Hi, I'm a Game Art grad who is now in industry. You're absolutely right that it is difficult to get a job and very competitive. I would consider if that is enough to put you off or not.
The people that do best in these kinds of courses are highly self-motivated, willing to put in extra work and industry research outside of what their course might offer, job search early and often, and seek mentorship, advice and feedback from people in early career positions in industry. You need to be independent, organised, and expect particularly your 2nd and 3rd year to be extremely tough. You need to expect your course to teach you skills to make a good portfolio, but not to "get you a job".
As for salary, it is often compared against other tech roles - where yes, Games will be low by comparison. But if you were to compare against other art and design roles (e.g. illustration, curation and freelance) you'll find it's pretty damn good.
Bournemouth is good, Falmouth and Staffs are good. Heard consistently good things about all three. I applied to Falmouth and had a great exp. in their interview process. I didn't know about Staffs when I did UCAS but given my time again I would've applied there. I got put off from Bournemouth because they had a coding module but in hindsight I wish i'd coded more at Uni- again I would've applied if I had my time again.
Norwich I hear mixed things from - some people love it, some people less keen. I looked around Herts but I didn't apply in the end, the course content wasn't quite as much up my alley, but that was a personal preference- would def go to open day. UAL and Plymouth I can't speak on.
Also worth considering: DMU (where I went), Abertay (pro: cheap cost of living, con: 4 year course), Escape Studios (pro: highly specialist, con: expensive cost of living)
My actual UCAS list was DMU, Abertay, Falmouth, Norwich, UCA Farnham - if I had my time again i'd pick
Staffs, Bournemouth, DMU, Falmouth.... and either Escape or Abertay.
Some people will say to you "Why even bother going to university? You should get an apprenticeship/self teach/give up on your dreams." - they generally have absolutely no idea how competitive apprenticeships, work experience and internships within our industry are, or any idea that most of the industry-standard courses are expensive and often it's incredibly difficult to pick out the good stuff from opportunists selling out of date or useless information. Not to mention the upfront costs of getting independent software licenses for most of the specialist software you need to study a course like Game Art. Something like Zbrush Sculptor will run you over $300 a year.
Yes, there's a lot of risk in studying something niche and specialist like Game Art at University, I don't disagree. Yes, we have relatively high rates of unemployment. So be sure you are willing to commit to the work of getting your foot in industry, are willing to pivot and compromise on your dream job to get your foot in the door, and are willing to put in the extra work required to get through it. I don't think Uni's a bad way to do it. But you have to really want it.
Good luck. Reach out if you have any Qs, always happy to help.