Powered by a pioneering spirit as the UK’s first polytechnic institution, founded in 1838, the University of Westminster champions diversity and opportunities for all. Most of its campuses are in the thick of London’s West End — to the extent that the capital itself becomes a campus of sorts, providing an urban university experience like no other. A jewel in the crown is Westminster’s in-house cinema at 309 Regent Street — the university’s headquarters a stone’s throw from Oxford Circus and its original home, which in 1896 became the first venue to show moving film to a paying audience in the UK.
Film remains among Westminster’s wide-ranging course options, which are organised within 12 schools across three colleges (College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Westminster Business School). The university’s School of Art, Design and Visual Culture has a leading reputation — and enjoys a leafier setting in Harrow, northwest London. The biggest take-up is for business and management courses at the Marylebone campus.
As befits a capital city, Westminster maintains an international perspective and has more than 80 exchange partnerships in 25 countries. Its Polylang programme offers free language tuition in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian or Spanish.
What is the University of Westminster’s reputation?
Art and design produced the university’s best results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), keeping pace with many leading institutions. Overall, Westminster places in the upper half of UK universities in our research quality index (58th).
Westminster achieved triple silver in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023) — up from bronze in the previous assessment six years earlier.Feedback in the National Student Survey is improving. Westminster has risen 14 places to rank 32= for satisfaction with the student experience in our analysis. For satisfaction with teaching quality, it has risen 12 places to 95=. The scores have spurred a five-place rise in our main academic ranking. However, relatively low numbers of students achieving Firsts and 2.1s hold Westminster back (it ranks 112= for this metric), as do its graduate prospects and continuation rate.
What degree courses have been discontinued and what new courses are available?
Several courses have been withdrawn and it is worth checking the website. New courses are: tourism management; international event management; creative computing; international communication and international business; fashion accessories design; fashion manufacturing; fashion sustainability; advanced legal research; games art/design; immersive media design; applied artificial intelligence; and environmental sustainability and data science.
What are the University of Westminster’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Entry starts from EE at A-level and ranges up to ABB. The university does not make contextual offers. It attracted more than 28,000 applications in 2024 and more than 5,600 new students were accepted onto courses, about 20 per cent from abroad.
What are the graduate prospects?
Westminster is in the bottom ten for graduate prospects (122nd), based on analysis of the Graduate Outcomes survey showing only 61.2 per cent of graduates working in high-skilled jobs or furthering their studies 15 months after their degree. Its new Centre for Employability and Enterprise may bring a renewed focus when it opens in 2026.
What is the University of Westminster’s campus like?
There are specialist facilities at all four Westminster campuses. Among the recent developments is a broadcast newsroom at Harrow, joining specialist studios for music, film and television, plus well-equipped creative arts spaces. An upgrade to the business school in Marylebone has added a second financial markets suite with Bloomberg platform technology.
The nearby Cavendish campus has an innovation space for computing and engineering that can also transform into an exhibition space. At Titchfield Street, the university’s Windrush Justice Clinic dispenses free legal advice service on immigration.
When can I visit?
westminster.ac.uk
Everything you need to know about the University of Westminster’s student life and wellbeing support
The halls of residence have their own vibe, while the opportunities in London — named Best Student City in the QS World University Rankings 2025, and third in 2026 (behind Seoul and Tokyo) — are limitless. Membership of all university sports facilities and teams has been free since 2023, including the Regent’s Street gym and Quintin Hogg Memorial Sports Ground in Chiswick, west London, overlooking the Thames, where there are extensive grounds for football, rugby, hockey, lacrosse, cricket, tennis and netball. Across the road is the university’s boathouse. The Harrow campus has a new sports hall.
Westminster is a member of the Mental Health Charter programme. Students are provided with one-to-one sessions with wellbeing advisers, counsellors, mentors and mental health practitioners. The students’ union runs the accredited Look After Your Mate training to students, to help them understand mental health and how to access support.
What do the students say?
“I’m proud to be part of a diverse and vibrant community where the student voice truly matters. My experience has been full of opportunities, from shaping policy to leading change through the students’ union. Westminster has been genuinely transformative — for who I am and who I want to become.”
Divanshu Airan, students’ union president
What about student accommodation at the University of Westminster?
Allocation in halls is first-come, first-served — there’s no guarantee of a place in one of the 804 rooms but priority is given to new students who apply by June 1, and those with a disability or medical condition. A high proportion of students live at home.
How diverse and inclusive is the University of Westminster?
Westminster is in the top 40 in our social inclusion index (38th) and its student population in London reflects the city’s diversity. The university also works with 50 schools in the capital to raise aspirations with activities on and off-campus.
Sony Games Academy funds a ten-week programme for school pupils from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds who receive free school meals to work with lecturers and students to build a video game.
Everything you need to know about scholarships and bursaries at the University of Westminster
There were 479 means-tested Westminster Bursaries of £700 per year of study given to new students in 2024-25. A cost of living assistance scheme awards 1,000 one-off grants of £250. Care leavers and students who are estranged from their families qualify for extra bursary support.
There are 15 Vice-Chancellor Scholarships of £5,000 per year of study for high-achieving black and ethnic minority applicants from low-income households, as well as seven disability scholarships worth £2,500 and 52 means-tested Great Start scholarships of £2,400.
