Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
The University of Northampton is a modern university in the East Midlands, with almost everything on one purpose-built campus. Waterside opened in 2018 beside the River Nene and is a short walk over a footbridge from the town centre. Trains reach London Euston and Birmingham New Street in about an hour.
It's a good fit if you want a practical, career-focused degree and low living costs. Halls start at £97 a week for 2026/27, and the university guarantees new first years a room. Northampton is a town rather than a big student city, so the social scene is smaller, but London is easy to reach for days out.
Known for
The University of Northampton is 98th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 41.8, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 96 | Teesside University | 42.4 |
| 97 | Leeds Trinity University | 42.2 |
| 98 | University of Northampton | 41.8 |
| 99 | City St George's, University of London | 41.7 |
| 100 | Brunel University London | 41.6 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
34th of 124 · Affordability Score 61.4
61st of 124 · Freshers Score 55.4
66th of 124 · Value Score 44.1
67th of 124 · Inclusion Score 55.8
72nd of 124 · Wellbeing Score 49.8
78th of 123 · Happiness Score 44
89th of 124 · Balance Score 37.9
90th of 124 · Safety Score 31.8
91st of 122 · Careers Score 25
94th of 124 · Employability Score 24.3
94th of 124 · Social Score 41.9
98th of 124 · Innovation Score 45.2
98th of 124 · Sustainability Score 38.3
100th of 124 · Nightlife Score 37.8
105th of 124 · Societies Score 39.9
Northampton as a student city
Ranked 61st of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 44.8.
The University of Northampton appears in 40 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching | 39th | of 79 | 123 |
| Sports Science | 40th | of 78 | 114 |
| Performing Arts | 19th | of 37 | 80 |
| Photography | 24th | of 44 | 77 |
| Sociology | 47th | of 86 | 120 |
| Graphic Design | 38th | of 68 | 109 |
| Drama, Theatre and Performance | 34th | of 60 | 90 |
| Midwifery | 31st | of 54 | 77 |
| Biomedical Science | 54th | of 93 | 98 |
| Biochemistry | 35th | of 60 | 85 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing | 52nd | of 88 | 107 |
| Fashion Design | 29th | of 49 | 90 |
| Primary Education | 36th | of 59 | 102 |
| Architecture | 34th | of 55 | 84 |
| Nursing | 53rd | of 85 | 103 |
| Physiotherapy | 31st | of 49 | 74 |
| Artificial Intelligence | 42nd | of 66 | 70 |
| Criminology | 60th | of 94 | 88 |
| Data Science | 32nd | of 50 | 60 |
| Film Production | 56th | of 87 | 112 |
| Journalism | 38th | of 59 | 83 |
| Computer Science | 66th | of 102 | 104 |
| Pharmacology | 24th | of 37 | 53 |
| Business and Management | 74th | of 114 | 107 |
| Software Engineering | 38th | of 58 | 71 |
| Psychology | 71st | of 108 | 93 |
| Engineering (General) | 20th | of 30 | 49 |
| Geography | 42nd | of 63 | 90 |
| History | 51st | of 76 | 78 |
| Social Work | 45th | of 67 | 103 |
| Product Design | 29th | of 43 | 69 |
| Cyber Security | 40th | of 58 | 74 |
| Civil Engineering | 41st | of 58 | 71 |
| Music | 40th | of 56 | 63 |
| Environmental Science | 34th | of 47 | 66 |
| Animation (2D/3D) | 38th | of 52 | 71 |
| Law | 72nd | of 97 | 70 |
| Occupational Therapy | 30th | of 40 | 68 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 58th | of 77 | 86 |
| Fine Art | 44th | of 58 | 75 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
Northampton Students' Union is an independent charity based in the Engine Shed, a converted railway building on Waterside Campus that also works as a daytime café. It runs clubs, societies and volunteering, and advice and wellbeing support. Campus has a 24-hour library. The town centre, with its shops, bars and Cultural Quarter, is a 5–10 minute walk over the footbridge through Becket's Park. For bigger nights out or gigs, London and Birmingham are about an hour away by train.
University halls cost £97–£213 per week (2026/27, 42-week-and-5-day contracts, bills and insurance included) (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
The university guarantees a room in its halls for all new full-time first-year undergraduates (including Clearing applicants) starting in September 2026 who apply and accept their room offer by the deadline that applies to them. You must have accepted your course offer, paid your deposit in full by 31 July 2026 and applied for accommodation. International students must hold an offer and pay their tuition deposit first. The guarantee is for university-owned halls, not a first-choice room, room type or location. The university says it won't ask for an accommodation deposit for September 2026 entry.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scholars Green Student Village (Simon Senlis, William Carey, Spencer Perceval) | Off campus, about 4.5 miles from Waterside | en-suite, twin en-suite and studios | £97/wk | The cheapest option: twin en-suite £97, single en-suite £117, studio £154 a week. Free Stagecoach bus to campus. Only available to students starting in 2026/27. |
| St John's Halls | Town centre | en-suite, single and twin studios | £144/wk | In the town centre near the Cultural Quarter, a five-minute walk through Becket's Park to campus. Twin studio £144, single en-suite £178, single studio £208 a week. |
| Town Houses (Waterside) | Waterside Campus | shared bathroom (two bedrooms per bathroom) | £164/wk | Standard singles on campus, with one bathroom shared between two bedrooms and a communal kitchen and living space: £7,005.14 a year. |
| Francis Crick | Waterside Campus | small en-suite or studio | £175/wk | On-campus hall with small en-suites (£175) and studios (£213, the top of the range). |
| Margaret Bondfield | Waterside Campus | en-suite (small and large) | £175/wk | Small en-suites £175 and large en-suites £188 a week, in flats with a communal kitchen. |
| Charles Bradlaugh and John Clare | Waterside Campus | large en-suite and accessible en-suite | £180/wk | Large en-suites £188 a week; accessible en-suite rooms £180. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
Close to shops, bars and the bus station, and a short walk over the footbridge to Waterside.
A popular residential area east of the centre, with plenty of shared houses and a busy high street.
Older terraced streets near the railway station, walkable to the centre.
Top tip
Apply as soon as you've made Northampton your firm choice and received your invitation to the accommodation portal. Rooms are allocated in order of application, so early applicants get more choice. Make sure your course deposit is paid and your room offer is accepted by the deadline (31 July for September 2026 entry), or the guarantee won't apply.
Northampton is one of the more affordable places to study in England. 2026/27 halls run from £97 to £213 a week on a 42-week-and-5-day contract, with heating, lighting, water and contents insurance included. That's about £4,144 a year at the bottom end and around £7,000–£8,000 for an on-campus en-suite. Transport costs stay low because campus is walkable from town.
Getting around
Waterside Campus is a 5–10 minute walk from the town centre over the footbridge through Becket's Park. Northampton station is about a mile away (10–15 minutes on foot), with trains to London Euston and Birmingham New Street in about an hour. Stagecoach buses 4/4A run from the bus station roughly every 10 minutes. Bus singles in England are capped at £3 until at least March 2027.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
The University of Northampton is 98th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 41.8. Its strongest results are for affordability (34th).
Yes. New full-time first-year undergraduates starting in September 2026, including Clearing applicants, are guaranteed a room in university halls if they apply and accept their room offer in time, with the course deposit paid by 31 July 2026. It's not a guarantee of your first-choice room or location.
For 2026/27, rooms cost £97 to £213 a week on a 42-week-and-5-day contract. On-campus en-suites at Waterside are £175–£188 a week, town-centre St John's Halls start at £144, and Scholars Green, 4.5 miles away, has the cheapest rooms from £97. Heating, lighting, water and contents insurance are included.
Everything is on Waterside Campus, on University Drive beside the River Nene. It opened in 2018 and is a 5–10 minute walk from the town centre over the footbridge through Becket's Park. The railway station is about a mile away.
It's the university's off-campus student village, about 4.5 miles from Waterside, with a free Stagecoach bus to campus. It has the cheapest rooms (from £97 a week for 2026/27), but it's only available to students starting in the 2026/27 academic year.
Easy. Trains from Northampton to London Euston take about an hour, and Birmingham New Street is about an hour too. The station is around 10–15 minutes' walk from campus, or you can take the number 18 bus on weekdays.
No. The university says you keep your room for the full 42 weeks and 5 days of your contract, so you don't need to move out during semester breaks.
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.
