De Montfort University

Overview for international students

De Montfort University began as the Leicester School of Art in 1870 and became a university in 1992. It is named after Simon de Montfort, the 13th-century Earl of Leicester who called the first English parliament in 1265. Today it has over 23,000 students and a single campus in the centre of Leicester.

DMU is one of the few UK universities teaching by block: students take one module at a time, with regular assessment and feedback, rather than carrying several modules to end-of-year exams. Students who prefer to concentrate on one subject at a time tend to find this suits them.

International students ranked DMU first in the world for overall satisfaction in the 2024 International Student Barometer. It takes students from more than 130 countries, and more than 170 of its programmes carry professional accreditation from bodies such as ACCA, CIMA, RIBA and the IET.

Why choose De Montfort University

• Ranked 1st in the world for overall international student satisfaction in the 2024 International Student Barometer
• Block teaching: one module at a time with regular assessment, instead of several modules and end-of-year exams
• Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework
• More than 170 programmes accredited by bodies including ACCA, CIMA, RIBA, CMI and the IET
• Guaranteed access to work experience through an award-winning careers team

De Montfort 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 foundation and international year one routes for students bridging 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, with a minimum in each band.

Accredited programmes sometimes carry additional requirements set by the professional body rather than the university - architecture and engineering in particular. Confirm the requirement for your course before applying.

Fees and scholarships

Tuition for international students is typically in the range of $12,000 – $15,500 per year, depending on the course.

DMU offers international scholarships applied as tuition reductions, assessed on academic merit at application, alongside country-specific awards that change year to year.

Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships apply as at any UK university, with their own earlier deadlines.

University rankings

QS World University Rankings: 801-1000

DMU holds a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework and sits around the 800 mark in the QS World University Rankings. Its accreditation coverage and student satisfaction are the stronger signals.

Campus and facilities

A single city-centre campus that merges into Leicester itself - historic buildings such as the Hawthorn Building alongside modern facilities including the Hugh Aston building for business and law, the Kimberlin Library and the Great Hall of Leicester Castle.

The university has put substantial investment into teaching rooms, studios and student spaces over recent years.

Services for international students

An award-winning careers team gives guaranteed access to work experience, career support tailored to the student, placement years that count towards the degree, and unlimited digital learning tools.

A dedicated international team handles pre-arrival and in-country questions - visas, arrival, settling in - and DMU's first place for international student satisfaction suggests this is more than a stated commitment.

International student life

The campus and the city are not separate: historic and modern university buildings sit among parks and public roads in central Leicester.

Leicester is one of the UK's most ethnically diverse cities, with a long-established South Asian population. For Bangladeshi students that usually means food, community and places of worship are close at hand, and arriving feels less abrupt than it might elsewhere.

DMU Local, the university's volunteering programme, connects students with the city - a straightforward way to build UK experience and references alongside a degree.

Accommodation

University halls and partner accommodation sit on or beside the city-centre campus, so most students walk to teaching. Leicester's private rental market is also relatively affordable.

Confirm current options and prices on DMU's accommodation pages.