University of Portsmouth
At Portsmouth, we give you the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to make your life anything you want it to be. A young and ambitious university, we’re respected for the quality of our teaching, learning and student outcomes. With a Gold rating in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, we’re officially recognised as one of the UK’s best universities for teaching. This means we provide a world-class education, and an outstanding and supportive student experience.
Portsmouth is the only UK university that offers flexible sandwich placements for our undergraduates and we call these Connected Degrees. This is a 3 year course with a 4th year paid placement and courses offer the freedom to choose when you take your placement: either before or after your
final year.
The opportunity is available to students joining us from September 2024 and is a new way to connect your degree to your future.
Here, you’ll get career-ready. Our graduate employment rates are some of the UK’s best, with 94 per cent in work or study (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21). Courses are designed to give you skills employers are looking for, often using simulated working environments and professional equipment.
Opportunities like international exchanges, work placements and live projects with employers can broaden your horizons. And your course curriculum will bring you close to the latest research and development in professional practice.
We carefully blend different types of teaching – from face-to-face seminars, to streamed lectures – so you can engage with different course content in the most effective way, and get ready for the hybrid professional environments of today.
At Portsmouth, you’ll become an independent learner – and we’ll challenge you to grow, achieve and succeed. If you need help, you tell us what’s up – and we act. Everyone here can get outstanding support for everything from mental and physical health, through to money, housing or a part-time job. You’ll also benefit from exceptional academic support.
Ask us a question
We're here to help with any queries you may have about studying at Portsmouth so please get in touch with your questions.
Open Days
We offer a range of events throughout the year to help you get a feel for why Portsmouth is the place for you. These feature everything from courses and careers advice, to accommodation, sports and societies, and much more.
An Open Day is the perfect way to explore our facilities, check out the accommodation on offer, get to know lecturers and students, and discover the island city we call home. You can find out where to live, how to fund your studies, and which student groups to join.
We even offer special Open Day discounts and offers on everything from hotel stays and places to eat, to some of Portsmouth's top visitor attractions.
As an alternative to visiting us on campus, Portsmouth's Virtual Open Days bring the University of Portsmouth experience to wherever you are. If you can't make a scheduled Virtual Open Day, we'll give you access to recordings and other useful information.
You don’t have to wait for an invitation to pay us a visit. We have an open-door policy, so you can look inside buildings and speak to support services between 8:30am-4:15pm Monday-Friday.
Find out when our next Open Day is and book your place.
Student Life in Portsmouth
Portsmouth is a compact, island city that’s open to the world. As a city campus, all our teaching and most halls of residence are in the centre of Portsmouth. You’ll find inspiration round every corner.
Within a 10 minute walk from campus, you’ll find miles of beaches and green spaces. Two original Victorian piers offer amazing views, amusement arcades and rides. Spinnaker Tower gives you stunning views of the city and the Solent. Gunwharf Quays is a destination designer outlet. Naval history comes to life at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Many students live in the resort area of Southsea and contribute to its friendly, cosmopolitan and quirky character. Whatever your vibe, there’s something to love, from festivals and sporting events through to surfing and lakeside picnics. By night, Portsmouth is home to a feast of gigs, bars, restaurants, clubs and shows.
The city’s flat – perfect for cycling - so it’s easy to get around. Transport links to and from other places are also great. You can be in central London by train in 90 minutes, travel to France and Spain by ferry, and for destinations further away, Gatwick, Heathrow and Southampton airports are all in easy reach.
Travel information
Getting to and from Portsmouth couldn’t be easier. There are three stations close to our campus and popular residential areas. We’re well connected to London, with a fast train service taking just over an hour to reach Waterloo. There are also easy connections to Cardiff, Brighton, Bournemouth, Southampton, Winchester and some of the main London airports.
If you prefer to travel by bus, we have National Express pick-up and drop-off points around the city. The main station for local and intercity buses is at The Hard Interchange, on the edge of Portsmouth Harbour, a short walk from campus.
Travelling around Portsmouth itself is also easy. We have a free, dedicated university bus service for students and staff during term time. This loops around our campus and popular areas where students live. There are other regular bus services which cover the rest of the city and surrounding areas. Portsmouth is a bike friendly city - compact and mostly flat, so it’s easy and safe to cycle or simply walk around.
Featured Societies
Athletics Club
If you are looking to enrich your university experience to the fullest look no further than the Athletics Club. We are a club that accepts people of all experience, background and confidence. As much as we strive for success in competition we also work on maintaining and building the strong family values for our current and alumni members. This consists of a healthy balance of training, competition, integration of teams and a mixture socials.
Dance Club
University of Portsmouth Dance Club (UPDC) is a fun and social club that works hard, plays hard, and was a worthy winner of last year’s Club of the Year! With our fun weekly club classes in a variety of styles, including hip hop, jazz and contemporary, UPDC offers something for everyone with a passion for dance. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced dancer you are guaranteed a good time! Members can also audition for our hip hop and contemporary competition squad teams who take part in inter university competitions around the UK and perform at various local events. We also have jazz and tap squads who start training after Christmas. Hard work and commitment has led to all our squads being prize winners at different dance competitions in the past few years. We have socials every week and also do performances and competitions throughout the year.
Green Society
A free society with roughly weekly meetings. Check our Facebook page to stay up to date event by event. We're a group of like-minded students dedicated to making a positive local changes that benefit people, animals and the environment. We have no political affiliations or membership fees. We run a number of campaigns and projects, organise events such as workshops and film screenings, and participate in local and national protests. We’re interested in everything from fossil fuel divestment to setting up local food gardens. We also enjoy a good social!
Pugwash Magazine
Hello! Welcome to Portsmouth University Guild of Writers And Student Hacks, or Pugwash for short. We are the official student magazine of the University of Portsmouth and we would love for you to come and get involved with us! We are a friendly group of students who are passionate about producing industry standard publications full to the brim with great content, designs and overall writing talent. Here at Pugwash we cover five main writing categories that we believe encompass the life of a University student in Portsmouth. These are University Life, Arts and Entertainment, Health and Well-being, Culture and Creative. Furthermore, if writing's not your thing then why not get involved with the design of the magazine or help market Pugwash to the rest of the University community? There truly is something for everyone at Pugwash Magazine and if you'd like to get involved then come along to one of our writer's meetings.
Wakeboarding Club
Wakeboarding is the fastest growing sport in Europe and our club is following the same pattern at the University. The best way to describe the sport is snowboarding on water, but completely unique it allows you to pull off tricks that are not possible in any other sport. This club is not prejudice to your standard if you are an expert then you’re more than welcome to join come to the lake and progress even further or if you are a beginner to the sport come along and they will get you up on the water for the first time.
Other Contact Details
Chat to the uni
Visit our website
Address:
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 2UP
T : +44 (0)23 9284 8484
E : [email protected]
Courses and Fees
Find out when our next Open Day is and book your place. We offer a wide range of courses to get you career-ready, across a variety of disciplines including business and law, creative and cultural industries, humanities and social sciences, science and healthcare, engineering and technology.
UK undergraduate tuition fees for all full-time courses at Portsmouth are currently £9,250 a year. EU students currently also pay £9,250 a year thanks to the University's Transition Scholarship. Fees for part-time courses vary.
Fees for international students also vary. For the most up-to-date facts and figures about fees, it's best to check the University of Portsmouth website. You'll also find information on our site about how we can help you budget, access financial support, and make your money go further.
Our University Support Fund helps students who have financial difficulties while studying.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries, including: £5,000 scholarship for high achievers from challenging backgrounds, £1,750 a year to qualifying care leavers, £1,000 a year for those estranged from their parents, £750 a year for eligible students from low income families, £500 a year for eligible students who are caring for a family member.
We’ve also teamed up with Unite Foundation, Santander Universities, Portsmouth Football Club and Greenwich Hospital to offer a range of other financial assistance.
Term Dates
The academic year at Portsmouth usually runs from September to July. Here are the key dates for the 2023/24 year:
International Orientation Week: 11 - 17 September 2023
Induction Week: 18 - 22 September 2023
Teaching Block: 18 September - 19 January 2024
Christmas Break: Monday 18 December 2023 - Friday 5 January 2024
International Orientation: 15 - 21 January 2024
Induction Week: 15 - 19 January 2024
Teaching Block: 22 January - 10 May 2024
Easter break: 25 March 2024 - Friday 12 April 2024
Facilities
We're investing £400 million into facilities to prepare students for a competitive global jobs market. Key to this is giving you opportunities to practise skills in simulated professional environments. To give a few examples, we have:
The Centre for Creative and Immersive XR, for exploring virtual, augmented and extended reality. The Future Technology Centre, where students work with industry on advanced projects. Plus a Bloomberg Suite, Motion Capture Studio, Professional Interpreter Training Suite, Replica Courtroom, and simulated GP, pharmacy and hospital environments.
Ravelin Sports Centre is one of the UK's most sustainable sports centres, with the latest fitness tech and affordable memberships. Opened in 2022, it offers an 8 lane, 25 metre swimming pool, 175 station fitness suites, 8 court sports hall, multi-purpose studios, squash courts, ski simulator, climbing wall and bouldering.
Accommodation
In Portsmouth you'll find accommodation to suit all budgets. Our halls of residence give you a range of options: self-catered or catered, en suite or shared bathrooms, shared flats or corridor rooms, studio flats, accessible rooms and designated quieter areas.
All halls at Portsmouth are close to everything you might need. Shops, restaurants, entertainment, public transport and the beach are all on your doorstep or a walk away.
The friendly Residence Life team are on hand in halls 24/7 to provide wellbeing and support services – plus a variety of social events where you can make great new friends.
As a new first-year undergraduate, you're guaranteed to get a place in halls at Portsmouth. You just need to make us your firm first choice and meet accommodation deadlines.
If you prefer, you’ll find all sorts of places to rent in the private sector, from the seafront to the city centre.
Whether you want a hand finding housemates or advice on dealing with rental contracts and landlords, our expert Student Housing Team is here to help.
What students say
‘I visited the University of Portsmouth and instantly loved the lively energy and the campus feel.’
Katie, BA (Hons) Media Studies
‘By going to the social activities they had for my course during induction week and putting myself out there, I was able to make a lot more friends than I thought I would.’
Jubilee, BA (Hons) Architecture
‘The lecturers are the best, really approachable, really understanding and they are great with people.’
Andrew, BSc (Hons) Sociology with Criminology
‘I have used the Student Wellbeing Service as it was useful to talk to a professional. They helped normalise and accept the struggles of stress and work.’
Jessica, BA (Hons) Creative Writing
‘I’ve learnt so much and gained so much confidence… I’m the first person in my family to go to university and they are so proud of me.’
Josie, LLB (Hons) Law
‘My course provided a range of modules that allowed me to tailor my degree to the things I was passionate about for a potential career.’
Bethany, BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics
