University of Portsmouth: Fees, Reviews, Rankings, Courses & Contact info

Overview
Finances
Eligibility
Department and Faculty
Campus and facilities

Overview

About University of Portsmouth

Located on England’s south coast, Portsmouth is a vibrant city with some of the UK’s best weather. Most university buildings are in the centre of the city. Everything students need is close by, including four miles of beautiful beach, excellent nightlife and entertainment, and accommodation. Portsmouth welcomes 5,700 international and EU students from around 150 countries and has around 28,000 students in total.

The students’ union offers 150 sports clubs and societies for all interests, so there’s always a lot of fun to be had on campus. London is just 90 minutes away, and ferries cross regularly to Europe.

The university has a five-star rating for teaching, employability, global engagement , facilities, arts, and inclusiveness (QS Top University Guide 2027). It has been awarded an overall rating of Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023. It has also been ranked as one of the top 35 universities in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2026).

With courses designed to meet the challenges of the competitive global jobs market, students will be well-prepared for a successful career. 91 Percent of Portsmouth students are working or in further study after finishing their course (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2023/24).

Students can choose from hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees spanning business, creativity and culture, humanities, science and health, and technology. Portsmouth focuses on making students more employable, with paid work placements, or opportunities to practise their skills in simulated environments such as a replica courtroom or business simulation suite. Research breakthroughs at the university include developing a plastic-eating enzyme to tackle pollution.

Students can enrich their experience by learning a language for free, volunteering, or exchanging with another global university. The careers and employability service can connect students to opportunities including industry placement, part-time work while they study and their first job after graduation.

University ranking

Academic Ranking of World Universities

2025 901

2024 901

2023 901

QS World University Rankings

2026 635 4

2025 631 129

2024 502

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

2026 401

2025 401

2024 401

Graduate Outcomes

At the University of Portsmouth, focus is on career-enhancing activities, gold-rated teaching and exceptional support that help students find a job when they graduate. 91 per cent of the university’s students are in work or further study after finishing their course (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2023/24).

Students at the University of Portsmouth, get access to the careers and employability service from the moment students register until five years after graduation. The service can help students find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, work experience and graduate roles.

Most courses also include work-related learning, visits from employers to help students gain practical skills, and placement years. A placement year is a great way to apply skills learnt on courses and increase employment opportunities for when students graduate.

Undergraduates now have the flexibility to choose when they take their placement year, on most courses, with the university’s new Connected Degrees.

Many courses offer students the opportunity to use real-life facilities to gain a better understanding of the workplace including:

Industry specification television studios and motion capture suite
Access to financial market data in the Bloomberg Suite
Modern healthcare environments and clinical equipment for health and care students
Specialised laboratory and testing facilities

What's new

The university is currently restoring Wiltshire Building as part of the GBP 250m plan to invest and develop Portsmouth campus. This will house the Student Services Teams and support the development of the Student Hub.

The university has also opened a GBP 57 million public sports centre, one of the most environmentally sustainable sports facilities in the UK, a GBP 5.2 million Centre for Creative and Immersive XR (eXtended Reality) and a GBP 2.3 million Centre for Enzyme Innovation to help solve one of the planet’s most pressing environmental problems.

While investing in the Portsmouth campus, the University has also opened a London campus.

Finances

How much will it cost?

Average tuition fees per year

£9,837 Undergraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

£10,210 Postgraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, check with institution for details

Scholarships & funding

International students are expected to be fully self-supporting whilst studying at Portsmouth. Before being granted a visa to come and study in the UK, each student must submit proof of adequate financial provision. The university does, however, offer a small number of scholarships exclusively for international students:

The Vice Chancellor's Global Development Scholarship takes the form of a GBP 2,500 fee reduction that will apply to the first year of study. Eligible students from selected countries will be automatically awarded this scholarship.
The Chancellor’s Global Academic Merit Scholarship takes the form of a GBP 5,000 fee reduction that will apply to the first year of study. This is a merit-based scholarship and there are limited numbers available to eligible students from selected countries.
The EU Scholarship takes the form of a fee reduction applied to the whole course. Eligible students from selected countries will be automatically awarded this scholarship.

Eligibility varies depending on course of study and nationality. Students can find out more about the scholarships offered on the university website. Some external scholarships are available to help with the financial costs of going to university.

Discover scholarships

University of Portsmouth provides scholarship for students enrolling for the courses offered by them
View all scholarships available

Eligibility

Entry requirements

The University of Portsmouth has course specific entry requirements; however, students will need to meet basic conditions for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Specific entry requirements are detailed on each course page. For most undergraduate level study, applicants need to have the equivalent of:

2 or 3 good 'A' Levels (GCE Advanced Level)
Or a recognised Access/Foundation course
Or an International Baccalaureate (minimum score 24)
Or an EDEXCEL (BTEC) National Certificate or Diploma (Merit profile)
Or High School Leaving Certificate, if it is deemed equivalent to 'A' Level Standard
Some courses have higher entry requirements, especially where they are recognised by professional bodies.

As a guide, for master’s degree level applications, applicants will need to have:

A good degree pass in a relevant discipline or equivalent, or
Relevant work experience in the appropriate field

Every application is considered individually, and many factors such as maturity, motivation and work experience are considered in support of the application.

Students must demonstrate the necessary proficiency in English. As a general guide, the following English language requirements or equivalent must be fulfilled:

IELTS 5.5 for foundation
IELTS 6.0 for undergraduate
IELTS 6.0 to 7.0 for postgraduate entry

Specific scores might be required depending on the course. Students who do not meet academic requirements may be able to gain access to the university via an International College Portsmouth (ICP) pathway programme, and those who do not meet the English Language requirements may consider a pre-sessional English programme at the university. Students can find out more about country specific requirements on the university website.

Department and Faculty

Teaching quality

The University of Portsmouth holds a gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023). Portsmouth’s expert lecturers have years of experience in teaching and industry–frequently in both. Many remain active in their professions and continuously develop their knowledge which is shared with their students meaning they can hit the ground running when they graduate.

The majority of Portsmouth’s research is rated as 'world leading' and 'internationally excellent' by the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), which independently assesses the quality of research in UK universities.

Much of the research is carried out by the same people who teach students, so the breakthroughs and discoveries made feed directly into their courses. Students will be exploring the latest theories and developing original ideas as part of their studies.

It's not all classrooms and textbooks, at Portsmouth, students can also apply what they learn in outstanding simulated work environments and learning spaces or on a placement year. Students can also apply their skills in the local community, for example dental students, who treat patients in the Dental Academy; and sport and exercise science students, who run coaching courses at local schools.

Campus and facilities

Facilities

Portsmouth offers excellent facilities including a model pharmacy, courtroom, forensics house, creative studios, tv studios and cutting-edge laboratories. Learning at Portsmouth is much more than just lecture theatres. For many of the courses, students work in real-life learning environments such as a courtroom or pharmacy. These simulated environments demonstrate the strong professional focus of the courses and prepare learners for employment.

As a city campus, all teaching facilities and most of the residences are in the centre of Portsmouth. The campus is made up of over 40 buildings with green grass spaces and communal areas such as cafés and shops.

All new students are guaranteed accommodation in their first year when they hold a firm offer and meet all accommodation deadlines. There are a range of accommodation options including self-catered or catered, shared bathroom or ensuite, and single-sex or mixed-sex flats. University accommodations are available in the city centre, by the seafront or in quieter areas, away from the city centre.

Students have access to free Wi-Fi and thousands of PCs and laptops across the campus and in the library. The library is open 24/7 during term time and provides access to hundreds of thousands of books, e-books and journals, with extensive online access to resources.