Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Southampton is a big research university with a proper campus feel. Most students are based at Highfield, a green campus in the north of the city next to Southampton Common, with the Students' Union at its heart. Ocean and earth science students head to the Waterfront Campus on the docks, and art and design students study at Winchester School of Art.
The city itself is mid-sized, so it's easy to get around, and university halls include a Unilink bus pass. Rooms aren't cheap, though: most en-suites cost around £180 to £235 a week. If you want a campus university with a city attached, it's a solid choice.
Known for
The University of Southampton is 35th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 52.6, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | University of the Arts London | 52.7 |
| 34 | Cardiff University | 52.6 |
| 35 | University of Southampton | 52.6 |
| 36 | University of Surrey | 52.5 |
| 37 | University of Warwick | 52.1 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
20th of 124 · Nightlife Score 62.9
20th of 124 · Value Score 60.9
22nd of 124 · Social Score 63.9
22nd of 124 · Balance Score 52.3
22nd of 124 · Inclusion Score 72.6
35th of 124 · Freshers Score 61.3
42nd of 124 · Societies Score 56.6
47th of 124 · Affordability Score 58.4
48th of 124 · Innovation Score 59
51st of 124 · Wellbeing Score 53.8
57th of 124 · Employability Score 31.9
60th of 123 · Happiness Score 47.2
66th of 122 · Careers Score 30.7
78th of 124 · Sustainability Score 46.3
87th of 124 · Safety Score 34.1
Southampton as a student city
Ranked 35th of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 53.5.
The University of Southampton appears in 54 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering 2026 table | 9th | of 30 | 84 |
| Midwifery | 17th | of 54 | 101 |
| Music | 21st | of 56 | 109 |
| Fine Art | 22nd | of 58 | 125 |
| Neuroscience | 10th | of 26 | 71 |
| Linguistics | 11th | of 27 | 62 |
| Philosophy | 22nd | of 54 | 107 |
| Psychology | 46th | of 108 | 138 |
| Civil Engineering | 25th | of 58 | 103 |
| Marketing | 39th | of 88 | 128 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
Social life centres on Highfield, where the Students' Union (SUSU) building has a student-run cinema, sports courts and practice rooms. SUSU says it has more than 300 clubs and societies. Southampton Common, the city's biggest green space, is a few minutes' walk from campus, and Portswood's bars, cafés and shops are close to Wessex Lane and Glen Eyre. The city centre, with Bedford Place's bars and the WestQuay shopping centre, is a short Unilink bus ride away.
University halls cost £139–£284 per week (2026/27 university halls, 38–51-week contracts); Clearing-only partner halls run from £118.50 to £236.25 (2026/27 prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
The university guarantees an offer of a single room in halls to new full-time undergraduates and postgraduates who are over 16, have made Southampton their firm or insurance choice (undergraduates), apply for a contract of 38 weeks or longer, and meet the conditions of their offer by 31 August. For 2026 entry, undergraduates had to apply by 1 July 2026 (1 August 2026 for postgraduates). The guarantee is for a room, not a particular hall, room type or price. Clearing applicants for 2026 were also guaranteed a room if they applied by the published Clearing deadlines.
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wessex Lane | Swaythling, near Portswood | shared bathroom, en-suite and studios | £139.09/wk | A student village near Portswood's shops and bars, with the cheapest university-owned rooms (£139.09 standard shared bathroom) up to £252.56 for a studio. |
| Glen Eyre | Highfield / Bassett (about a 10-minute walk from Highfield Campus) | shared bathroom, en-suite, studios and couples' flats | £157.64/wk | The university's biggest student community, with lots of green space and close to Highfield and Boldrewood campuses. Rooms run from £157.64 (basic shared bathroom) to £284.48 (1-bed couples' flat). |
| Erasmus Park | Winchester | en-suite | £177.45/wk | For Winchester School of Art students, close to the school and Winchester's historic centre. Doesn't include a Unilink bus pass. |
| Orion Point (Unite Students) | City centre | en-suite | £179.43/wk | Private partner hall on 51-week contracts, about 15–20 minutes by bus from campus. Unite asks for £350 advance rent. |
| Archers Road | City centre (near Bedford Place) | en-suite | £180.53/wk | Spread across Romero and Gateley halls, close to the bars and restaurants of Bedford Place. |
| City Gateway | Swaythling | en-suite, studios and couples' flats | £185.92/wk | Modern block near Highfield Campus, next to a gym, shop and GP surgery, and a short walk from Swaythling station. |
| Highfield Hall Catered | Next to Southampton Common, close to Highfield and Avenue campuses | shared bathroom and en-suite (part-catered); a self-catered studio option | £223.30/wk | The traditional part-catered option: breakfast and a main meal on weekdays in term, plus weekend brunch/lunch. £223.30 (studybed) to £270.06 (en-suite), 41 weeks. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
The main student area: a busy high street of cafés, takeaways and bars, close to Highfield Campus.
Leafy streets right by campus and Southampton Common. Handy, but popular.
Quieter, a bit further out, near Wessex Lane and City Gateway, with a train station.
Closer to the city centre and its bars, with a slightly longer trip to Highfield.
Top tip
Applications for September 2026 opened on 20 April 2026, and you choose 5 to 7 rooms in order of preference. You don't pay anything to apply. Undergraduates confirmed for September get an offer between 13 August and 1 September. Get your application in before the 1 July guarantee deadline. You can ask for a quieter, single-gender, alcohol-free or LGBTQ+ flat.
The university's own guide puts university halls at £155 to £236 a week and average private rent at £115 a week plus bills. Halls include utilities, wi-fi, laundry and a Unilink bus pass, which makes them easier to budget for. The university suggests about £50 a week for food shopping and £30 for socialising. Southampton is cheaper than London, but not a bargain city.
Getting around
Southampton is compact. Unilink buses link Highfield, the halls, the city centre, Southampton Central station and the Waterfront Campus, and a Unilink bus pass is included in the price of university-owned halls in Southampton. If you live privately, a 2026/27 academic-year student Unilink ticket costs £358. Waterfront Campus is about 3.5 miles from Highfield.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
The University of Southampton is 35th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 52.6. Its strongest results are for nightlife (20th), value for money (20th), social life (22nd).
Yes. Southampton was a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive UK universities.
Yes, if you meet the conditions. New full-time undergraduates who make Southampton their firm or insurance choice, apply for a contract of 38 weeks or more by the deadline (1 July for 2026 entry) and meet their offer conditions by 31 August are guaranteed an offer of a room. It's a room, not a specific hall or price.
In university-owned halls in Southampton, yes. Fees include gas, electricity, water, wi-fi, laundry and a Unilink bus pass. Erasmus Park in Winchester doesn't include the bus pass, and some private partner halls may charge for laundry.
For 2026/27, the cheapest university-owned room is a standard shared-bathroom room at Wessex Lane at £139.09 a week. Lucia Foster Welch, a private partner hall, was £118.50 a week but was only offered to Clearing applicants.
Highfield Hall is the part-catered option, with breakfast and a main meal on weekdays in term time plus weekend brunch or lunch. Rooms there cost £223.30 to £270.06 a week for 2026/27. Every other hall is self-catered.
HESA figures for 2024/25 put it at 25,785 students, including 17,645 undergraduates. Around a third of students come from outside the UK.
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.
