schools in the city and one in nearby Gosport. 

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

Financial support includes a £750-a-year bursary for all students with a household income of less than £25,000. Portsmouth Football Club contributes one scholarship of £3,000 a year for students from low-income homes in the city and the Isle of Wight to raise aspirations and awareness of higher education. Portsmouth’s sport scholarship is awarded to about 20 talented athletes a year and is worth between £2,000 and £6,000, plus strength and conditioning sessions, physiotherapy and sports massages as well as academic support.