Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Coventry is a modern, practical university with its campus in the middle of the city, beside the cathedral. Everything is close together: the three university halls are between 5 and 10 minutes' walk from campus, and the station is about 10 minutes away. The university leans towards career-focused courses, from engineering and car design to health and business.
It's a large and very international place, and Coventry itself is cheaper than many student cities. The trade-off is that university halls are all modern en-suites and studios, so there's no budget shared-bathroom option, and the uni only runs three halls. If you want a compact, walkable city with good train links, it works well.
Known for
Coventry University is 80th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 45.3, below 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 78 | University of South Wales | 45.6 |
| 79 | King's College London | 45.4 |
| 80 | Coventry University | 45.3 |
| 81 | Queen Margaret University | 44.9 |
| 82 | University of Hertfordshire | 44.7 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
14th of 124 · Inclusion Score 75.1
35th of 124 · Sustainability Score 57.6
56th of 124 · Social Score 50.6
57th of 124 · Affordability Score 55.6
62nd of 124 · Nightlife Score 48.4
71st of 124 · Balance Score 40.3
77th of 124 · Societies Score 46.6
84th of 124 · Innovation Score 49.9
88th of 123 · Happiness Score 41.1
90th of 124 · Value Score 39.3
97th of 124 · Freshers Score 45.4
101st of 124 · Wellbeing Score 38.7
102nd of 124 · Safety Score 26
104th of 124 · Employability Score 21.6
105th of 122 · Careers Score 21.3
Coventry as a student city
Ranked 51st of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 47.2.
Coventry University appears in 53 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | 1st | of 21 | 77 |
| Software Engineering | 8th | of 58 | 140 |
| Teaching | 13th | of 79 | 164 |
| Animation (2D/3D) | 11th | of 52 | 123 |
| Nursing | 20th | of 85 | 159 |
| Business and Management | 27th | of 114 | 187 |
| Film Production | 21st | of 87 | 169 |
| Politics | 19th | of 78 | 141 |
| Sports Science | 20th | of 78 | 151 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 20th | of 77 | 149 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
Your Students' Union is based in The Hub, the main student building on campus, which also has food outlets and a bar. The university says the SU runs over 80 societies and over 25 sports clubs, plus a casual Social Sport league. The university gym, activities studio and two sports halls are on campus. Coventry city centre is on your doorstep, and FarGo Village, a short walk away, is a creative quarter with around 40 independent businesses.
University halls cost £154–£232 per week for a single room (2026/27 undergraduate, 39- or 43-week contracts). A shared 'twudio' works out at £113 per person. (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
The university's main accommodation pages don't state a guaranteed room for first-year undergraduates. It does guarantee accommodation (in university or privately owned housing) for students accepted at Coventry University or CU Coventry through Clearing; for 2026 entry this covered select en-suite rooms in Bishop Gate, Godiva Place and The Cycle Works, booked 13 to 31 August 2026, while rooms lasted. Offers are made on availability, so apply early.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cycle Works | City centre | en-suite (flats of 4–12) and studios | £154/wk | The cheapest university hall, built in 2017. About 5 minutes' walk from campus and The Hub. UG en-suite £6,006 for 39 weeks; studios are for postgraduates. |
| Godiva Place | City centre | en-suite, studio and twudio | £162/wk | Built in 2018, about 5 minutes from campus and across the road from a supermarket. En-suites are £167 a week on 39 weeks or £162 on 43 weeks; standard studios £194; a shared twudio is £113 per person. |
| Bishop Gate | City centre | en-suite, studio and twudio | £162/wk | The biggest hall: 725 rooms in flats of 9 and 10, built in 2018. About 10 minutes' walk from The Hub and the station. Studios run from £194 to £232 (deluxe); a shared twudio is £113 per person. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
Lots of private purpose-built student blocks within walking distance of campus. Convenient but usually pricier.
A popular, slightly leafier area south-west of the centre, with its own bars and cafés and plenty of shared houses.
East of campus, with terraced houses and cheaper rents, and a walk or short bus ride in.
Top tip
Make Coventry your firm choice on UCAS, accept your offer and use your Student ID to book on the accommodation site, choosing at least four rooms in order of preference. You'll get an offer within three working days and must accept it within three working days (24 hours on A level results day), then pay a £90 Advance Licence Fee. Bills and contents insurance are included; laundry is charged separately.
Coventry is one of the more affordable student cities in the Midlands, but university halls aren't cheap because they're all en-suite or studio. A single room in 2026/27 costs £154–£232 a week, which is about £6,000 to £10,000 a year, with bills included. You can walk to most places, so transport costs can stay low. The university doesn't publish a current overall living-cost estimate.
Getting around
Coventry is a compact city and most students walk. The campus is about 10 minutes on foot from Coventry station, with trains to Birmingham in about 20 minutes and London in about an hour. National Express Coventry runs the local buses; a student Coventry-zone ticket costs £165 a term or £48 a month by direct debit.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
Coventry University is 80th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 45.3. Its strongest results are for inclusion (14th), sustainability (35th).
In our 2027 subject rankings, Coventry University places highest for Information Technology (1st of 21). Across our awards, it also stands out for inclusion.
Not in so many words. The main accommodation pages don't state a first-year guarantee, and rooms are offered on availability, so apply as soon as you've made Coventry your firm choice. The university does guarantee accommodation for students who join through Clearing.
For 2026/27, undergraduate single rooms cost £154 to £232 a week on 39- or 43-week contracts, with heating, electricity, water and contents insurance included. The cheapest is an en-suite at The Cycle Works. Sharing a 'twudio' with a friend brings it down to £113 each a week.
No. All three university halls (Bishop Gate, Godiva Place and The Cycle Works) are self-catered, with en-suite rooms or studios in shared flats. There are food outlets in The Hub on campus.
Very close. Godiva Place and The Cycle Works are about 5 minutes' walk from the university, and Bishop Gate is about 10 minutes from The Hub and the train station.
It's Coventry's name for a twin studio: a studio room for two people, each with a small double bed. It's the cheapest way into a university hall if you have someone to share with, at £113 per person a week in 2026/27.
By train from Coventry station, about 10 minutes' walk from campus. Birmingham is around 20 minutes away and London about an hour, according to the university.
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.
