10 Reasons to choose us
If you decide to come to Birmingham City University, you can be confident that you’ll be transformed with the skills and confidence to succeed when you graduate.
You'll receive a first-class education with a focus on practical skills and professional relevance. Not only that, but Birmingham offers so many opportunities for transforming lives and setting up a business. Taking a Higher Education course is a big investment in your future, and you’ll want to be sure that you’re choosing the right course and the right university. So here's our top reasons to choose Birmingham City University.
1. Investing in your future
We’ve invested over £400 million in our campuses and facilities, including a major expansion of our City Centre Campus and a £41 million extension at our City South Campus with specialist laboratories for our new courses in sport and life sciences, which opened in 2018. Take a look at our campus buildings in more depth on our YouTube channel.
2. Work experience, placements and careers support
You'll have the chance to gain industry and professional practice experience through work placements, mentoring schemes and Study Abroad exchanges overseas. We also work on course-related projects with companies and organisations like Microsoft, Cisco, Jaguar Land Rover, Sky UK and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
We offer career support and advice throughout your time with us and for up to three years after you graduate. Our Graduate+ scheme embeds career-related skills into every one of our degree courses.
3. Earn while you learn
Our student employment agency allows you to apply for paid roles at the University, gaining experience in crucial aspects of job applications and valuable feedback on your work.
4. Internationally accredited courses
Many of our courses have internationally recognised accreditations, such as the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects).
5. Scholarship schemes
We want all our students to achieve their full potential - and we're here to back you every step of the way. With our scholarship schemes, you could receive extra funding and support to kick start your BCU journey.
6. Help starting your own business
We have a designated entrepreneurship team and our STEAMhouse incubator supports students who want to work for themselves. Students will have access to hands-on workshops, lectures, enterprise programmes and tailored advice to help develop their ideas into start-up businesses.
7. A global city
Study with us and you will be located at the heart of the dynamic city of Birmingham – with all the social and employment possibilities that brings. Birmingham is the youngest major city in Europe, with under-20s accounting for 29% of its population (West Midlands Growth Company).
8. Learn from the best
From the UK’s leading criminologist to a ‘Hot 100’ jeweller, our teaching staff come from and maintain links with industry, and are some of the leading figures in their fields.
9. Practice-based research
93% of our research was recognised internationally for originality, significance and rigour, of which 19% was judged world-leading (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
10. Transformed teaching
We have transformed our curriculum with a new range of contemporary, flexible courses with practice-based learning and international opportunities built into every stage. Our 2,000-strong team of teaching staff come from and maintain their links with industry and the professions, ensuring you benefit directly from their knowledge, insight and contacts.