Birmingham or Bristol for University

[Invertedwheelbarrow]

Hi I'm 18 looking at unis to go too and these are my top two option. Bristol seems a more chilled out city that I could walk around and its very pretty, the only problem is that it's incredibly expensive. Birmingham is actually alot better then I thought and just seems like a cheaper manchester without the football, the campus is also lovely and I got a better vibe from the general student population. I can't decide which one to pick as they both have aspects I love, if it wasn't for the money I might be leaning more towards Bristol but Birmingham seems like a smarter choice. Any advice on how either city is to live would be well appreciated.

I went to Birmingham and that campus holds a very special place in my heart. I absolutely loved having 'my place' and could never imagine being in a non campus university - I know that's personal preference but that was a big deal for me. Agree that Selly Oak is just an extension of campus really - everyone you know is living nearby in later years rather than being scattered about. There's so much to do in the City itself but you're also in the middle of the country making so many other places accessible at the weekends if you want to travel. I'm totally biased but I loved my time there.

I live not too far from Birmingham and regularly go out there. I've never felt unsafe. My daughter's go there regularly and they have never had an issue. There are areas that are more unsafe then others but that's the same everywhere

Exactly. I grew up in Chelsea just off the Kings road, it didn't stop a man getting off a bus outside Waitrose one afternoon and attacking a bunch of people with. machete. It also didn't make it less safe that he'd done that.

I was born and raised in Birmingham, moved away from uni and then moved right back!. I think it’s a brilliant city, it’s not dangerous at all like some people have said. It’s a big city, there are certain areas that are a bit rough, like any where. The university is brilliant, lots of my friends went and they all loved it.

I have no idea if Bristol is any good, but have heard that it is getting quite expensive to live there.

Well Bristol is good!

The university at Bristol is more central than Birmingham. There are halls for first year near the university. It’s not very spread out but means students can be part of the city at all times if they wish.

Bristol is hideously expensive for accommodation. Really, just eye watering.

Birmingham is great - more affordable by far, great sense of community at The Vale (where the accommodation is) and DD is having the time of her life. So did the other three students I know who went there.

Not dangerous more than any large city.

DD is in 2nd year at Birmingham and would definitely recommend it. Lovely green campus (particularly the area where most of the halls are), most students live in Selly in years 2+ (DD is currently 5 mins from campus, next year will be 20 mins); it's a typical student area, not 100% safe of course but usually loads of other students around and the accommodation ranges from cheap and perfectly adequate (£300pm) to really nice and still not too expensive (£500pm) - or more if you want non-typical high end student accommodation. City centre has lots of lovely parts too, with great shopping, theatres, music venues etc and all a very easy bus or train ride away. Also easy to get out of city on train if you want countryside.

@BeaAndBen It’s cheaper than London! Housing is all about supply and demand. Plus students just want Clifton and nearby areas. It doesn’t have to be £800 a month. I’ve just had a look on Rightmove. Loads at £6-700 a month. Just not exactly where they want to be, but Redland is good enough. Students just don’t look very hard. Anyone getting £13,000 and doing a bit of work in the vacations can definitely make Bristol work.

There is no point in trying to suggest Bristol is cheap. Lots of people have said other complimentary things about Bristol. No one is being anti so I don't know why you are so insistent on trying to say it is affordable. Not everyone comes form London or plans to study in it . So let's remove it form the equation. If we do that, Bristol becomes the most expensive city in the UK - consistently true since about 2020. Student housing ranks top for cost in various surveys.

There is nothing wrong with choosing Bristol as it has lots going for it and costs can be made to work but in a direct comparison of costs, Birmingham would come out on top, if that were one of the deciding factors (and for many it would be).

I am going to dissent a bit, though, and say I don't think Birmingham is all that cheap. Lots of the second year houses have been 'tarted up' so that every room has an ensuite crammed in, pushing rent up ( I am sure some don't but every house DS looked at did and most that I see advertised do) . Some of the halls are actually really pricy (looking at you, Chamberlain!) although they can be avoided. Other uni towns and cities are cheaper , definitely. Birmingham isn't bargain basement. DS1 paid a lot less for accommodation in a different city.

Aside from the cost, the other main difference is that Birmingham is a campus university. You could, if you wished, never stray from the campus and some students don't. Even when you move out of halls you are still on campus to all intents and purposes as Selly is so close. The big plus is that unlike some campus universities you are not stranded miles out of the city - you can have the best of both worlds and many students do and having a station on campus is another huge bonus if you want to venture further afield. Bristol is undoubtedly prettier as a city, but the Birmingham campus is stunning (one of the most beautiful parts of Birmingham!).

Anyone getting £13,000 and doing a bit of work in the vacations can definitely make Bristol work.
Except that full loan is "up to £10,277" this year, increasing to "up to £10,554" from September, but the majority of students don't get the full loan.

Well said @Piggywaspushed - trying to claim Bristol isn't one of the most expensive Universities to attend is nonsense. (with no London weighting in the equation). Of course this is only one factor to consider, but it is a pretty important factor for most families.

I did not say it’s not expensive at Bristol but rents quoted are incorrect. There is not a requirement to pay £800 a month. Thats fact. Like many cities there are alternatives but students don’t look and won’t consider cheaper areas. They also know parents will pay up so there’s no need to bother with cheaper areas. No one stays in halls for 3 years though. That would not be possible. Also a bit restrictive!

I have one at Birmingham and one in Bristol (but at UWE). Both love their cities. Both maintain they are the best. Both love their Unis..Both want to stay there after graduation..
From the outside looking in housing in Bristol is eye wateringly expensive and hard to get. My DS has to write a tenant CV and had to be really.on the ball to secure a property they could afford within a sensible distance. (Still has to take 2 buses and an hour to get to uni) He is staying in the house next year and the rent has gone up 8%.
Other DS wandered around Selly Oak with his mates, saw a few houses and just got one. Easy as you like. No worse quality. Bang next to uni and £20 a week cheaper.
I have severe doubts the Bristol DS could afford to live there after graduation.

DD is at Bristol and loves it! I was so surprised as I knew nothing about the city but it's so beautiful.
DD knows friends doing those subjects and they have a great reputation.
Is it for this year? Have you applied and got offers?

The problem with the idea of 'looking for cheaper' @TizerorFizz is that you have to make sure your houseshare mates have exactly the same priority. If you're wanting to share with wealthier friends that could be problematic, as they just won't necessarily want to sacrifice house quality for a cheaper house - especially if they know their parents will pay up whichever house they choose. This is where the percentage of more privileged young people at the university can be relevant. Logically, a university like Bristol where the high cost of living is well known, is going to attract more people for whom this isn't so much of an issue.

We asked dd (not at either of these two unis) to try to find a house priced within the minimum loan in year 2 - fortunately, 2 out of her 3 housemates were also wanting to go cheap. She managed it but the house was grotty. This year they've gone for a house £20 a week more (but still only £105pw) and she's paying the difference (with a bit of help from us!). It would have been really hard for us to top up to £6-700 a week.

Wow @crazycrofter that is cheap
By way of contrast DS is paying £130 a week in Birmingham and other DS £165 in Bristol..and that's at the cheap end. Some of the places he looked at were £180, for complete dives in areas nearer uni.
They have to work to find the funds.

@Namechangedasouting987 to be honest, she's at Nottingham and most of her friends are paying £130 -£150 plus. The cheap houses are few and far between but you can find them if you try (and there are probably one or two at that price in Birmingham too if you were to really search).

@Namechangedasouting987 Thats the issue though. Right near the university. There are not 100% better off students at Bristol. 70% are state educated and obviously not all of these are rich.

@crazycrofter DD very much compromised where she lived in y4 to accommodate a “friend”. One who just refused to spend money on housing because she preferred to shoot pheasants. So I hear what you say but it takes all sorts. The state educated dc compromised far less. They wanted en suite in halls - DD didn’t have that and of course it was cheaper. Half the issue is not compromising. There definitely are students who won’t/cannot spend money from all walks of life. In my village 6th formers drive themselves to state school 6th forms. In their own cars. All sorts of people throw money at their dc and they certainly don’t all go to private schools. They might go to Bristol but a higher % go to Exeter! Students usually work out the mates to live with who have similar purses and outlook.

Yes, agreed that it’s not a simplistic state/private split, but if you know you’ll need to save money on accommodation you’re probably going to find more who are likeminded in a place known to be cheaper. We wouldn’t have advised dd to go to Bristol due to the higher rents…

My Ds drove himself to sixth form in a car he bought for himself (and paid the bulk of the insurance) using his earnings at Tesco! But that’s irrelevant to this conversation!

@TizerorFizz as i said up post my DS in Bristol is 2 buses away from his uni site and at least 40 mins away at that, often an hour if connections dont pan out. He is not close. And it's still £165.
By contrast the one in Brum paya £ 130 and IS close to uni.(closer than his year one halls are).
Both houses are fine, but nothing special.
So in my experience Bristol is expensive compared to Brum. All DS house mates in Bristol (my DS included) work around their studies to afford their rent.

Neither has, nor can afford a car, at uni.

I don’t think £165 is too bad and £130 sounds very cheap. I’m really just saying that when £200 a week is quoted as being the norm in Bristol, that it’s not if students look beyond Clifton and falling out of bed into lectures. Redland property advertised was certainly more affordable and very few student houses are ever “something special”. “Fine” is better than many. Often the trade off is fine vs not great but very near the university will be something special with a reasonable price tag.

It really depends on whether you think Bristol adds something to your student life that Birmingham does not and that your job prospects are better. That possibly depends on what work a student wants afterwards and the effort they put in regarding honing their cv. I always feel it’s a great shame to choose a university purely on housing costs and ignore everything else that might be of benefit. I do believe the op does have a reasonable sum to spend, so should look at all aspects of the courses and how to get the best out of them in terms of career goalls, @Namechangedasouting987

My daughter went to Birmingham and loved it. Great campus and lived in Selly Oak for a couple of years with no issues. It's near the city centre and has excellent travel links and it's fairly cheap. Yes there is crime in Birmingham but no more than any other big city and she never felt unsafe. Definitely visit both if you can - my daughter visited a few before making her choice. Good luck

Birmingham has some of the best employability stats , too, so there's that.

I think it's misguided to assume Birmingham doesn't have exactly the same sort of very moneyed people one finds in Bristol (perhaps a smaller proportion ). DS shared a house in year 2 with extraordinarily affluent people (think residents of the Cayman Islands wealthy). As it turns out they had no sense of money and treated him like their pet povvo (amusing given how middle class we are!) - but that's another story and I don't blame Brum for that!

There are always people at every uni who can afford a lot and others who cannot or just do not want to. It’s really good if students mix with others they might not have met at school. Cannot see anything wrong with that at all and just shows Cayman Islands rich didn’t rent a mansion! School and background do not always mean they want the glitzy new flats.

The op was talking about full loan and then there’s possible bursary money. That’s near enough £13,000. DN gets that.