Ranked 9th of 130 in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2027, the University of Bath is a campus university on Claverton Down. Typical offers run from AAA or A*AB for Management to A*A*A for Computer Science, and international undergraduate fees for 2027/28 are £26,150 to £32,950 a year.
- Location
- Claverton Down, on the east side of Bath, 1 hour 25 minutes from London by train
- Type
- a campus university, chartered in 1966. Not a Russell Group member
- Ranking
- 9th of 130 in the UK (Complete University Guide 2027), 125th in the world (QS)
- Typical offer
- A*AA for Economics and Psychology, AAA or A*AB for Management, A*A*A for Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering
- IELTS
- 6.5 overall for Computer Science and Engineering, 7.0 for Economics and Psychology
- International fee
- £26,150, £29,500 or £32,950 a year for 2027/28, by course group
- Offer rate
- 19,218 offers from 29,472 applications for 2021 entry, about two in three
Reviewed by Dr Elizabeth Adey for 2027 entry · Uni Direct team, 2026
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 and University of Bath course and fee pages, read 1 October 2026.
Where is the University of Bath, and is it a campus university?
Yes, Bath describes itself as a campus university in the South West of England. The campus is at Claverton Down on the east side of Bath. London is 1 hour 25 minutes away by train.
The Complete University Guide places Bath in its 15,001 to 25,000 student band, with 78% undergraduates, 77% from the UK, 18% international and 5% from the EU. Accommodation is on campus or in the city, and Bath was ranked the second safest university town or city in England and Wales in 2025 by the Complete University Guide.
If you want a lively city centre campus. Bath may feel set apart. If you want a single site with a World Heritage city next door. It suits you well.
Is the University of Bath a good university?
Yes. The Complete University Guide 2027 ranks Bath 9th of 130 UK universities, and Bath says that the Times and Sunday Times and the Guardian both place it 8th. Its graduate outcomes are 6th in the country and 25 of its subjects are in the top ten.
Bath received its Royal Charter in 1966 and holds a triple Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023.
| Measure | Bath | Rank of 130 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 846 of 1,000 | 9th |
| Entry standards | 172 UCAS points | 11th |
| Continuation after first year | 97.7 of 100 | 5th |
| Graduate prospects, outcomes | 86.1 of 100 | 6th |
| Research intensity | 0.73 of 1 | 7th |
| Graduate prospects, on track | 81.2 of 100 | 10th |
| Facilities spend | 1,093 per student | 17th |
| Research quality | 3.31 of 4 | 25th |
| Student satisfaction | 3.17 of 4 | 54th |
| Academic services spend | 2,212 per student | 59th |
| Student-staff ratio | 15.2 students per member of staff | 66th |
Source: Complete University Guide 2027 profile of the University of Bath, read 1 October 2026. Times, Guardian, QS and Teaching Excellence Framework positions as stated on Bath’s own About page, read the same day.
Bath is strong on continuation and on what happens after you graduate, and weaker on student satisfaction, academic services spend and staff ratio.
If you are comparing Bath with similar universities, look at Bristol, Warwick and Loughborough. All of them sit in our guide to the best UK universities.
University of Bath entry requirements
Bath sets one typical offer per course, and it is high. The International Baccalaureate requirement is 36 points on every course below.
For Economics, Bath accepts D*DD in the BTEC Extended Diploma plus an A in A level Mathematics. A grade A in an Extended Project or an additional mathematics qualification can reduce your offer by one grade, and the reduction does not stack. Contextual offers are for Home applicants only, so an international applicant should expect the typical offer.
Typical offers for 2027 entry
A levels
IB at higher level
IELTS
Source: University of Bath 2027 course pages for each degree, read 1 October 2026.
For your own qualifications, Bath lists 12 countries. For India it asks for an average of between 75% and 90% in your best four Standard XII subjects, depending on the degree. For China it asks for 75% to 80% in the Gaokao, and for the United States it asks for Advanced Placement results from 5, 4, 4 to 5, 5, 5, 5. If you need another route to meet the English requirement, read our guide to studying in the UK without IELTS.
University of Bath acceptance rate
The University of Bath does not publish an acceptance rate, but it has released its application counts. In 2021 it received 29,472 applications from all countries, made 19,218 offers and enrolled 3,575 students, so about two in three applications received an offer.
| Entry year | Applications | Offers | Enrolled | Offers as a share of applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 26,351 | 19,679 | 3,767 | about three in four |
| 2020 | 28,054 | 21,065 | 3,648 | about three in four |
| 2021 | 29,472 | 19,218 | 3,575 | about two in three |
Source: Bath’s own admissions figures for 2015 to 2021 entry, released in September 2022 and read 5 September 2026. Bath publishes counts; the shares divide offers by applications. The Economics percentages are from a later Bath release of September 2025, read the same day.
The overall figure hides a wide spread by grade. For the 2019 intake, 1,169 of the 1,230 UK applicants predicted A*A*A* in A levels received an offer, about nineteen in twenty. For applicants predicted AAB or another combination, it was 5,858 of 8,730, about two in three. Those figures cover UK applicants who took only A levels.
Economics is tighter. Bath states that 91% of Economics applicants received an offer for 2023 entry and 55% for 2024 entry. For A level applicants to Economics it weights the GCSE profile at 50%, predicted or achieved grades at 20%, subjects studied at 20% and the personal statement at 10%, and the strongest applicants have mostly 9 or A* grades.
Courses the University of Bath is best known for
Bath offers over 190 undergraduate degrees in 27 subject areas, across engineering, humanities, management, science and social science. Accounting and Finance ranks 3rd in the Complete University Guide, and 25 subjects are in its top ten.
Sports Science, Marketing, Architecture and Civil Engineering are among them. Many degrees, Economics among them, also come in a version with a professional placement or a year studying abroad.
Bath’s 27 subject areas for 2027 include no Law, Medicine, History, English, Nursing, Dentistry or Veterinary degree. If you want to study one of those, you will need another university, and for Law our guide to the best law universities in the UK is the place to start.
How much does the University of Bath cost?
Bath charges international undergraduates £26,150, £29,500 or £32,950 a year for 2027/28, depending on the course. Your course decides which of the three bands you pay, and Bath says you should budget for an increase of up to 8% for every further year of your course.
| Cost | Figure |
|---|---|
| Tuition, Humanities and Social Sciences, 2027/28 | £26,150 a year |
| Tuition, Economics and School of Management courses, 2027/28 | £29,500 a year |
| Tuition, Science, Engineering, Health and Psychology, 2027/28 | £32,950 a year |
| Placement year tuition, 2027/28 | £7,265 to £22,130, by course |
| University accommodation, 2026/27 | £98 to £315 a week |
| Living costs, Bath’s estimate | about £1,600 a month |
| Money to show for your visa | £1,171 a month for up to nine months |
| Immigration health surcharge | £776 a year |
| Student visa application | £558 |
Source: University of Bath undergraduate tuition fees for 2027, undergraduate accommodation prices 2026/27 and money advice for international students, read 1 October 2026. GOV.UK for the visa figures, read the same day.
Most accommodation contracts run for 38 weeks. The lowest rent is a shared standard room at £98 a week, most ensuite rooms cost £210 to £257, and the highest is a studio at £315. Bath guarantees University-managed accommodation to first-year undergraduates who hold a firm offer and apply before the deadline.
Bath’s own living cost estimate is higher than the figure GOV.UK asks you to show. You can compare it with other cities in our guide to the cost of living for international students, and tuition in the cheapest universities in the UK.
The visa figures come from GOV.UK, which is the only authority on the Student visa rules. We explain the published rules, and we pass individual visa questions to the partners we work with. Our student visa guide sets out the steps.
University of Bath scholarships for international students
The Bath International Excellence Scholarship is worth £8,000 for each year of study, up to £24,000 over three years, and Bath offers up to 300 of them.
You apply separately, you must be a new first-year applicant assessed as an overseas fee payer, and Bath must be your firm UCAS choice. The scholarship stops if you become eligible for Home fees, and it is not paid for a placement or study abroad year. On courses with a half-year placement, such as Architecture and Business, it is £4,000 in years two and three.
Bath describes the scheme for September 2026 entry, with applications open from 8 January to 25 June 2026, so check the dates and terms for 2027 entry before you rely on the award.
Source: University of Bath scholarships for international undergraduate students page, read 1 October 2026.
How does the placement year at the University of Bath work?
Bath says that 62% of students graduating from its undergraduate courses in 2024/25 chose a placement or to study abroad. Placements last between six and 12 months depending on the course and the employer, and some are paid.
Placements are not guaranteed, so you have to win one. During the year you usually pay a reduced tuition fee instead of the full fee, and Bath says that 87% of its full-time UK-based graduates were in high-skilled employment 15 months after leaving. If a degree built around a year in industry appeals to you. Bath should be near the top of your list.
Source: University of Bath placement page, read 1 October 2026.
How do I apply to the University of Bath?
Apply through UCAS
You apply to Bath through UCAS, and the equal consideration deadline for 2027 entry is 18:00 GMT on 13 January 2027.
Know the late deadline
Late applications close on 30 June 2027.
Prepare for an interview
Bath interviews all applicants for Social Work and Pharmacy, Management and Business usually hold a group interview, and some applicants with non-traditional qualifications are interviewed too.
Help with your Bath application
We can help you with your application to Bath, from choosing your courses to writing your personal statement and meeting your deadline. If you are not sure yet whether Bath is right for you, we can talk it through with you first.
The thing students mention most is how quickly Liz replies.
Bath is the university I would suggest to a family that wants a top ten name and a degree with work experience built in. It is not a Russell Group member, and it does not need to be. The offers are high, though, and Bath says that on its most popular courses meeting them does not guarantee a place. If your predicted grades sit at A*AA or above, with strong GCSEs behind them, apply. If they are lower, look at the other universities on this page first.
Frequently asked questions about the University of Bath
Is the University of Bath a Russell Group university?
No. The University of Bath is not a member of the Russell Group. It is still 9th of 130 in the Complete University Guide 2027. You can read more on our page about Russell Group universities.
Is the University of Bath good?
Yes. It is 9th of 130 in the Complete University Guide 2027, with graduate outcomes 6th and entry standards 11th. Its weakest measure is student satisfaction at 54th.
Is the University of Bath hard to get into?
On most courses, yes. Typical offers run from AAA or A*AB for Management to A*A*A for Computer Science. In 2021 Bath made 19,218 offers from 29,472 applications, about two in three.
Is the University of Bath prestigious?
Among UK universities, yes. The Complete University Guide has it 9th. It is 125th in the QS World University Rankings, so check how the university is regarded in your own country.
What is the University of Bath known for?
Its placement year, its graduate outcomes and its subject rankings. Of its 2024/25 graduates, 62% chose a placement or study abroad.
When was the University of Bath founded?
Bath received its Royal Charter in 1966, and it was established on its Claverton Down campus in that year.
How many students are at the University of Bath?
The Complete University Guide places Bath in its 15,001 to 25,000 student band, which it calls large. About 78% are undergraduates and 91% study full time.
What IELTS score do you need for the University of Bath?
It depends on the course. Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering ask for IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each component, and Economics and Psychology ask for 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each.
The next step
Tell us your grades and the Bath courses you are considering, and we will tell you where you stand.
If Bath is on your list, send us your grades and the courses you are considering. We will tell you how your profile compares with Bath’s typical offers and what else you can add to your application. Our guide on how to study in the UK covers the steps from choosing a course to arriving.
You may also want to compare Bath with Durham, UCL, the London School of Economics and Bath Spa University, which is a different university in the same city. Or for a free consultation, contact us now.
Sources: Complete University Guide 2027 · University of Bath course, tuition fee, accommodation, scholarship, placement, entry requirement, important dates and about pages · Bath’s own admissions figures for 2015 to 2021 entry · GOV.UK Student visa. Read 1 October 2026, except the admissions figures, read 5 September 2026. Photograph by Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Next review: when Bath releases admissions figures after 2021, opens the 2027 scholarship round, and before the 13 January 2027 deadline.