Northumbria University guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Northumbria University has lift off! The North East Space Skills and Technology Centre (NESST) will open next year, the product of a £50m investment to bring together industry and academia to work on internationally significant space research and technological developments. This new institution is a sign of Northumbria's steadily acquired research clout and a modern university that is taking on the old guard. There will be spin-offs for undergraduates, too, with new courses and the presence of world-leading academic expertise. These are good times for Northumbria, named our Research University and Modern University of the Year two years ago. Applications and admissions were up by a healthy amount for courses starting in 2024, when 56% of the intake was drawn from the North East and 17% from Yorkshire and Humberside. Northumbria is a key player in the regional economy, getting more graduates into skilled jobs in the region than any other university, including local Russell Group rivals Newcastle and Durham. It's a good destination for budding entrepreneurs as well. It also ranked fourth in the UK in 2023-24 for graduate start-ups based on their estimated turnover - the 16th successive year where Northumbria has been placed in the top ten.
Paying the bills
The Northumbria Undergraduate Award is worth £4,000 paid over three years to students who meet at least one of three eligibility criteria: coming from a home in a postcode among the 40% with the lowest higher education participation rates; being black, Asian or from a minority ethnic background, or having a physical or mental health condition, long-term illness or learning difference. Applicants for the scholarship must also submit 500 words on how the award would support their aspirations to succeed in higher education. There are further bursary awards available for care leavers (£2,000 with 54 given out in 2023-24), young carers (£2,000, 134), those estranged from their parents (£2,000, 90) and those undergoing dyslexia assessments (£350, 474). A further £1.2m was handed out in hardship support in 2023-24 to students experiencing acute financial difficulties; a food pantry provides free food with no questions asked and there are designated warm spaces on campus at all times with places to charge electronic devices. A large stock of more than 3,750 places in student residential accommodation is competitively priced with the cheapest rooms in Stephenson House in the Ouseburn Valley costing just £4,434 for a 43-week tenancy. The most expensive studios in Camden Court, close to the main City Campus, cost £9,901 for the same period.
What's new?
Delivered in partnership with the UK Space Agency and Lockheed Martin, the NESST development (see also Overview above) is a gamechanger for both the university and the British space economy, putting both at the forefront of innovation in research in satellite communication, weather and space-based energy. Two new degrees launching in September 2026 are tied in with NESST, a BEng/MEng in aerospace and satellite engineering and an MSc in aerospace satellite engineering. Stellar young wordsmiths will benefit from the development of a new centre for writing and publishing which was awarded £5m of government funding this year. The Northumbria University/New Writing North collaboration will bring together partners nationwide from the arts and academia, and the media and publishing industries, providing opportunities for networking, experiential learning and opening doors for young people into the publishing industry. A further collaboration with New Writing North and Hachette, the global publisher, has established an audiobook recording studio on campus. Sounds Good Audiobooks is supporting the expansion of the creative industries in the North East and will provide opportunities for staff and students alike. Experiential learning like this is central to Northumbria's mission as it works towards enabling every student to benefit from it as part of their studies. This helps explain the university's commitment to degree apprenticeships, with more than 2,000 apprentices on campus following a range of programmes for (among others) architects, civil engineers, police constables, occupational therapists and registered adult and child nurses. Two new programmes for social workers and nursing associates have been approved for 2025.
Admissions, teaching and student support
A quarter of applicants in 2024 received a contextual offer typically at 16 Ucas tariff points (equivalent to two A-level grades) below the standard entry requirements. The offers, which are made in all subjects, apply to all applicants from homes in the 40% of postcodes with the lowest progression rates into higher education; those who have been entitled to free school meals; those who are estranged from their parents; those from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds; care leavers and carers; those with a physical or mental health condition, long-term illness or learning difference; and mature applicants who will be over 21 years old when their course begins. The university provides dedicated support for students from widening participation backgrounds. NU Belong provides personalised support for carers and care leavers and students estranged from their parents, while NU Opportunities is an internal placement/internship scheme which helps those without their own networks to access opportunities. Northumbria runs a neurodiverse transition event, a pre-entry orientation experience ahead of Welcome Week. This is to give neurodiverse students advice and key information in a non-threatening environment. More general mental health and well-being support offers a broad menu of interventions, including counselling, low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy, outdoor therapy and online self-help tools. Psychoeducational workshops cover stress and anxiety, low mood, procrastination, sleep and avoiding burnout.