Overview

University of Bedfordshire is a modern, innovative university located in Bedfordshire county and hosts some 24,000 students from over 100 countries. It boasts a multicultural community and has industry partners from Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The university provides opportunities to study in China and Vietnam in summer. In all, the university’s departments offer more than 250 undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.

School Main Website | International/Exchange Students Website

GPA Requirement

To be eligible for undergraduate degrees, you need to complete your high school education (12 years), obtain results with at least two UK GSCE or equivalent passes and possess the required English language qualification. Find out more here. 

To be eligible for postgraduate degrees, you will typically need a good undergraduate degree. The required qualifications differ for specific courses. Click here for more information. Do note that portfolios are required for art courses.

The university recognises the following qualification as satisfying the English language requirement for a Bachelor or Master’s Degree

• IELTS overall score of 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking 

Exemptions:

Students may be exempted from the university's requirement to have formal English language qualifications if they have studied for a first degree in the English language in an English-speaking country, or have passed one of the following:

• GCSE or O Level English language grade C or above, validated in the UK  
• IGCSE English as a First Language Grade C and the following individual scores: Reading Grade E, Writing Grade E, Speaking and Listening: Speaking Grade D (0522) or 2 (0500), Listening Grade D (0522) or 2 (0500)
• IGCSE English as a Second Language Grade C and the following individual scores: Reading and Writing: Reading Grade D, Writing Grade D, Oral (Speaking) Grade C (0511) or 2 (0510), Listening Grade A 
• Scottish Certificate of Education Standard Grade English, minimum grade C
• Scottish Certificate of Education Higher Grade English, minimum grade D
• Irish Leaving Certificate – Ordinary Level English, minimum grade C
• Irish Leaving Certificate – Higher Level English, minimum grade D
• West African Examinations Council School Certificate (WAEC SSCE): Minimum Grade C/6

Language of Instruction

English

Course Registration Process

Full time undergraduates (BA/BSc/BEng) and foundation degree applicants are required to apply through the University and College Admission Service (UCAS). Postgraduate applications (MA/MSc/MBA) should be made directly to the University or using the online application system. You can find the courses here. Once you are enrolled in a course, most of the course units will be pre-allocated to you. There is no free selection of modules.

When you submit an application form, remember to include photocopies of the following supporting documents:

• A completed application form signed by you (an electronic signature is fine)
• Copies of your official academic qualifications and certificates, including formal English language qualifications where relevant
• A one page personal statement. This should tell the university why you are interested in your chosen course.
• A copy of your passport details
• Please submit copies of any UK Visa you have held and any documentation relating to previous visa refusals from any country

More information about the course registration process can be found here.

Attendance Policy

University of Bedfordshire is mandated to report its students’ attendance to the UK government so that the government can certify that they are genuine students. As such, students are required to provide the student advisors with a valid reason when they do not attend classes. If there is a glaring lack of attendance, students will be expelled from the university.

Flying Chalks' tip:  Students are only allowed to work 20 hours or less per week.

My Campus

The University of Bedfordshire has six campuses located in Luton, Bedford, Putteridge Bury, Buckinghamshire, Butterfield and in Milton Keynes.

You can find the maps for the different campuses here.

Campus Facilities:

Luton campus is the main campus and the university provides you with Wi-Fi, IT suite, study areas, a 24/7 library and more! You can find out more here.

Gym:

Gym facilities are available in both the Luton and Bedford campuses. Aspire gym offers Bedfordshire university’s students and staff membership discounts. You can check out the opening hours for the gyms here and here. The campus-based fitness facility cost less compared to external gyms. Students can choose from different payment schemes, as listed in the table below.

                                                                       Student                Staff

Flying Chalks' tip:  For those who go to gym on a regular basis, it will be more worth it for you to get the month-pass instead of paying as you go.

Flying Chalks' recommendation: There is a 24 hours gym called “The Gym” in the town centre and it is suitable for students who would not like to be restricted by the school gym’s opening hours.

IT Suite:

The IT suite allows students to access fast internet and the e-learning library. The IT suite is opened from 0830 to 1730. It also has dual colour printers and scanners for students to use. The printing cost is cheap and students are required to use their ID to authorise the print jobs. Credits can be topped up using a self service machine.

Library & Self Services:

The library is opened 24/7 and offers a range of services to support students in their studies. Students can access 280,000 books, 80,000 journals, PhD thesis documents, past examination papers, 80+ databases and 9,000 e-Books.

You can borrow and renew books from the library at any time using the self-service machines there.

Flying Chalks' tip:  It is best not to lose the library books or return your books past the deadline as that could incur significant fines.

Food on campus:

There are restaurants situated at different campuses. Every campus also has its Costa cafe where coffee lovers can enjoy their coffee. You can find out more here.

Flying Chalks' recommendation: Luton campus has a restaurant & coffee. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the campus and it has a wide variety of food and snacks including sandwich, salad, cooked breakfast, oriental food and curry.   

Flying Chalks' tip:  Student can use their ID to get food discounts.

Campus Transportation

University of Bedfordshire has a relatively small campus that allows you to get around easily on foot. As some classes conducted for Nursing and Midwifery students are held at the Butterfield campus, the university provides free shuttle bus for students who would like to travel to the Butterfield campus.

While the university does not offer any transportation to the public places, there is a bus stop located right outside the university to bring you to places.

Student Life

University of Bedfordshire runs a fantastic social program that includes day trips to many famous sights and locations around Britain so that students can have a great academic and cultural experience during their time there. Do visit the international office to book your place. Places are limited so make sure you sign up early to avoid disappointment!

Orientation Program:

University of Bedfordshire offers students a 4-day orientation program which is useful for students who are new to the city or country. The orientation week is an exciting opportunity to meet your course tutors and classmates, as well as to familiarize yourself with the campus facilities. You will receive more information about the orientation program once you have been enrolled in the university.

Flying Chalks' tip: Students are advised not to miss the orientation week as it not only covers essential information about your university and town, but also allows you to build your first few friendships there!

Student Clubs:

University of Bedfordshire Student Union is a perfect place to mix with other students and to get to know each other. The Student Union organize events, parties, sports competition, religions gatherings and more.

Flying Chalks' recommendation: We like to recommend you to join the union if you are new to the place.

University Events:

Student Union (SU) organizes parties to celebrate Christmas, New Year, Chinese New year, Diwali, Ramadan and more. At these events, you can expect to have lots of fun while learning more about the other cultures at the same time. The SU also organizes dance, drama, musical and singing events to bring more entertainment to the student body.

Flying Chalks' recommendation: Students with skills and talents can join the clubs or events to showcase your craft. 

Luton is the largest town in Bedfordshire and is about 50 KM (30 minutes) away from central London. The town is very multiracial and multicultural.

The Luton Campus is conveniently located in the heart of Luton and is only a 10 minutes’ walk to the train station. In addition, the Luton Airport is just 2.5 KM away from the campus and provides an easy gateway to locations in Europe.

For food

There are restaurants offering Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine, local British food and many more! Fastfood like McDonalds, Subway, KFC and Kebab shops are available in the town center.

Flying Chalks' recommendation: Jimmy’s Restaurant is a grand buffet restaurant that offers Chinese, Vietnam, Indian and Spanish food. Its prices are also budget friendly, where its lunch buffet only costs 8 pounds on weekdays! Find out more here.

Nightlife and Entertainment

The Luton campus has a night club that is only available to university students. There are also bars and restaurants that offer live music. The nightlife is amazing on weekend nights, especially for students.

For entertainment, you can check out Cineworld which is located in the town center and offers unlimited movies to its members. There is also a shopping mall in the town center where most of the things sold there fit comfortably in a student’s budget.

Flying Chalks' tip:  Do keep your items safe when you go out at night. Remember to bring your jacket along too as it can get chilly!

For Daily Necessities and Groceries

There are a number of groceries store available in town, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis. You can also go to Waitrose and Asda, though they are a little further from the town centre. These stores generally offer online services where you can pick your groceries online and have them delivered right to your doorstep. In addition, there are many smaller convenience stores around the neighbourhood. You can find out more on their respective websites:

Tesco

Sainsbury’s

Marks & Spencer

Waitrose

John Lewis

Asda

The Luton Airport, located 2.5 KM away from the town center, mainly caters to travelers heading for Europe. It is accessible by bus, train and taxi.

For the rest, you will have to head to the International Airports (Heathrow and Gatwick) located outside of Central London. Thameslink operate trains that travel to Gatwick Airport. You can view the route map here. National Express operates direct buses to Heathrow Airport. You can find out more here.

International students coming from outside Europe may have to fly to London Heathrow or Gatwick airport first and take a train or bus ride from there to Luton. It is around 1 hour 45 minutes by train  (by gWr) or a 1 hour 53 minutes coach ride from Heathrow airport (by National Express). You can then take a cab to the university from the train or coach station. The taxi fare is relatively inexpensive given that the city is small and everything is close to each other.

You can go to www.traveline.org.uk to find out more about the city’s public transport. You can go to www.nationalexpress.com to find out about coach travel or purchase tickets.

Flying Chalks' tip: It is best not to pre-book trains or coaches as the tickets may go to waste if the flights were delayed. It is advisable to buy tickets only after arriving at the airport.