International Students

The International Office welcomes all prospective International and EU Students to Birmingham City University (BCU).  The International Students site was designed to help you discover the unique features of why Birmingham City University is the UK's most ‘in demand‘ university according to a table of top performers published in influential sector magazine, Times Higher Education (THE).

We are now taking applications for the January/February 2010 intake. Additionally we are please to announce the introduction of our Winter Pre-sessional English Programmes.

Portfolio Guide: Portfolio Guide for BTEC / HND / BA (Hons)

Enquirers: See our new International Guide

Applicants: Download our International Student Handbook

Students:  Complete our on-line form if you need a University letter to open a UK bank account

If you require assistance and information regarding our courses, please email bcuinternational@enquiries.uk.com

 

About the University

Birmingham City University (formerly Birmingham Polytechnic and the University of Central England in Birmingham) is a University in the city of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It has an established history.

Future Developments

The University announced a £7 million sports complex would be built on the site, formerly the Ansells Sports Club, with construction started in mid 2008 for completion in September 2009.

The University is planning a new "flagship" campus in Birmingham City Centre, next to the existing facilities at Millennium Point. The City Centre campus will be a £150 million development as part of Birmingham's Eastside development, and will include "35,000 and 45,000 square metres of accommodation" and be the new home for media, arts and engineering learning.

Existing facilities at the Gosta Green and Bournville Campuses will be moved to the new facilities as the University seeks to reduce the number of campuses it occupies. Margaret Street was also intended to be closed, but now could be retained, along with Vittoria Street and City North Campus.

Reputation

The university is one of seventeen Skillset Media Academies in the United Kingdom (the only such Academy in the Midlands), a status awarded to recognise "centres of excellence in television and interactive media". This stems from its courses at the TIC and the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, which is the largest such Institute outside London. In 2008, Birmingham School of Media and the Skillset Academy moved to the newly formed Faculty of Performance, Media & English.) With regard to post-production, the university also has Avid Mentor status, and is the Midlands' accredited training centre for Apple Inc.'s Final Cut editing software.

For health and social care, Birmingham City University was awarded national recognition as a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, in its institutional audit and major review of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions, gave the university excellent outcomes. The university's Faculty of Health has an on-site virtual operating suite, the first at a university in England.  In the Smithers-Robinson League Table, for initial teacher training, Birmingham City University and three other institutions are consistently ranked top ten. Ofsted inspection scores for teacher education courses are frequently among the best.

 

Research

The university has five Centres of Research Excellence which are the main focus of its research activity.  Following the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise conducted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Birmingham Post reported that more than 70 per cent of research work submitted by Birmingham City University-including in business and management studies, education, English, social work and social policy, and town and country planning-was "officially recognised as of an international standard", and 15 per cent of that work was "rated as world leading". Its art and design submission was among the ten highest ranked in the country, and Birmingham Conservatoire was rated one of the top three conservatoires, and the best outside London. 

 

If you have questions regarding your application please contact:

International Admissions
3rd Floor Baker Building
Birmingham City University
Perry Barr
Birmingham
B42 2SU
United Kingdom