The University of Warwick

Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom

Career Counselling

Overview

The University of Warwick is located in the city of Coventry, United Kingdom. Founded in 1965, it has quickly risen to prominence among UK and world universities; with approximately 18,500 undergraduates and 10,000 postgraduate students, it is a centre of research excellence.

The 30+ Departments and Centres within the University are organised into three Faculties: the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Medicine, and the Faculty of Social Sciences. In the Research Excellence Framework Report of 2021, 92% of Warw...

University Highlight

Establishment year1965
Total Students28,823
International Students10,453
QS World University Rankings 202467
Campus SizeN/A
Total Number of Campuses1 (small other venues in Wellesbourne and at the Shard in London)
University Websitehttps://warwick.ac.uk/ 
No. of Schools and Divisions3 Faculties (Arts, Science, Engineering & Medicine, and Social Sciences), with Schools and Departments within
Nobel Prize Winner Alumni2 (one alumnus, one professor)
No. of Education Programs191 (undergraduate), 250 (postgraduate)
Student to Faculty ratio14:1

Course Highlight

The University of Warwick runs all its undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and graduate research activity, through three Faculties.

  • The Faculty of Arts offers UG, PG, and PhD courses through three Departments (Classics and Ancient History, English and Comparative Literary Studies, and History), three Schools (Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures, School for Cross-faculty Studies, and Modern Languages and Cultures), and 15 Centres (including interdisciplinary collaborations with other Faculties).
  • The Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine conducts undergraduate and postgraduate courses and research through ten Departments (Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Statistics, Manufacturing Group, and the Warwick Medical School), and 36 Research Centres, from Global Health to Environmental Systems.
  • The Faculty of Social Sciences contains 15 Departments (from Economics to Law, from linguistics to sociology, and from philosophy to the Warwick Business School) and 27 research and inter-faculty centres.

Eligibility Criteria

The University of Warwick is highly selective, 14% of undergraduate applicants were accepted in 2021. These are the criteria for accepting UG and PG students to the university:

For undergraduates, Warwick considers test scores in the top 3 A-Level (or equivalent) subjects. International applicants can find the usual qualifying performance requirements for their country of education on the relevant University webpage.

Postgraduate degrees at the University of Warwick have varying entry criteria: on average, they require a performance in the UG degree equivalent to second class or better. The same international entry requirements page as for  undergraduates has data on PG degree qualifications as well. Candidates should look at individual course webpages to collect data on additional certifications required.

Admission

Undergraduate applicants must apply to Warwick through the UCAS website: the deadline for most courses is 25 January of the entry year, though some may accept applications later than that date. 

There are three key components of the application for UG candidates:

  • Academic profile data: Uploading A-Level performance details and other supporting material (projects, language learning certifications, etc.)
  • The personal statement: This is the core that ties the entire application together: candidates are encouraged to spend a few months crafting this into a compelling narrative.
  • The academic reference: Warwick encourages applicants to ensure that their referee is able to write about why the candidate is a good fit for the course.

Most UG courses do not require a further interview after the application is submitted; for the few that do, residents of the UK will need to attend an interview on campus, while overseas students will have online interview arrangements made. The latest date for decisions to be announced is May 18.

The Postgraduate application process is more elaborate. The website has details of all courses, and choosing the best course is crucial. English proficiency and other entry requirements vary by course, so they can impact the materials to be submitted. Once all the application data is prepared and ready, candidates can submit their applications (including a fee and two academic references) through the university portal. The window of application closes a couple of months before the entry date for any course, but candidates are encouraged to apply earlier in the cycle, as soon as their personal statements and referees are ready.

Fees

To understand the tuition fees at the University of Warwick, it is convenient to divide the student body into four groups:

  • Undergraduate students from the UK pay the Government-capped home tuition fee rate of  £9,250 per year.
  • UG students from other countries (including the EU, post Brexit) pay  £29,830 for most courses, with the Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery being significantly more expensive, at  £47,580 annually.
  • Postgraduate taught course fees vary widely. Home students pay significantly more than UG students from the UK, with MBA candidates paying up to  £49,950 per year, in line with international students’ fees for that course. At the lower end, several MA degrees cost approximately £10,000 and  £20,000 respectively, for Home and Overseas students.
  • PG research courses typically charge fees of above £20,000 per year for international students.

Living costs are common for people in all four categories above. The University recommends that students budget an average of £10,000 per year towards on-campus accommodation, food, travel, and general expenses.
 

Campus facilities

The large University of Warwick campus strives to be welcoming, and enrich its students’ lives. It is divided into four main areas - Central, Gibbet Hill, Westwood & Science Park, and Lakeside & Cryfield. The constant urge to upgrade the facilities available to students has resulted in many state of the art buildings and centres coming up in the recent past, including the Mathematical Sciences Building and the National Automotive Innovation Centre, along with multiple fields, lakes, and woodlands.

Warwick Sport coordinates and manages all the fitness and sports activities on campus: every student is encouraged to try out the facilities for free for a month, before signing up for a longer period. State of the art fitness amenities include a gym, a swimming pool, physio centres, and tennis and squash courts, in addition to facilities for more serious players of sport at University / league level.

Sports Clubs at the University are student-run, but have access to world class facilities through the Sport & Wellness Hub. Students who are either proficient in a sport or interested in learning one can sign up to play Aikido or Wakeboarding, Taekwondo or Polo, and dozens more!

As a University, Warwick ensures that mental health support services are available to all members of the academic community at all times. A Wellbeing Portal on the University website offers extensive resources, and lets students schedule appointments with counsellors during working hours, with additional emergency support services.

With close to 30,000 students on campus, there is no shortage of social activities at Warwick. More than 300 student clubs offer the chance to take part in structured activities according to interest, and nightclubs, bars, live music venues, and tea shops offer the chance to meet new people and make lifelong friends.

Long term career growth has always been a priority at Warwick; within 5 years of graduation, alumni of the university rank within the top 10 in the United Kingdom by earnings in 10+ subjects. Each department has a dedicated placement and internship officer; students can get themselves ready for industry or academia through professional exposure, study abroad years, and years in research, and prepare themselves for campus interviews and final placements. Warwick Business School typically has the highest salaries offered to the graduating class, with the average annual post-MBA package settling at £98,226.

Scholarship

Given that UG students pay a total of up to £60,000 per year (in the School of Medicine) as fees, there are several scholarship and funding options to help defray these expenses. Six types of entities offer scholarships to both UG and PG students: the University itself, the UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training (for PhD students), individual Departments, Charitable Organisations, Industry donors and sponsors, and international Governments (depending on the nationality of the applicant).

Undergraduate scholarship applications begin with a search of the database webpage. Each scholarship has a different application and selection timeline; depending on eligibility and academic merit, some scholarships can waive part or all of the tuition fee, and help with a portion of living costs as well. In addition, the Warwick Undergraduate Bursary provides up to £3,000 per annum to students from lower income households. Any student being awarded multiple scholarships will have to choose the one with the highest value.

Postgraduate students access different tiers of scholarships; like UGs, they can find information on the scholarship database webpage. The application process starts online; in certain cases, an interview or additional material might be required. Those candidates who take part in research activities can receive an additional research stipend over and above partial or complete funding for course fees and living costs.

In case of problems meeting living costs, it is possible to meet with the Student Funding Team at the University to discover and implement solutions. Warwick provides hardship assistance to students who have financial difficulties. This could take the form of a short term loan or a grant that does not have to be repaid.