Beacon House, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1QU, United Kingdom
Career Counselling
The University of Bristol is a popular institution of higher learning in the United Kingdom. It has been in existence, in some form, since 1876. It is home to almost 28,000 students, of whom 25% are international candidates from 150 different countries.
All teaching and research at the University is organised into six Faculties (Arts, Engineering, Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Science, Social Sciences and Law). Within these, 25 Schools further focus on specialised teaching and research.
Bristol has two oper...
| Establishment year | 1909 (official), 1876 (precursor opened) |
| Total Students | 27,513 (20,311 UG, 7,202 PG as of 2019-20) |
| International Students | ~6,900 |
| QS World University Rankings 2024 | 55 |
| Campus Size | N/A |
| Total Number of Campuses | 2 (current; 3rd Temple Quarter campus to open in 2026) |
| University Website | https://www.bristol.ac.uk/ |
| No. of Schools and Divisions | 6 Faculties (Arts, Engineering, Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Science, Social Sciences and Law), with 25 Schools within |
| Nobel Prize Winner Alumni | 12 (alumni + faculty + Chancellors) |
| No. of Education Programs | 404 (undergraduate), 247 (postgraduate) |
| Student to Faculty ratio | 12:1 |
The University of Bristol provides undergraduate, postgraduate, and research education through 25 Schools, organised into 6 Faculties.
Admissions to Bristol are highly competitive. In 2019/20, the number of applicants per seat at the University ranged from 12.4 (Health Sciences) to 6.2 for Science, with Life Sciences, Engineering, Arts, and Social Sciences and Law settling in between.
Typically, undergraduate applicants only need to satisfy two broad requirements. The main requirement is academic performance in the A-Levels or equivalent. This is defined separately for the prerequisite subjects for the course that a candidate is applying to, and the required levels for typical offers can be found on the relevant University webpage. Over and above these requirements, a candidate will also need to demonstrate his or her proficiency in English: some courses may require a recent IELTS score. Finally, some applicants may be given an admit offer even if their grades in their A-Levels were below the levels required for a typical offer; this happens in case of a contextual offer, where certain diversity quotas are kept in mind.
Postgraduate eligibility requirements vary from course to course, but most of them require at least the equivalent of a first class degree performance in a bachelor's degree and two academic references. Some courses may require additional material, and proficiency in English needs to be demonstrated.
All undergraduate applications to Bristol must be routed through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) online application, where a candidate can apply for up to five courses. Three UG courses (International Foundation Programmes: General, Dentistry, and Arts and Social Sciences) have a process that happens through the university website and not through UCAS. Certain applicants to UG courses in science and engineering that might involve sensitive or secure research subjects will need to apply for a certificate through the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS).
UCAS applications typically have to be submitted by January of the year in which the candidate would like to join, and decisions are usually made in March of that year.
To make things more simple, the University has created helpful pages for international students to understand all the steps in the application process as they apply to them. For example, the page for Indian applicants lists all requirements, entry criteria, and process stages.
The postgraduate application process has three major steps:
Bristol’s status as a top 10 university in the UK comes with a tuition fee that is in line with that at other prestigious universities in England and Scotland.
Undergraduate students from the United Kingdom pay an average of £9,250 per year as tuition fees. Overseas UG students, on the other hand, pay differential tuition fees according to their course; most fees are above £20,000 annually, and go up to £39,750 p.a. for the five year medicine degree. For international students in particular, annual fees can rise by up to 8% per year, following review processes by the university.
Postgraduate students from the UK (“Home” students) pay above £15,000 per year as tuition fees for most courses. International students pay above £25,000 annually, and fees go up to £34,800 for the MSc Finance course. Additional fees that apply only to PG students include a deposit (for some courses) of £2,000, and a postgraduate research fee.
Living expenses (including accommodation, travel, and personal costs) typically range from £9,000 to £15,000 per year over and above the tuition fees.
The University of Bristol has three campuses at Clifton, Langford, and Temple Quarter, of which the first two are operational, and the third is anticipated to open in 2026. The main teaching campus is at Clifton; the central area of this campus is occupied by the Royal Fort Gardens, which are surrounded by the Towers of the School of Physics. It’s not all heritage structures, though, the Life Sciences Building is completely futuristic, and was built in 2015. The Students’ Union and 8 libraries are also present at this location. The 630 acre Langford Campus houses the Bristol Veterinary School; its rural beauty and location outside Bristol add to the diversity of the university sites. Finally, the Temple Quarter campus is planned to occupy the heart of Bristol, and is one of the largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom.
The University has a pioneering attitude towards fitness and sport as a social activity. Different campaigns that use digital technology and smartphones to drive fitness engagement include the Bristol Run Series 2023, where a series of in-person and virtual active events are to be organised, with a points system. Each student can opt for a flexible membership to the activities that he / she is interested in, and this can all be managed online. Some of the most popular options include personal training and fitness sessions, swimming lessons, and tennis coaching.
Formal competitive sport options are also available: the Bristol Students’ Union runs over 400 clubs, of which 70 are geared towards various sports. From motorsports to Football, and from Cricket to Triathlon, students can hone their skills at almost any sport, mainstream or obscure.
Bristol has a very clear stand as an inclusive University, one that is against racism and bullying. The Stand Up, Speak Out campaign on campus encourages all members of the community to identify and eliminate any behaviour that might go against the tenet of welcoming and celebrating diversity.
The research focus of the University over more than a century has brought rich rewards: 12 Nobel Laureates have taught here, studied here, or served as Chancellor. In addition, dozens of alumni have been appointed to one of the Royal Societies. Academic excellence is a way of life at Bristol, and this is reflected in the student placements. During their degree, 600 students of the University spend at least one exchange semester in a different country; this provides perspective and strengthens their resumes.
The Careers Service is an online and offline hub for job selection, application, and interview preparation: it also includes a startup funding hub that is among the most advanced in the world. As of 2018, graduates of the University were among the top 10 in the UK in terms of salary within 3 years of graduating. The highest salaries went to students with a Medicine or Dentistry degree, ending up with an average package of £42,200.
The fees for international students at the University of Bristol are definitely high; however, there are multiple scholarship options for both UG and PG students.
All undergraduate and postgraduate students can use the Scholarships, Awards, and Bursaries online search tool to go through almost 100 funding options for their degree. This informative tool lists every available scholarship; in addition, it also provides filters based on School and Faculty, and on origin of student (home / international) and on type of scholarship (complete tuition + living, tuition only - full or partial, fixed amount). There are even music- and sport-based scholarships offered.
For students who wish to supplement their scholarships with income from part-time work, the Careers Service on campus is always ready to help with suitable opportunities.
The dedicated page for applicants from each country has funding and scholarship information, in addition to details on how to submit an application for admission.
