University of Portsmouth

The university has recently opened an outstanding new GBP 57 million public sports centre opening in 2021 for students to play, train and compete in. The superb facilities set in historic parkland include a 25m 8 lane swimming pool, 175 station fitness suite, climbing and bouldering wall, ski simulator, cafe and community orchard. A range of classes and courses, personal training and very affordable membership with great benefits are available.

Designed to the highest sustainability credentials, Ravelin Sports Centre aims to be zero carbon. Renewable energy is generated from roof solar panels and internal heat recovery systems. A wildflower amphitheatre events space encourages biodiversity in the surrounding areas. Pool water is reused for toilet flushing and a new community orchard is part of a sustainable drainage system, helping to reduce the environmental impact of the university's sports activities.

The university has also just opened a GBP 5.2m Centre for Creative and Immersive XR (eXtended Reality), a GBP 2.3m Centre for Enzyme Innovation to help solve one of the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and a GBP 400m plan to build and develop the Portsmouth campus in the near future.

Portsmouth's expert lecturers have years of experience in teaching and industry –frequently in both. Many remain active in their professions, and because they're continuously developing their knowledge, they teach students all the relevant, most-recent things they need to know, so they can hit the ground running upon graduation.

The majority of Portsmouth's research is rated as 'world leading' and 'internationally excellent' by the Research Excellence Framework (REF), 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.

Law students practise their skills in a replica court, while students from disciplines such as criminology and social work can experience being an expert witness in a simulated legal case.

Students can apply their skills in the local community too, for example dental students, who treat NHS patients in the Dental Academy and sport and exercise science students, who run coaching courses at local schools.

Students are supported 24/7 by the university's campus security and surveillance team, who work to ensure students are studying in a safe environment. The team is available 24 hours a day throughout the year, both for emergency and non-emergency queries. There are also CCTV cameras in most university buildings and halls which are monitored throughout the day by security officers.

The university benefits from its own university police liaison officer. Students who are a victim of a crime can report to the police officer for support. The officer is also available to meet at a weekly drop-in service on campus.

StudentWatch is a programme that aims to improve student safety and awareness. The scheme is a joint initiative with the Hampshire Constabulary and the university. Student volunteers are a point of contact for students with safety concerns and can provide support and advice on being a good neighbour, marking property, fire safety advice, street sense and protecting property.

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

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 cafes and shops.

All new students are guaranteed accommodation in their first year, meaning they'll be living either in the city centre or on the seafront. There are a range of accommodation options including self-catered or catered, shared bathroom or ensuite, and single-sex or mixed-sex flats.

Students have access to free Wi-Fi and use of 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.