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Overview
Bradford is the UK's City of Culture in 2025, acknowledging the cultural diversity of the city and its university, which has long been one of the most socially inclusive in the country. More than one third of admissions gain their place with a contextual offer, and the university recruits four in five of its students from the immediate area and more widely across Yorkshire, ensuring the ethnic, social and cultural mix on campus is aligned with the city beyond. Admissions in September 2023 rose to a new record of just under 3,000 - 10% more than the previous year. Almost 75% of students land high-skilled jobs when they leave - testimony to the input employers have in designing many courses, and the professional accreditation that often comes with the degrees, too. Bradford offers an extensive range of science, technology, engineering and health-related degrees, and a significant proportion of graduates go into the NHS. The city campus is surprisingly green and has excellent sports facilities on site, with more to be found a five-minute walk away at the Sports Park.
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Paying the bills
The university invests more than £4m a year in scholarships. Its undergraduate bursary is open to students from homes with an annual income of less than £30,000. More than 3,000 of its 8,000 undergraduates are expected to qualify in the coming academic year. It pays out £500 in the first year, £600 in the second, and £700 in the third and all subsequent years. The university's UK Academic Excellence scholarships go to students who gain at least AAA at A-level or equivalent and come from homes in the 40% of postcodes that send the fewest students into higher education. It's worth £1,000 a year (up to a maximum of £3,000), provided students continue to perform well. The Bradford Futures scholarships are worth £1,500 per year and are paid to students who tick a widening participation box, such as being disabled, from an ethnic minority or being a care leaver. There is no university-owned accommodation, but Bradford endorses 1,000 rooms with a private operator. Prices begin at £3,276 for 42 weeks in a classic townhouse room and rise to £6,528 for 51 weeks in a deluxe ensuite room.
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What's new?
It should be no surprise that a university renowned for its strengths in science, technology and engineering is positioning itself 'at the cutting edge of the fourth industrial revolution'. The Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI has been opened to improve regional capabilities in automation, advanced communications and sensing systems. Healthcare has not been overlooked, either. There are new clinical skills suites and sensa138 CT, X-ray and virtual-reality simulation facilities, as well as further advancements in the Digital Health Enterprise Zone, which brings together business, academics and students to develop digital health innovations that can help those living with long-term conditions. Bradford has also invested millions in decarbonising the university with state-of-the-art heating, lighting and energy generation. Architecture programmes have been launched that explore awareness of ecological footprints, sustainable design and use of new construction materials. And entrepreneurial students can cut their teeth in the new innovation laboratory within the faculty of management, law and social science.
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Admissions, teaching and student support
'Our university strategy centres on social inclusion as the driver for reversing inequalities,' the university told us. To this end, 37% of those admitted in September 2022 held contextual offers, which were one or two A-level grades (8 to 16 Ucas tariff points) below the standard entry criteria. Discounts of one A-level grade are applied automatically to offers made to mature applicants, those living in areas of low participation in higher education, care leavers and carers and those from an Armed Forces family, among others. These same groups are eligible to be part of the university's progression scheme, which is central to its support for greater social diversity on campus. Attendance at an open day and a progression scheme workshop can double the grade and Ucas points discount offered. The university is increasingly using remote learning within its undergraduate courses. It is designed to support on-campus learning, rather than replace face-to-face teaching in lectures, laboratories, seminars and tutorials. Bradford's counselling and mental health service is one of just 13 university-run operations to be accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. The service works closely with the students' union, personal academic tutors and the university's student experience and success team. Bradford also offers a 24-hour helpline and a mobile sensory 'calm room' in which students can relax and process thoughts and feelings. When they enrol, students are invited to attend a Step Up to HE programme, which offers sessions on mental health and wellbeing. The UoBWell digital mental health app is also available to all students, offering self-help, resources and blogs written by student mental health ambassadors.
