Student Exchange | University of Birmingham

Birmingham stands at the heart of the UK’s commercial economy with particular strengths in mechanical engineering, finance, architecture, biosciences and application development.

About

Birmingham is the UK’s oldest civic university in the heart of Europe’s youngest city. Since its foundation in 1900 the University of Birmingham has developed an enviable international reputation for social science research. Birmingham Business School was the first in the UK to offer a B.Com degree, whilst more recently the university can claim a pivotal role in the creation of cultural studies, having played host to the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (which at various times was home to Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall and Dick Hebdige) between 1964 and 2002.

The university benefits from being located just two miles from the center of one of Britain’s most vibrant metropolises. Across its five universities Birmingham has a permanent student population of nearly one hundred thousand making the city incredibly student friendly. The city’s population is one of the most diverse in Europe and plays host to an array of national and internationally significant institutions like the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ikon Gallery and Balti Triangle district of curry houses.

Accommodation

Birmingham has a dedicated number of rooms available for international students studying at the University for one academic term only. If you're joining us for the 2025 Autumn Term (September to December 2025) you have up until 31 July 2025 to apply for accommodation. You'll be invited to book your room with us from 15 August 2025.
All student accommodation is secure and modern, located within a thirty minute walk of campus, generally within parkland surroundings.

Location & Facilities

Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city (population circa 1.2 million) situated in the West Midlands county, the UK’s industrial powerhouse, right in the center of the country. This makes Birmingham the perfect base from which to explore the rest of the UK: London, Manchester and Bristol are less than 90 minutes away by high speed train.
Birmingham has its own international airport, with flights to dozens of European destinations, located less than an hour by public transport away from the University campus.
With a total population of more than 40,000, the University of Birmingham’s campus provides all the amenities of a small town including shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gym equipment and a 50 meters swimming pool. The campus even has its own railway station with trains every ten minutes to the city center.