Salford students are based at three campuses — Peel Park (the main base), Frederick Road and MediaCity. Peel Park is only a 20-minute walk from Manchester city centre — or ten minutes from the university’s own train station, Salford Crescent.
Expansion is the goal of the university’s Campus Connectivity Plan. Education, industry and innovation will be fused in three flagship facilities: the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology for training in construction, engineering, health and digital fields; a health building to house podiatry, prosthetics and orthotics, sports rehabilitation, occupational therapy and sport science courses; and an acoustics building where researchers will carry forward the university’s 60-year strength in the field.
Salford’s courses prioritise work experience placements and incorporate live briefs from experts to boost employability. The institution is 54= in our graduate prospects index.
The university has shot up 17 places in our social inclusion rankings into 28th place, driven in part by its successful recruitment of students from areas with low take-up in higher education (17.8 per cent, 26=). Nipping between campuses is free for students on the No 50 bus. Some of Britain’s best opportunities to enjoy sport, culture, shopping, music and nightlife are there for the taking.
What is the University of Salford’s reputation?
Salford is in 72nd place of our main academic ranking for the second year in a row. There was a strong performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) in which 78 per cent of its submissions were rated world-leading or internationally excellent — helping the university to reach 67th place in our research quality index.
Salford’s resources include the £16 million Energy House 2.0, one of the largest purpose-built building performance test laboratories in the world. Here, scientists can simulate weather and a range of temperatures to establish the most effective ways to reduce carbon and control the running costs in modern homes. Sustainability is embedded in its campus developments and Salford ranks eighth in the UK for its ethical and environmental performance in the People & Planet 2024-25 university league table.
Salford moved up in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023), where it earned silver overall (up from bronze in the previous assessment) underpinned by silver ratings for the student experience and student outcomes. Rates of student satisfaction are improving too: in our analysis of the latest National Student Survey, Salford ranks 71= for teaching quality (up 11 places). It has lost ground on the wider experience, however, where satisfaction has slipped 18 places to leave Salford only just inside the top 100 (98=).
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
In 2025 Salford has withdrawn courses with a foundation year in creative writing; English and film; English language; English literature; English multidiscipline; computer networks; architectural engineering; and quantity surveying. Degree courses in chemistry and construction are no longer offered and a computer networks degree will be withdrawn from 2026.
Eighteen new courses join the curriculum for 2025-26 including automation and instrumentation; business analytics; construction project management; creative digital media; data science; digital and software technology; social media content creation; business with management (top-up); and occupational therapy (extended route). Reopening after a pause in 2024 are adult nursing at Bury College and psychology at Salford City College. In 2026, Salford will offer CertHE and DipHE courses in motion capture for the creative industries.
What are the University of Salford’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Courses demand from 128 to 64 Ucas tariff points for courses with a foundation year. Contextual offers are up to two grades below the standard requirement. In 2024 only 9 per cent of students gained a place through clearing — down from 19 per cent in 2023.
What are the graduate prospects?
Salford forges links with organisations including the technical recruiter Morson Group, the Peninsula Group professional services company, Joss Arnott dance and Northern Care Alliance. Our analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey showed that 76.6 per cent of students were employed in high-skilled jobs or had returned to postgraduate study 15 months after the end of their course.
What is the University of Salford’s campus like?
At Salford’s main site, the Victorian redbrick Peel Building has been joined by the £55 million New Adelphi teaching centre for art, performance, and design and technology students which has a theatre, acting and recording studios and art and design workshops. The £65 million Science, Engineering and Environment (SEE) Building, also at Peel Park, is fully electric-powered. Hands-on learning facilities include a wind tunnel and the Morson Maker Space for manufacturing and digital fabrication. The campus is the base for the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology, due to open in late 2025.
Salford developed the Old Fire Station opposite its Peel Park campus into its own micro-brewery (beer labels designed by a student) and in-house bakery. The café bar business is integrated into academic and research programmes, providing students with a real-world learning environment.
Courses in nursing, midwifery, psychology, social sciences, sports and health are based at the Frederick Road campus. A new health and wellbeing building is under construction at Frederick Road, due to be ready in autumn 2026.
A free bus service connects Frederick Road with the MediaCity campus at Salford Quays. The university is part of the wider Salford Crescent and University District master plan to redevelop the city and link the centre of Manchester with MediaCityUK, where it has a campus in the same development as the BBC and ITV studios.
When can I visit?
salford.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about the University of Salford’s student life and wellbeing support
Greater Manchester is home to about 100,000 students from a plethora of institutions.
On campus there is a swimming pool with sauna and spa, five fitness suites and a 3G pitch, which is the site of Salford’s British Universities and Colleges Sport (Bucs) football and rugby league fixtures.
Students can self-refer to the counselling and wellbeing service, which offersin-depth wellbeing sessions, therapeutic groups and counselling. Salford’s security team, students’ union and accommodation provider share training and best practice on suicide prevention. There is also a student-led peer support listening service, and a 24/7 student care line staffed by counsellors.
What do the students say?
“Studying at MediaCity gave me the chance to have practical experiences and creative opportunities and the course allowed me to make connections with other partners in the media industry.”Femi Olayiwola, public relations and digital communications graduate
What about student accommodation at the University of Salford?
First-years are not guaranteed a room, but 1,300 of the 2,111 rooms available to Salford students are ringfenced for new undergraduates, which has been enough in the past.
How diverse and inclusive is the University of Salford?
Breaking into the top 30, Salford is up 17 places to rank 28th in our social inclusion index. Its proportion of students from non-selective state schools (96.3 per cent) is in the top 20. Salford recruits 17.8 per cent of students from areas with low participation in higher education (26=). The university’s outreach work aims to raise aspirations among young people from neighbourhoods in Salford and Greater Manchester where few young people tend to go to university.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Salford
Financial support includes the Salford Inspire Fund, which gives most undergraduates £150 a year to spend at the Inspire online store on learning resources. Low-income students may qualify for an extra £350. Bursaries of £1,100 support estranged students, care leavers and student carers, and there are also sanctuary scholarships to the same value, as well as a range of donor-funded scholarships.
