University of Southampton

University Road, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom

Career Counselling

Overview

The University of Southampton is a global Top 100 public research university located in Southern England. With nearly 15,000 undergraduates and 8,000 postgraduates, it is home to students from 135 different countries, and is more than a century and a half old.

Teaching and research at the University is organised into five Faculties: Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Environmental and Life Sciences, Medicine, and Social Sciences. These have more than 20 Schools and Institutes within them.

The University of Southampton has

University Highlight

Establishment year1862 (University status granted in 1952)
Total Students23,795 (2021/22)
International Students6,500+
QS World University Rankings 2024=81
Campus SizeN/A
Total Number of Campuses7 (6 in the UK, 1 in Malaysia)
University Websitehttps://www.southampton.ac.uk/ 
No. of Schools and Divisions5 Faculties (Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Physical Sciences, Environmental and Life Sciences, Medicine, Social Sciences)
Nobel Prize Winner Alumni0 (1 ex-lecturer won the Nobel Prize in Economics)
No. of Education Programs300+ (undergraduate), 200+ (postgraduate)
Student to Faculty ratio9:1

Course Highlight

The University of Southampton delivers teaching and research output through 5 Faculties, each of which has Schools and/or Departments within it.

  • The Faculty of Arts and Humanities conducts undergraduate and postgraduate courses and research through the School of Humanities (which includes several disciplines: Archaeology, English, Film studies, History, Languages, cultures and linguistics, Music, and Philosophy), and the Winchester School of Art.
  • The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences has within it the Schools of Chemistry, Electronics and Computer Science, Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, and the Zepler Institute that conducts cutting edge research in interdisciplinary sciences.
  • The Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences conducts UG and PG academic activities and research through five Schools: Biological Sciences, Health Sciences, Geography and Environmental Science, Ocean and Earth Science, and Psychology.
  • The Faculty of Medicine contains five Schools: Cancer Sciences, Human Development and Health, Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Primary Care, Population Science and Medical Education, and Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation.
  • The Faculty of Social Sciences conducts undergraduate and postgraduate courses and research through the Southampton Business School, The School of Economic, Social and Political Sciences, the Southampton Education School, the Southampton Law School, and the School of Mathematical Sciences.

Eligibility Criteria

The University of Southampton is easier to get accepted to than many other top universities in the United Kingdom: according to UCAS data from 2017, 78% of the applicants were given an offer of admission. However, any applicant must still be diligent about the entry requirements, especially for international candidates and highly competitive courses.

The primary factor to keep in mind for both undergraduate and postgraduate eligibility criteria are the course-specific academic performance requirements. International applicants must check the equivalent standards of performance as well, which are available on the relevant UoS webpage.  Since courses at the University are taught only in English, all applicants must also prove their proficiency in the language; this is typically done by submitting IELTS (or equivalent) scores. Finally, the VISAS team at the UoS assists international applicants with immigration and visa requirements and applications.

Admission

Applicants to the University of Southampton for an undergraduate degree should work through the following steps while applying:

  • Checking application dates and deadlines: All applications for UG degrees to UoS must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website. The window typically starts in September of the year before a candidate seeks admission. Applications to Medicine courses must be submitted by October 15 of that year, with an additional Clinical Aptitude Test to be submitted for those courses. The deadline to apply for other courses is January 25 of the following year.
  • Preparing application material: The cornerstone of the UCAS submission is the personal statement; applicants typically create multiple drafts to tie their whole application together. Academic transcripts and other supporting material should also be kept ready.
  • Submitting the application: Once the submission through UCAS is completed, the University typically responds with a decision within two to six weeks.

The postgraduate application process takes place through the UoS site, and has the following key steps:

  • Course search and eligibility check: Since PG applicants are substantially more informed and experienced, a detailed read of the course webpage to verify that it is a good fit is recommended.
  • Application submission: After filling the form through the portal, uploading required documents and references, and paying the application fee of £50, candidates can track the application’s status, and apply for scholarships and funding.

Offer acceptance : Each offer comes with a date by which the candidate has to accept or reject it; if no action is taken by this date, the application stands rejected.

Fees

Undergraduate students at the University of Southampton pay different fees according to their country of origin. Home students pay tuition fees of £9,250 per year. Overseas students’ tuition fees vary from course to course, but most of them are above £20,000 per year,  with the medical courses at the upper end of the fee range.

Postgraduate students pay different fees for different PG taught courses; every course has its associated fee mentioned on its dedicated webpage. Home students pay significantly higher fees compared to UG students from the UK; the tuition fees for international students are above £25,000 per year for most courses. PG degree applicants who completed their UG degree at the University of Southampton are entitled to a 10% reduction in their tuition fee. Post Brexit, students from the EU pay full international fees.

Both UG and PG students must also budget for the cost of living (accommodation, food, travel, and personal expenses); the University estimates that these come to approximately £1,100 per month, or almost £10,000 annually, assuming 9 months on campus.

Campus facilities

Five of the seven campuses of the University are located within the city of Southampton. The sixth is located in nearby Winchester, and the seventh is located in Malaysia. The Highfield Campus in Southampton is both the oldest and most extensive location. The Boldrewood Innovation Campus houses most engineering academic and research work. The Avenue Campus has extensive green parks; most humanities courses are taught at this location. The Southampton General Hospital Campus is the venue for most Medicine classes.

The Waterfront Campus is where ocean and earth sciences students study. The Winchester School of Art, another campus known for its natural beauty, houses design, art, and fashion courses. Finally, the Malaysia campus offers various engineering and management courses, with a portion of the degree spent studying in the United Kingdom.

Wellbeing of all members of the University of Southampton community is a top priority. The website includes a handy search function for doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals in the area. It is complemented by mental health support and emergency counselling services. To facilitate mental and physical health, the university actively promotes fitness and social clubs. The Students' Union runs the sports and hobby clubs, in addition to operating cafes and pubs on campus.

The Athletic Union runs over 80 Sports Clubs: which are organised into the broad categories of Extreme Sports (like Skydiving), Extreme Watersports (like Surfing), Indoor Individual Sports (like Archery), Indoor Team Sports (like Basketball), Martial Arts (like Karate), Outdoor Individual Sports (like Rock Climbing), Outdoor Team Sports, and Watersports.

The Careers, Employability, and Student Enterprise Section coordinates all placement activities at the University of Southampton. It provides part time work experience for current students through four models: internships, Student Innovation Projects (where live industry problems are solved), Year employment opportunities, and volunteer options.

The UoS Career Hub provides several services that help thousands of students shape their futures every year: they can speak to an adviser, take a career planning test, get help with applications, and attend Career Fairs. All this can be done with the help of a Career Mentor, who is a qualified alumnus or staff member working in the area of interest. Finally, the Student Enterprise section helps incubate the startup ideas that students have.

Scholarship

The fees to study at the University of Southampton are high, and a substantial section of the student body requires some financial assistance. There are scholarships, bursaries, awards, loans, and other funding options.

Options for undergraduate home students include Bursaries, which are cash payments directly into the awardee’s bank account. Depending on the household income slab, an amount of £1000 or £2000 will be directly paid. For international students, there are two types of scholarships:

  • Undergraduate merit scholarships are awarded automatically to international students who are funding their own degree without external sponsorship. They are applicable only on certain courses, and entail a reduction of up to £3,000 on the first year’s tuition fee.
  • Undergraduate competitive scholarships require students to apply and be accepted. 8 of these UG scholarships are currently available, and the award amount varies (from partial to complete tuition fee support).

Postgraduate students are also eligible for the two types of scholarships detailed above. However, the criteria and award amounts differ:

  • Postgraduate merit scholarships are also awarded automatically to qualifying students; the amount varies from £1,000 to £8,000.
  • Postgraduate competitive scholarships are more numerous (12 for PG students v/s 8 for UGs); details and application links can be found on the University website.  Some of these (e.g. the MBA Excellence Scholarship) require candidates to appear for an interview in addition to completing and submitting an online application.

Partner scholarships with external organisations are available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, but the majority of them are for PGs. A full list of these, with the criteria for award and application details, can be found on the relevant UoS webpage.

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