Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Bournemouth University is a modern, career-focused university on the south coast. Most teaching happens at Talbot Campus, on the Poole side of the Bournemouth–Poole border, with health and some other subjects at Lansdowne Campus near Bournemouth town centre. Many halls are around Lansdowne, close to the town centre and the beach.
It's especially well known for media, film and computer animation, and its graduates have worked on Hollywood visual effects. With around 17,000 students, it's mid-sized and friendly. Seaside living isn't cheap, though, so check hall prices carefully before you choose.
Known for
Bournemouth University is 45th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 51.4, above the UK median of 48.5. Our rankings are built around the student experience, combining employability, freshers experience, happiness, nightlife, sustainability, inclusion, innovation and societies. That means big research names don’t automatically top the table. See how we score universities.
Marker shows the UK median across all ranked universities.
| Rank | University | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | Harper Adams University | 51.5 |
| 44 | University of Winchester | 51.5 |
| 45 | Bournemouth University | 51.4 |
| 46 | University of Aberdeen | 51.3 |
| 47 | London School of Economics and Political Science | 51.1 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
9th of 124 · Sustainability Score 72.2
21st of 124 · Innovation Score 65.6
24th of 124 · Nightlife Score 61.5
31st of 124 · Social Score 59
40th of 124 · Societies Score 57.4
53rd of 124 · Balance Score 43.7
59th of 122 · Careers Score 31.8
61st of 124 · Employability Score 31.4
64th of 124 · Value Score 45
65th of 124 · Inclusion Score 56.7
67th of 124 · Safety Score 41.9
73rd of 123 · Happiness Score 44.6
84th of 124 · Affordability Score 51.3
91st of 124 · Wellbeing Score 44
100th of 124 · Freshers Score 44.4
Bournemouth as a student city
Ranked 22nd of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 55.7.
Bournemouth University appears in 32 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Work | 5th | of 67 | 174 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 9th | of 77 | 170 |
| Media and Communication | 10th | of 79 | 174 |
| Biomedical Science | 12th | of 93 | 171 |
| Nursing | 11th | of 85 | 174 |
| History | 10th | of 76 | 159 |
| Cyber Security | 8th | of 58 | 140 |
| Software Engineering | 8th | of 58 | 140 |
| Sports Science | 11th | of 78 | 163 |
| Occupational Therapy | 6th | of 40 | 119 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 16th | of 97 | 170 |
| Journalism | 10th | of 59 | 128 |
| Criminology | 16th | of 94 | 178 |
| Computer Science | 18th | of 102 | 183 |
| Data Science | 9th | of 50 | 115 |
| Robotics | 6th | of 32 | 99 |
| Film Production | 17th | of 87 | 178 |
| Sociology | 18th | of 86 | 162 |
| Business and Management | 26th | of 114 | 189 |
| Economics | 22nd | of 85 | 149 |
| Psychology | 28th | of 108 | 170 |
| Physiotherapy | 13th | of 49 | 117 |
| Animation (2D/3D) | 14th | of 52 | 118 |
| Forensic Science | 9th | of 31 | 90 |
| Environmental Science | 14th | of 47 | 106 |
| Archaeology | 9th | of 28 | 82 |
| Product Design | 14th | of 43 | 102 |
| Geography | 21st | of 63 | 127 |
| Marketing | 30th | of 88 | 149 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 29th | of 66 | 90 |
| Midwifery | 25th | of 54 | 85 |
| Accounting and Finance | 16th | of 30 | 163 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
The Students' Union at Bournemouth University (SUBU) is based at the Student Centre on Talbot Campus. It runs societies, sports, advice and venues including Dylan's Kitchen & Bar and The Old Fire Station. Bournemouth town centre has plenty of bars and clubs, and the beach and seafront are big draws in summer. Poole Harbour and the Jurassic Coast are close by for days out.
University halls cost £152–£239 per week (2026/27 undergraduate rooms, 40–50-week contracts, including bills, ResLifeBU and an optional annual bus pass) (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
BU guarantees a room in its accommodation if you meet the terms of its Accommodation Guarantee. For September 2026 entry you had to hold an unconditional offer and make BU your firm (first) choice by 09:00 (UK time) on Thursday 13 August 2026, and choose your room by 17:00 that day. If BU was your insurance choice or you came through Clearing, the deadlines were 09:00 on Friday 28 August 2026 (unconditional offer, BU as first choice) and 16:00 on Monday 31 August 2026 (room chosen). Care leavers (or students with a Compact agreement) are guaranteed BU accommodation for their whole course, and estranged students with evidence are guaranteed a room for their first year. The guarantee covers the individual applicant only, not dependants. 2027 entry terms hadn't been published when checked (October 2026).
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unilet houses | Residential areas of Bournemouth and Poole | room in a shared house (4–6 bedrooms) | £152/wk | The cheapest option: privately owned houses managed by BU, rented room by room on a 41-week contract (£152.32–£165.26 a week). No guarantor needed. |
| Student Village | Talbot Campus | shared bathroom (non-en-suite) | £154/wk | Small housing estate on the edge of Talbot Campus, run by BU. UG rooms are £154.49–£170.11 a week on a 40-week contract. No guarantor needed. |
| Cranborne House | Lansdowne | en-suite (value, standard, premium) and studios | £162/wk | Lively block of about 500 undergraduates on Lansdowne Campus, run by Campus Living Villages. Value en-suite £162.02 a week (42 weeks). Guarantor needed. |
| Purbeck House | Lansdowne | en-suite and studios | £178/wk | Home to more than 500 undergraduates in the centre of Lansdowne Campus, run by Unite Students. Standard en-suite £178.38 a week (42 weeks). |
| Lyme Regis House | Lansdowne | en-suite and studios | £186/wk | About 400 students, mostly undergraduates, walkable to the town centre, beach and station. Standard en-suite £186.81 a week (42 weeks). |
| Dorchester House | Lansdowne / opposite Bournemouth station | en-suite and studios | £191/wk | BU-run block of 590 students, mostly first-year undergraduates, opposite the main train station and with a gym. Standard en-suite £191.51 a week (42 weeks). No guarantor needed. |
| Bailey Point | Lansdowne | en-suite | £207/wk | Modern Yugo residence near the town centre, beach and station, with a gym. The priciest standard en-suite: £207.10–£214.55 a week (42 weeks). International guarantors not accepted. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
The classic Bournemouth student area, between the two campuses, with lots of shared houses and a busy high street.
Close to Lansdowne and the town centre, with cafés and restaurants.
Where many halls and private student blocks are. Close to the beach and nightlife.
Top tip
Register your interest on BU's Accommodation Portal as soon as you hold a conditional or unconditional offer. Room booking for September 2027 opens in early November 2026. To keep the guarantee, make BU your firm choice and pick your room before the August deadline. Every hall price includes bills, Wi-Fi, contents insurance and ResLifeBU, and you can opt out of the bus pass. BU-run options (Student Village, Unilet, Dorchester House) don't need a guarantor, which helps if you don't have one. For later years, BU's Unilet scheme and SUBU's advice team can help with private houses.
BU's own budget guide puts a standard en-suite room at £7,271–£8,698 for a 42-week year, including bills and a bus pass. Halls start at about £152 a week, and nearly all rooms are en-suite. If you rent privately, BU says to allow around £64 a month for bills and £295 for a bus pass, and private tenancies usually run for 11 months. Groceries are around £144 a month.
Getting around
Talbot Campus is a few miles north-west of Bournemouth town centre, and Lansdowne Campus is next to the town centre. Buses link the two campuses, the halls around Lansdowne, Winton and the town centre. Bournemouth station is close to Lansdowne, with trains to Southampton and London Waterloo.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
Bournemouth University is 45th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 51.4. Its strongest results are for sustainability (9th), innovation (21st), nightlife (24th).
It has two campuses. Talbot Campus, the main one, is at Fern Barrow on the Poole side of the Bournemouth–Poole border. Lansdowne Campus is just outside Bournemouth town centre, where many halls are.
Media, film and computer animation in particular. Its National Centre for Computer Animation won a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2011, and BU graduates have worked on Hollywood visual effects, including the Oscar-winning effects for Gravity.
First years usually live in halls, many of which are around the Lansdowne area near the town centre. Later, lots of students move to shared houses in Winton or Charminster, or to private student blocks.
SUBU is the Students' Union at Bournemouth University. It's based at the Student Centre on Talbot Campus and runs societies, sport, advice and venues like The Old Fire Station.
Yes. The university's letting service, Lettings BU, can help, and SUBU's advice team gives free housing advice, including on tenancy problems. SUBU also points students to sites like Rightmove and SpareRoom.
HESA data for 2024/25 puts it at 16,860 students, including 12,705 undergraduates.
About this guide. Rankings data comes from the Unifresher Rankings 2027 (methodology). Facts, hall prices and costs come from the university and official sources listed below. Last updated 23 October 2026.
