Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Bradford is a mid-sized, diverse university with a single compact City Campus about ten minutes' walk from the city centre. It's known for practical, career-focused courses in health, pharmacy, engineering, computing and management, and for pioneering peace studies in the UK. The student body is very diverse, with lots of local and international students.
Its biggest selling point is cost: Bradford regularly comes out as the UK's cheapest city for student rent. The university doesn't run its own halls, though. First years usually live at The Green, a private student village next to campus. Nightlife is lower-key than in Leeds, which is a short train ride away.
Known for
The University of Bradford is 102nd out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 41.1, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Brunel University London | 41.6 |
| 101 | Imperial College London | 41.2 |
| 102 | University of Bradford | 41.1 |
| 103 | Abertay University | 41 |
| 104 | Solent University | 41 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
19th of 124 · Affordability Score 66.7
61st of 124 · Innovation Score 56.4
67th of 124 · Sustainability Score 51
69th of 124 · Value Score 43.6
75th of 124 · Freshers Score 52.6
79th of 124 · Wellbeing Score 47.6
85th of 124 · Inclusion Score 50.3
92nd of 123 · Happiness Score 39.9
95th of 124 · Nightlife Score 39.1
96th of 124 · Social Score 41.7
97th of 124 · Balance Score 36
98th of 124 · Safety Score 28.1
100th of 124 · Societies Score 41.1
120th of 124 · Employability Score 15.4
119th of 122 · Careers Score 15.6
Bradford as a student city
Ranked 55th of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 46.5.
The University of Bradford appears in 27 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineering | 11th | of 58 | 135 |
| Public Health | 3rd | of 14 | 53 |
| Civil Engineering | 16th | of 58 | 119 |
| Business and Management | 41st | of 114 | 168 |
| Chemical Engineering | 11th | of 30 | 76 |
| Physiotherapy | 18th | of 49 | 107 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 33rd | of 77 | 134 |
| International Relations | 33rd | of 71 | 113 |
| Criminology | 44th | of 94 | 127 |
| Occupational Therapy | 19th | of 40 | 92 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 47th | of 97 | 122 |
| Computer Science | 50th | of 102 | 142 |
| Social Work | 33rd | of 67 | 126 |
| Psychology | 54th | of 108 | 129 |
| Biomedical Science | 47th | of 93 | 114 |
| Marketing | 47th | of 88 | 117 |
| Radiography | 16th | of 29 | 63 |
| Economics | 50th | of 85 | 104 |
| Nursing | 52nd | of 85 | 106 |
| Pharmacy | 20th | of 32 | 55 |
| Cyber Security | 37th | of 58 | 85 |
| Anthropology | 16th | of 24 | 57 |
| Forensic Science | 21st | of 31 | 70 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 45th | of 66 | 67 |
| Midwifery | 38th | of 54 | 58 |
| Archaeology | 20th | of 28 | 59 |
| Optometry | 11th | of 13 | 34 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
The University of Bradford Union (UBU) runs sports clubs, societies and events, and the Union, the J.B. Priestley Library and The Green are all within a few minutes of each other on City Campus. The Green has its own social programme on and off site, so it's easy to meet people. Bradford city centre is a short walk away, and Leeds, with its bigger clubs and gig venues, is a short train ride away.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Green: Village Apartments | Next to City Campus | en-suite, apartments of six | Not published | The university's recommended accommodation, run by Homes for Students. Six en-suite bedrooms with three-quarter beds and a shared kitchen and living area. |
| The Green: Townhouses | Next to City Campus | shared bathroom (two students per shower room), houses of 12 | Not published | The cheaper of the two options: 12-bedroom houses with a big open-plan kitchen and living space and a patio garden. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
Plenty of privately rented houses and flats within walking distance of campus, according to the university.
Apartments and private student blocks 10–15 minutes' walk from campus.
Some students live in Leeds for the bigger scene and take the train, but that means higher rents and travel costs.
Top tip
There's no deadline for The Green, but rooms are first come, first served, so apply early on the Homes for Students website. You'll pay a £50 deposit to secure your room, which is refundable if your place at the university doesn't go ahead. If The Green can't help, Unipol's Bradford Housing Hub in Student Central can help you find private housing.
Bradford is one of the cheapest student cities in the UK. StudentCrowd's league table, which the university quotes, put average student rent at £100 a week. The university doesn't publish hall prices on its own site: The Green's prices are on the Homes for Students website, and you'll pay a £50 deposit to secure a room.
Getting around
City Campus is compact, and the city centre is about 10–12 minutes' walk away. From The Green, it's a 4-minute walk to the library and 5 minutes to the Union. Bradford Interchange and Forster Square stations, in the city centre, have frequent trains to Leeds.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
The University of Bradford is 102nd out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 41.1. Its strongest results are for affordability (19th).
In our 2027 subject rankings, the University of Bradford places highest for Public Health (3rd of 14). Across our awards, it also stands out for affordability.
No. The university doesn't own or run student accommodation. It recommends The Green, a student village next to campus run by Homes for Students. You apply directly through the Homes for Students website.
There's no formal guarantee. The Green has no application deadline and works on a first come, first served basis, so the earlier you apply, the more choice you'll have. If it's full, Unipol's housing hub can help you find somewhere else.
Very close. It's about a 4-minute walk to the J.B. Priestley Library, 5 minutes to the Students' Union and 12 minutes to Bradford city centre.
Yes. Bradford topped StudentCrowd's table of the cheapest UK cities for student accommodation, with average rent of about £100 a week, according to the university.
Village Apartments have six en-suite bedrooms sharing a kitchen and living space. Townhouses are cheaper: 12 bedrooms share a big kitchen and living area, and two students share each shower room.
Yes. Leeds is a short train ride from Bradford's city-centre stations, so lots of Bradford students head there for bigger nights out, gigs and shopping.
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.
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