Uni choices Kent, Portsmouth, Swansea, Nottingham Trent

I can't comment for the others, but I went to an open day in Swansea for Computer Science. I don't attend the University, ended up taking a gap year so I can't comment about the student life.
I was turned off by the open day personally, Bay Campus is right by the sea and it was way too windy for my liking. The building and the labs are really modern though.
Another reason why I was turned off is that the Lecturers fitted right into the stereotype of a computer scientist, this is just me being judgemental but it was a deciding factor for me personally.
Besides this though, I'd still advise you to stay away from foundation years especially since you are coming into University so late.

I am currently 23 years old and I will be 24 next year when I begin university. I dont really like the feeling of starting University this late but oh well thats just life. I have applied to a few universities and received a couple of offers.
I was wondering about January 2026 starts but they don't seem common for Home students in the UK, so I have reached out for September 2026 intakes.
I have applied for a undergraduate bachelors course in Computer science in:
Swansea University
University Of Kent
University Of Portsmouth
Brunel University Of London
Cardiff Met University
Nottingham Trent University
I have received an offer from all of the Universities above for normal 3year bachelors courses (I would be essentially 27 when I complete the course) apart from Swansea University which offered me the course with a foundational year, (I would be 28 on completion)
I would like to ask student reps and people who attended the unis that I have listed which uni would be the best in terms of student life and prospects after graduation.
The questions in my mind are
Does Swansea Universities extra foundation year make sense to take?
Which of the unis would i not have a miserable time living around campus in?
Looking forward to your suggestions, thank you for the help.

Hi @Jameswoodman34,
It's great to hear you've had an offer for Computer Science with us at NTU!
There's a lot of factors to consider when deciding between your offers - the important thing to remember is you still have plenty of time to make your decision; since you've received an offer from all of your applications, you'll have until May 6th 2026 to make your choice.
As another commenter mentioned, open days can be a great way to help you narrow your choice - I'd recommend visiting all of the universities you're considering if you can. You can get a feel for the campus and city, and you'll likely have the opportunity to chat with current students and staff about their experience, as well as explore the facilities. If you wanted to visit us at NTU, our next open day is Saturday 6th of December, but there's plenty more taking place in the new year!
Something else I'd recommend looking out for is placement opportunities, especially for computer science. It can be quite a competitive field, and if you've had the chance to make industry links already and show relevant experience you'll be ahead in your graduate applications. Definitely take a look at the employability and careers information for all of your choices as well!
I was in a similar situation to you when I started studying at NTU, having come to university a little later, but quickly found my home in a couple of Societies and made lifelong friends. With Nottingham being such a student friendly city there's always something going on no matter your interest (for me it was theatre and student radio). I'd recommend checking out the Student's Union pages for any of the places you're considering too!
I hope this helps, let us know if you have any questions!
-Yaz

Thank you for your reply, due to the amount of students in Nottingham with both Nottingham trent and Nottingham University it was one of my top options as there's plenty of students to interact with, and seems like a friendly town.
May I ask how old were you when you started? And what was it like cost wise living on campus?