University Of Sheffield Guide: Rankings, Courses, Fees And More

The University of Sheffield is one of the best in the world, currently ranked 96th in the QS World University Rankings and joint 16th in the UK according to the 2024 QS World University Rankings. It is one of the six original and highly-regarded red brick universities in the UK and was amongst the founding members of the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), which comprises 23 research-led universities globally. In 2013, Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey ranked the University of Sheffield’s Students’ Union the best in the UK. The Students’ Union continued to be voted the best in the UK for five years running by the Whatuni Student Choice Awards from 2017 to 2024.

Summary of University

university of sheffield guide

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University of Sheffield Overview

Among the university’s five main faculties, their Engineering faculty is one of the biggest and best faculties in the UK in terms of research and teaching. As a research-led university, their research output was ranked among the top 10 in the Russell Group and top 10% of all UK universities according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. 99% of their research has been rated by REF as internationally recognised.

The University of Sheffield boasts a huge student body of over 30,000 students. Among them, 34% are from over 150 countries around the world and studying at the University of Sheffield’s International College. Representing the world’s diversity, many students at Sheffield come from China, Malaysia, Cyprus, Nigeria, India, Bulgaria and more. The university also attracts the best teaching staff from all over the world, making it a truly multicultural powerhouse for tertiary education.

Since 1945, the University of Sheffield has educated 6 Nobel Prize winners in the fields of Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine. Among its alumni are the authors Hilary Mantel and Lee Child, the 2012 Olympic gold-winner Jessica Ennis-Hill, chemist and first Briton in space Helen Sharman, and the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia, Amy Johnson.

The university also has strong connections with the industries, giving way to brilliant networking and employment opportunities after graduation in the private sector, SMEs and third sector organisations. They host the biggest job fairs in the region with regular campus visits from employers from London and the rest of the country. Recent placements include AstraZeneca, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, ESPN, Fujitsu, IBM, the NHS, Rolls-Royce and Unilever. Prospective students benefit from the wide choice of short placements, vacation work and part-time jobs.

University of Sheffield Courses and Programmes

The University of Sheffield has five faculties: arts and humanities, engineering, medicine, dentistry and health, science and social sciences. Among its 250 courses, the university is leading the UK in materials science, aeronautical and aerospace engineering according to the National Student Survey of 2024. Currently, the University of Sheffield has 13 subjects ranked among the top 10 nationally. Check out the university’s main website for the full list of course options.

Study Bioengineering at the University of Sheffield

Coming from one of the best bioengineering teaching spaces in the UK, the bioengineering course at the University of Sheffield is an interdisciplinary programme that combines various expertise ranging from fields such as mechanical, electrical, chemical and biological engineering to computer science, medicine, and biology.

Students can utilise the department’s industry-standard equipment to develop products that improve medical care and quality of life. They will also have the opportunity to work alongside professional healthcare providers from the industry’s well-established partners such as Philips, Johnson and Johnson and the NHS.

The tuition fee for overseas students for the 2024-25 term is £25,670 per year. The A-Level entry requirements for this course are AAB including Maths and a science subject.

Study Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield

Landscape architects are those who design, plan and manage the spaces between buildings. The Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield has led many impactful initiatives such as Grey to Green and Love Square, which means its students can immerse themselves in a rich learning and research environment full of live projects. A future architect graduating from this course will become a licentiate Member of the Landscape Institute. To pursue Chartership, students must complete an independent year in practice followed by a Master in Professional Landscape Architecture.

The Department of Landscape Architecture of the University of Sheffield is ranked among the top 5 departments in the UK for town and country planning, and landscape according to The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide of 2024.

The tuition fee for overseas students for the 2024-25 term is £22,520 per year. The A-Level entry requirements for this course are ABB. Art and Design qualifications are not required but evidence of artistic ability in the form of a portfolio is highly desirable.

University of Sheffield Entry Requirements

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to present at least three full GCE A Levels for entry to undergraduate courses.

There are also International Foundation Year courses which are intensive 1.5 or 2 semester programmes designed specifically to provide you with a path to undergraduate degree study at the University.

International Foundation Year

All applicants must be at least 17 years old to apply for the programme.

Academic requirements

  • Good high school grades or equivalent.
  • For GCSE/IGCSE/O Level: 5 subjects including relevant subjects, grades B or above (students must be 17 or over). Grades 9 – 6 in English and Maths.
  • For IB Diploma Programme: 26 points (IB Certificate accepted, 26 points) (Subject pass level is 3). For Dentistry programme: International Baccalaureate (IB) – 30 points, must have 5 in Higher level Chemistry and Higher Biology (not standard level).
  • For AS levels: 32 points (formerly 100 UCAS points) (only A-C grades) (excluding native language) For Dentistry programme: 3 x AS levels grade with A in Chemistry, Biology and another subject (not native language).
    1 pass at grade A/B, and any borderline case including D grades, to be referred to HoC.
  • For A levels: 2 passes at grade C (64 UCAS Tariff 64 points) or 3 passes at grade D (72 UCAS Tariff points) For Dentistry programme: 3 x A-Levels grade with B in Chemistry, Biology and another subject (except native language) in the first sitting.

English language requirements

    • Two-term programme: Academic IELTS for UKVI 4.0 (with 4.0 in all skills), or equivalent.
    • One-term programme: Academic IELTS for UKVI 4.5 (with 4.5 in all skills), or equivalent.
  • For the Dentistry route: Academic IELTS for UKVI 6.5 (with no lower than 5.0 in all skills), or equivalent.

Additional Entry Requirements

There will be other criteria for entry to a clinical programme or requirements for specific nationalities. Please refer to the website for more details.

University of Sheffield Entry Deadline

In the UK, all university applications (including those submitted by international students like you) go through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, more commonly known as UCAS. 

Most undergraduate courses will share the same deadline of 31 January of every year. Some courses such as Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences have an earlier deadline of 16 October in the year before admission.

For more information about key dates and other UCAS deadlines, take a look at our article UCAS Deadlines 2025.

University of Sheffield Ranking

  • 2024 UK Ranking: 28th (Complete University Guide)
  • 2024 Global Ranking: 96th (QS)

The University of Sheffield is among the top 10 universities in the Russell Group for research output. They were ranked the best in the UK for engineering research income and investment, having attracted £124 million for engineering research in 2017-2018. In 2014, their Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry & Health and Science was ranked number 1 in the UK in terms of Biomedical Research quality according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). In 2020, The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide rated the university as the best in the northern UK for graduate employment.

Their Students’ Union is ranked the best in the UK five years in a row by the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (2017-2024). Further, the Sunday Times ranked them among the 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations To Work For in 2018.

University of Sheffield Fees

The fees shown are the 2024/25 tuition fees per year for international (non-UKEU) students. 

International Foundation Year

Depending on the subject route, the maximum tuition fee for two semesters is between £20,700 and £21,500. 

After receiving an offer of a place at the International College of the University of Sheffield, applicants are required to make a confirmation payment consisting of: 

  • £260 Enrolment Fee (non-refundable)
  • £1,000 Deposit
  • Insurance payment for StudyCare Insurance Plus if applicable.

Before enrolment and before applying for the Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (‘CAS’), the applicant will also need to pay £6,000 in advance tuition fees.

Once the CAS has been issued and before arrival at the College, the applicant will be required to pay:

  • The balance of the first semester’s fees
  • Accommodation fees (if applicable) as set out on their individualised payment plan on the offer letter.

Programme fees

Programme

Subject route

Number of semesters

2024/25

International Foundation Year

Business, Social Sciences and Humanities

1.5

£18,500

2

£20,700

Science and Engineering

1.5

£20,000

2

£21,500

     

English language courses

English Language Preparation

1 term

£5,200

(2022/2023)

Undergraduate programme

Tuition fees vary depending on the department. For the academic year of 2024/25, a full-time overseas undergraduate student should expect to pay between £21,000 and £26,950 per year for most courses, £39,950 per year for a Medicine programme for 5 years and £42,770 per year for the Dentistry route of 5 years.

For details on each course, please refer to the Undergraduate fees lookup.

Living cost

Depending on personal preference, the monthly living costs of each student varies but the UK government recommends around £1,015 per calendar month for life outside of London.

The University of Sheffield has also estimated a budget for an undergraduate student studying 9 months  to be around £9,200. This should cover all the basic costs of accommodation, food, books, equipment, insurance and local transportation. For those coming with dependents, they should budget an additional £680 per month for each dependant (spouse or child).

Scholarships

Overseas students in the Faculties of Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Arts and the School of Law are entitled to a scholarship. There are also further options for alumni, sibling(s) and spouse. Please contact us for further information.

University of Sheffield Accommodation

The University of Sheffield is a city-based campus so there are many accommodation choices for undergraduates both within the city and in Ranmoor/Endcliffe. 

Ranmoor/ Endcliffe

This is the most popular among students for accommodation in Sheffield. Join the largest student community in the city, with plenty of free Residence Life activities, events, sports, fundraising, volunteering activities as well as various study, sports and social spaces to enjoy your student life. The room options for this accommodation include en-suite bedrooms, standard bedrooms with shared bathrooms and WCs, deluxe en-suite bedrooms and spacious studios for couples and individuals. Depending on the room types, students can enjoy a full-sized shared kitchen or an individual kitchen and living area. High-speed WiFi is included in the rent and connects to the university’s network.

Endcliffe Crescent Houses

All houses here have central heating and most of them include wireless internet in the rent. Room options are standard bedrooms for one and standard deluxe bedrooms which are more spacious. All have shared bathroom facilities, WC and a shared full-sized kitchen perfect for socialising with friends.

Oakholme Road Houses 

Established families, couples or groups of friends can choose to live at one of the stone-built, semi-detached spacious properties at Oakholme Road. Most of them are standard deluxe bedrooms with double beds, shared bathrooms and WCs and a full-sized kitchen. Standard rooms are also available for students on a budget.

University of Sheffield Reviews

Wei Yuan
5/5

“I’m passionate about aerospace. I want to be a pilot. I chose the University of Sheffield because the aerospace programme is also integrated with private pilot training.”

Aliaa - Malaysian - Management School graduate
5/5

“By having my masters essentially I get a better advantage, I think it will really help me a lot. It is really relevant to what I want to do later on after I graduate.”

University of Sheffield Facilities

The University of Sheffield has world-class equipment that are often loaned for use by experts in the industry for routine testing and analysis conducted in advanced research. These world-class facilities also ensures students have all the tools they need and can concentrate on producing top-notch research.

Libraries

The University Library has an abundance of resources to fulfill all students’ research needs. This is home to approximately 25,000 rare books, over 60,000 journal titles, over 150 special collections of archives, manuscripts, photographs, books, and more. With 3 main libraries – The Diamond, the Health Sciences Library and the Western Bank Library, the university has one of the UK’s leading research libraries. Meanwhile, The Information Commons offers all students a high demand collection of 120,000 books, extensive technical support, laptop loans and over 1,300 learning spaces for all the study environments the students could need.

IT services

The University of Sheffield provides outstanding IT services for the convenience of its students. Students can loan desktops or laptops to use all around campus. There is even a dedicated university software downloading service to assist students with installing all sorts of academic, productivity and security software on their computers. Fast, free and secure Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the campus and in the university’s accommodation. All course notes, lecture recordings, assignment uploads and other studying resources are readily available in the university’s virtual learning environment. Moreover, they can print documents from any computer, tablet or mobile from any printer on campus. 

Sports facilities

There are 57 sports clubs, campus leagues and participation level sports in the University of Sheffield. The university offers a wide range of facilities to its students which cater to both casual games and world-class athletes alike.Their facilities include two full-sized synthetic turf pitches, a fully equipped gym, a fitness centre, a heated indoor swimming pool, a sauna and steam rooms, and a fibreglass moulded bouldering wall. The Peak District is also just nearby for outdoor enthusiasts. 

Accessibility

The university arranges specialist staff both online and offline for tailored support of all special learning needs. Some of their inclusive supports are high-adjustable desks and chairs, accessible buildings and spaces, accessible and gender-neutral toilets, Wudu and prayer room facilities, and a welcoming environment for assistive dogs. 

Childcare facility

The Students’ Union runs an Ofsted-registered nursery for children between 6 months to 5 years old for their students’ children. The fees are relative to family income. Children between 4-12 years old also have their play schemes during school holidays.

University of Sheffield Student Activities and Clubs

There are over 350 clubs and societies in the University of Sheffield, run by the number one-ranked Students’ Union for four years in a row (2017-2020) as rated by the Whatuni Student Choice Awards. Your student life here is guaranteed to be a busy and memorable one. 

  • Over 2,000 students and staff take part in the university’s Sheffield Volunteering scheme to work for causes and organisations in the city.
  • 57 sports clubs operating in state-of-the-art facilities and one of the biggest campus leagues in the country. 
  • The Sheffield Varsity involves all the students in the Sheffield community.
  • For performance sport, approximately 4,500 students are representing the university in sports such as fencing, netball and badminton. The University is proudly ranked 17th out of 150 universities in the overall BUCS ranking of 2018-19.
  • Professional athletes will get to enjoy the University’s Elite Sports Performance Scheme (ESPS) for training. One representative alumna in this field is Bryony Page who won silver at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

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