University Of Southampton Guide: Rankings, Courses And Fees
The University of Southampton is ranked among the top 15 universities in the UK and has an excellent reputation for research, being a part of the Russell Group. The university’s quality of education and research is widely recognised and has received many accolades.
Summary of University
- Type of campus: City campus, research university
- Student population: 23,795 students, 36.29% international students (2023-24)
- Tuition Fees: £19,300-23,720 per year (Most courses), £25,000-49,000 per year (Medicine)
- 2024 UK Ranking: 13th (Complete University Guide)
- 2024 Global Ranking: 78th (QS World University Rankings)
Table of Contents
University of Southampton Overview
The University of Southampton started out in 1862 as the Hartley Institution. After receiving the royal charter in 1952, the University of Southampton as we know today came into being and has since expanded overseas and become one of the top 100 universities in the world that is also renowned for its research.
The University of Southampton has seven campuses, one of which is a branch campus based in Malaysia. The university’s main campus is the Highfield Campus, while its other campuses host specific faculties and facilities. The Avenue Campus hosts the School of Humanities while the Boldrewood Campus houses the engineering and maritime technology faculties. In Winchester, the campus there houses the arts and textiles courses. Specialty campuses include the National Oceanography Centre and the University Hospital Southampton. The university’s Malaysian campus offers business and engineering programmes and has a split study option in both countries.
The university is widely recognised for its quality of education and research. It has won three Queen’s Anniversary Prizes, holds two Regius Professorships and in 2020, eight professors at the university received honours from Queen Elizabeth II. The university was a notable contributor to COVID-19 research. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework also found that over 90% of the research produced at Southampton is world leading and the university is among the top 10% in the UK in terms of research impact. In the 2023 league tables, the university ranked 13th in the UK (Complete University Guide) and 78th in the world (QS).
Overall, the University of Southampton is widely regarded as one of the top universities in the UK with high standards of education and research, and would be especially well-suited for those with great academic ambitions.
University of Southampton Courses and Programmes
According to the Complete University Guide 2024, the University of Southampton is ranked 13th in the country. Southampton’s five faculties collectively offer around 400 courses for school leavers. The university has 14 subjects ranked among the top ten in its respective subject league tables. These top-ranked courses include those in subjects such as physiotherapy; aeronautical and aerospace engineering; and counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy. The university has also been awarded the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education.
Physiotherapy
Ranked as the number two university in the UK for physiotherapy, the University of Southampton’s course offered by its School of Health Sciences is among the best in the country. It’s been rated to be the number one physiotherapy course in the UK in terms of graduate prospects, which indicates that Southampton’s Physiotherapy course produces highly employable graduates.
Entry requirement for Southampton’s Physiotherapy programme starts from 136 UCAS tariff points, or AAB. Students of the programme will learn the basics of physiotherapy, such as human movement and the foundations and principles of physiotherapy. In their second and third years, students will progress to learning about clinical case management and go on practical placements.
Aerospace Electronic Engineering
The University of Southampton’s Aerospace Electronic Engineering programmes are ranked among the best in the UK (4th for the subject) and highly regarded by employers. The entry requirements for the Bachelor’s programmes are 144-152 UCAS tariff points or AAA-AAA*, while the requirement for the undergraduate Master’s programme is higher at 192 points, or AAAA. These high entry requirements put the university’s courses in this subject among the top in the UK in terms of entry standards.
The three-year Bachelor’s programme in this subject encompasses all the necessary theoretical and practical engineering knowledge about aerospace electronic systems. In the first two years, students will learn about electronic circuits and systems, flight mechanics, navigation systems, computer and electronics engineering, and more. Third-year students will dedicate most of their year to working on their individual projects.
Occupational Therapy
The university offers a three-year Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy programme which is ranked third in the subject in the UK, according to the Complete University Guide 2024. The entry requirement for the course is 120 UCAS tariff points, or BBB at the A-Levels. Annual course fees are £23,335 as of the 2023/24 academic year for international students. This course is taught at the main site, the Highfield Campus.
This programme equips students with the skills and knowledge to treat patients with various disabilities. They will learn the skills required to work with patients, their carers or family, and collaborate with other healthcare professionals. A graduate of this programme will master knowledge on the full extent of what occupational therapy entails, from human anatomy and physiology to psychology and mental health.
University of Southampton Entry Requirements
The University of Southampton’s entry requirements range from 104-192 UCAS tariff points (or BCC-AAAA at the A-Levels). On the lower end of the requirements is its Master of Science in Oceanography course which requires 104-136 UCAS tariff points (BCC-AAB). The university’s courses in archaeology, fashion, and fine art demand around 120-128 points (BBB-ABB). Meanwhile, on the higher end of entry requirements are its courses in aerospace electronic engineering, computer science, and electronic and electrical engineering, requiring 152-192 points (A*AA-AAAA).
The university has a 63.9% offer rate, which puts it on par with some Russell Group universities in terms of selectivity. In comparison, the University of Nottingham has an offer rate of 71.9% while the University of Birmingham has an offer rate of 64.6% and the University of Manchester has an offer rate of 60.2%.
University of Southampton 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 and universities such as Oxford and Cambridge 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 Southampton Ranking
The University of Southampton is ranked 13th in the UK according to the Complete University Guide 2024. The university is also ranked 78th in the world, based on QS World University Rankings published in 2024. Southampton has 14 subjects ranked among the top 10 in the UK, including its courses in subjects such as physiotherapy; aeronautical and aerospace engineering; and counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy.
As a founding member of the Russell Group, the University of Southampton is renowned for its quality of research. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) conducted in 2021 has found that the university’s published research is of the highest quality. Over 90% of its submissions were found to be world-leading or internationally excellent, and were exceptional in terms of impact. This placed the university among the top 10% of UK universities for research quality and impact.
University of Southampton Fees
Undergraduate tuition fees
The University of Southampton’s tuition fees for international students in the academic year of 2023/24 ranges around £22,300 per year, for most courses. Fees for medical courses are a bit higher at £28,900 per year. These fees do not include accommodation, transport to campus, or any other miscellaneous fee.
University of Southampton Accommodation
Most accommodation offered by the University of Southampton are located in two large complexes close to the main Highfield Campus while other smaller halls are scattered around the city. Meanwhile, there is one hall in the Winchester campus and three in the Malaysian campus.
The City Gateway, Glen Eyre, Highfield Hall, and Wessex Lane halls are all located under a mile from the Highfield and Avenue campuses, which is within 20 minutes’ walking distance. As of the 2023/24 academic year, rent for rooms here range from £121-236 weekly, with a few options going up to £350. Meanwhile, the Archers Road and Mayflower halls offer free Unilink shuttle buses to the Southampton city campuses and these rooms range from £146-270 per week. The Erasmus Park hall is also located within a mile of the Winchester campus with rooms at £138 weekly.
Each hall offers single-occupancy rooms in subdivided flats. These are available with shared or private baths, or with catered or self-catered packages. In some halls, rooms for families and couples are available. The halls also offer socialising spaces, laundry facilities, and some even offer gym and recreation facilities as well.
University of Southampton Reviews
Names may be changed to protect anonymity
Emily, 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The campus is beautiful, with plenty of places to study, eat and chill with friends. The halls are close by and spread across the city depending on what you prefer. It could be improved by freshers learning more about what the uni has to offer (during orientation), a lot of people don’t realise half the stuff the Union/student services are able to do until their final year!
Jordan, 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There are high quality learning resources and lecturers find engaging ways to teach students key concepts that will help us to secure highly regarded graduate jobs. There is a friendly atmosphere and students are frequently encouraged to ask questions in order to make the most of the learning experience. Learning is structured and there are clear objectives which makes revision easier to manage. It could be improved by more engagement between the University management team and the student body especially during Covid but reasonable adjustments were made to ensure students were not disadvantaged.
Matthew, 2022 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Since arriving at uni for the first time from Northern Ireland, I instantly felt welcome and could easily orientate myself. The uni does a great job on making you feel welcome, has loads of societies and is the right size to feel at home. The only bad parts about it were the lack of things to do outside of uni around Southampton (especially without a car) but this is improving. It would also be great to see the union facilities used much more and great accessibility.
University of Southampton Facilities
The university is well-equipped with the necessary facilities to accommodate over 90 sports offered. The Jubilee Sports Centre at the Highfield campus holds most of the indoor facilities. There are also quite a number of indoor facilities in the other campuses as well as a few residence halls. Meanwhile, the University Watersports Centre and The Quays Swimming & Diving Complex accommodates river-based and pool-based activities.
There are also a number of art venues at the university. The Turner Sims Concert Hall was designed by the university’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research for musical performances while the John Hansard Gallery is one of the UK’s leading contemporary art galleries.
The Hartley Library is the university’s main library, located at the Highfield campus. The other university campuses also each have its own library that is more closely related to the subjects taught on that campus. Combined, the university’s libraries have an extensive collection of over 1.5 million books and periodicals, on top of its electronic resources and other research material.
University of Southampton Student Activities and Clubs
The University of Southampton Students’ Union, known as SUSU, offers a whole range of activities for students to participate in. There are over 200 societies that range in topics from academic interests, politics, and campaigning to gaming, performing arts, and student media. The SUSU has four student media outlets: an internet radio channel Surge Radio, an online TV channel SUSUtv, a newspaper Wessex Scene, and an entertainment magazine The Edge. With such a vast amount of things to do, there’s something for everyone at Southampton.
Students can also participate in over 90 sports at the university. There are three levels of sports that students can participate in. Athletes can play competitively with the Athletic Union (AU), which competes at the local and national level. There is also the Intramural Sports (IM) which is open to students of any athletic level to play in teams for fun. Casual fitness enthusiasts can be part of Be Active, which is a free sports programme aimed at promoting exercise.
Volunteering is a popular activity at the university, with nearly 30 student societies dedicated to social awareness, campaigning, and fundraising. There are also plenty of volunteer opportunities offered by the SUSU, the university, and local organisations, all aimed at improving the wellbeing of local communities.
University of Southampton Contact
Official website: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/
Phone: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Address: University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
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- Type of campus: city campus, research university
- Student population: 23,795 students, 36.29% international students (2021-22)
- Tuition Fees: £19,300-23,720 per year (Most courses), £25,000-49,000 per year (Medicine)
- 2023 UK Ranking: 13th (Complete University Guide)
- 2023 Global Ranking: 78th (QS World University Rankings)
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