Newcastle University
Became a university in: 1963
Student population: 27,850 (2022/23)
Location: City centre campus for most academic buildings and facilities
Subject areas: Almost every traditional university subject is taught across the three faculties: Humanities & Social Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Science, Agriculture & Engineering
Admissions: Generally competitive, with grade requirements from AAA to BBB. Interviews not normally required, other than Medicine, Dentistry and Music. Note they have widespread use of contextual offers and special admissions schemes.
📸 Snapshot
So, I have a bit of a soft spot for Newcastle. I studied at Edinburgh, but had a friend who went to Newcastle, who invited me to go and join a band there. I spent a bunch of weekends rehearsing in various student flats and halls of residence, and performed in pubs, halls and the Student Union. Back then it struck me as a quality university in a really down-to-earth, friendly and vibrant city.
And while times have moved on, those things still apply. Newcastle, you see, has a long and rich history, formed nearly 200 years ago as part of the University of Durham. It became a university in its own right in 1963. It is a large university with an enormous range of traditional subjects, and strong research across the board. Whether you want to judge reputation by UK league tables, world rankings, Russell Group membership or word of mouth, Newcastle does pretty well.
But more important to me have always been my professional dealings with the university. A little over a decade or so ago I worked with a small group of similar universities to set up what became Realising Opportunities, a cross-university scheme to encourage and support applications from non-traditional areas. While many of the Russell Group universities resisted the idea, Newcastle embraced it. They already had their own Partners Scheme, and in fact offered to host the Realising Opportunities office on their campus, taking a lead in its organisation and growth to this day.
They continue to be open and flexible, with wide-ranging contextual offers for students from non-traditional backgrounds (such as care leavers, estranged students, free school meal students, and those on Realising Opps or Partners). Such offers can be up to two, or even three grades below the standard offer.
The campus is right in the city centre, less than half a mile from all the shops, and while you wouldn’t describe it as traditionally attractive, it is typical of universities of the era: One or two beautiful red brick buildings flanked by more modern buildings of varying aesthetic appeal! There is accommodation both on and off-campus and they guarantee a place for virtually all new students.
And the city of Newcastle? What a place! Northern, down-to-earth, lively, affordable; ticking pretty much every box for a great place to live, learn and enjoy student life.
In summary
Newcastle University could be for you if…
Want to study pretty much any of the typical traditional academic subjects.
Have decent grades, but not necessarily exceptional.
Are eligible for any kind of contextual offer and/or are interested in one of their pre-university admissions schemes.
Want somewhere highly reputable.
Are looking for a large, vibrant and sociable city to live in.
And if you like Newcastle, you might also like…
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
University of Exeter
University of Hull
University of Leeds
University of Liverpool
University of Nottingham
Queen’s University Belfast
University of Sheffield
University of Manchester
