Birmingham City University

Overview for international students

Birmingham City University traces its roots to the Birmingham College of Art in 1843, became a polytechnic in 1971 and gained university status in 1992. It is one of the UK’s larger universities, with more than 31,000 students drawn from over 100 countries.

Teaching is practice-based across the board. The City Centre Campus houses art and design, media, business, law and social sciences, while the City South Campus covers health, education and life sciences. The university has invested heavily in facilities, including a £125 million extension to the city-centre campus.

It is strongest in the creative and applied subjects - art and design, media, jewellery, music and the built environment - where its specialist schools have long histories of their own.

Why choose Birmingham City University

• Practice-based teaching across every faculty, with placements and industry projects built into courses
• Particular strength in the creative subjects - art and design, media, jewellery and music - through specialist schools with long histories
• A £125 million extension to the city-centre campus, part of Birmingham's Eastside learning quarter
• One of the UK's larger and most diverse universities, in England's second city
• Two campuses, both in Birmingham, walkable from the centre

Birmingham City University programmes

2 programmes in our directory. Use the course search for the full list with filters.

Entry requirements

Undergraduate entry usually asks for HSC or A-Levels, with a foundation or international year one available for students who need a bridge from the Bangladeshi system. Postgraduate entry asks for a recognised Bachelor's degree, typically at 2:2 or above.

English is normally evidenced with IELTS around 6.0 overall for undergraduate and 6.5 for postgraduate courses. Creative courses often ask for a portfolio as well as grades, and that portfolio can matter more than the marks.

Requirements vary by course and change each cycle - treat these as the usual range and let your counsellor confirm the figure for your programme.

Fees and scholarships

Tuition for international students is typically in the range of $12,500 – $16,000 per year, depending on the course.

BCU offers international scholarships applied as a tuition reduction, with awards usually assessed on academic merit at the point of application. Amounts and eligibility change year to year.

Students should also check the UK government-funded routes - Chevening and Commonwealth - which are applied for separately and close earlier than university deadlines.

University rankings

QS World University Rankings: 1001-1200

BCU sits in the 1001–1200 band of the QS World University Rankings, with Art and Design ranked considerably higher by subject. As with most modern UK universities, subject-level standing is more useful here than the overall position.

Campus and facilities

The university has invested heavily in facilities: the Curzon and Parkside buildings on the City Centre Campus house business, law, social sciences, art, design and media, while the City South Campus carries health, education and life sciences with clinical simulation space.

The specialist schools - the School of Jewellery in the Jewellery Quarter and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire - have their own dedicated buildings and equipment.

Services for international students

Academic advising, careers counselling and mental health support are available to all students, with services dedicated to international students alongside them.

Courses are built to include placements and industry projects with major employers, and the careers team supports students into those placements rather than leaving them to find their own.

International student life

Birmingham hosted the 2022 Commonwealth Games and has kept the sporting facilities that came with it. The campuses sit within walking distance of the city centre, so student life and city life are the same thing here.

The city has a large, long-established South Asian community, which most Bangladeshi students find makes the first months considerably easier - food, community and places of worship are all close at hand.

Accommodation

University-managed halls and partner accommodation are available near both campuses, with a range of budgets. Private student housing is also plentiful in Birmingham and often cheaper than in London or the south.

Check BCU's accommodation pages for current options, prices and application dates.