The University of Buckingham

Address and Location

The University of Buckingham (UB) is a private university located in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, on the banks of the River Great Ouse. The University is unique. It is the only independent university in the UK with a Royal Charter, and probably the smallest with around 2,000 students (approx 1,300 on campus). Honours degrees are achieved in two intensive years of study. The University keeps class sizes small, with a student:academic staff ratio of 10.5:1 and the Oxbridge style tutorial groups are often personalised and always exhilarating.

 

Background and History

Buckingham is the only university independent of direct government support in the United Kingdom and has used its independence to pioneer a distinctive approach to higher education. It was originally founded as the University College at Buckingham in 1973 and received its Royal Charter from the Queen in 1983. The university's funding regime is not like that of other UK universities, but rather is on the model of many US universities, as it does not receive state funding via HEFCE. It has formal charity status, as a non-profit making institution dedicated to the ends of research and education.

Location and Accessibility

Buckingham is in the heart of south-east England, a thriving market town 50 miles from London and 20 miles from Oxford. Easy access by road and rail and proximity to London's airports support strong national and international connections. Buckingham's three campuses are just a 10-minute walk from each other.

What's on Offer

A full range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees including, CIM, BA, BSc, PGCE, LLB, MA, MBA, MSc, MEd, LLM, MPhil, DPhil, MD.

Entry Requirements

The entry requirements for undergraduate courses vary. For prospective Masters and MPhil / DPhil students a first or upper second class BA or Master's is required. For more information on entry requirements visit the university website.

Students are required to live in or around Buckingham during term time and, unlike some universities, they guarantee accommodation for all new students for their first four terms of study (providing you have booked and paid for your accommodation within the required timescale). Prices vary between types of accommodation.

The University's five schools are Law, Humanities, Arts and Languages, Business, and Science and Medicine. Each of these is presided over by a Dean. The quality of the University's provision is maintained, as at other UK universities, by an external examiner system, by an academic advisory council (comprising a range of subject-specialist academics from other universities), and by membership of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Tuition Fees

The university offers traditional degrees over a shorter time-frame. Students at Buckingham study for eight terms over two years, rather than nine terms over three, which (with extra teaching) fits a three-year degree into two years. The University of Buckingham is proud never to have accepted Government funding, favouring instead its academic independence. Because of this, the fee structure is different from that of state-run universities, and also means that all undergraduate degrees are just two years long, so students make an enormous saving on their living expenses, and can start earning a year earlier.

The Students' Union

Located on the Hunter Street Campus, in the converted Tanlaw Mill, the SU is the main social and recreational centre of the University.

SU Facilities on Campus

Next to The Refectory, is The Bar. A hive of activity, day and evening, you'll come here to meet up with friends, make new ones, dance the night away, watch a Sky TV sporting fixture, or borrow cards, dominoes or even Scrabble from behind the bar!

Sport

The University's Sport and Fitness programme offers students of all abilities the chance to compete or simply have fun with sport. As members of British Universities Colleges Sport, there are also opportunities for individuals to compete at varsity level in a variety of championships throughout the year. The University's sports field is equipped with a floodlit training area, sports pavilion and changing facilities. There is also access to an all-weather pitch for all-year round activities.

The University campus is well known for being one of the most attractive locations in the region. The Great Ouse river, home to much wildlife, winds through the heart of the campus. Much of the teaching takes place in restored buildings such as the Franciscan Building, formerly a friary, and, Chandos Road Building, a converted turn-of-the-century milk factory, while students can also enjoy the Hunter Street Library, once military barracks.