University of Sunderland

We’re known as the friendly University – we welcome students from all corners of the globe and have a number of events and activities to help you make new friends and settle in.

Our Students’ Union offers a buddies scheme and a peer support scheme so if you want make some new friends, we can connect you with other students to help and guide you through your first weeks and months of university life.

There are also over 50 Sports Clubs and Societies for you to join, covering everything from feminism, football, games, and hockey, to snow sports, debating and rugby. Whatever your interests, we’ll help you find friends and have a happy and fulfilling student experience.

Beaches

With endless sands and miles of beautiful coastline, Sunderland’s Seaburn and Roker beaches and their long promenades are ideal for summer walks and taking in the raw beauty of the North East.

Thrill seekers are well catered for as well – Adventure Sunderland is based on the Roker seafront and offers a range of activities from kayaking and canoeing to abseiling and surfing.

City of Sunderland

Sunderland has the perfect combination of city and seaside living and is a friendly, diverse and affordable place for you to live and study.

There’s something to suit all tastes and budgets in Sunderland. You’ll find high street favourites in The Bridges Shopping Centre, the beautiful Mowbray Park, the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art and achingly-cool independent venues such as Pop Recs – a record shop, art space and live music venue.

Support on Campus

A number of support services are available to help you study and socialise in a safe environment. Our free campus bus provides safe and reliable transport between the two campuses and all student housing, and a night service provides safe travel to popular social spots.

Our confidential Health and Wellbeing service offers advice and support on mental health, depression, drug and alcohol issues, contraception, eating distress and much more. A Counselling service is also available to all students. The University of Sunderland was awarded University of the Year for Student Support (Daily Mail University Guide 2025), which reflects our excellent support services. 

Sport

Sunderland has some of the best facilities for sport in the UK, including an Olympic-size pool, a dry ski slope, an LTA accredited tennis centre, an athletics track, rugby and cricket grounds, and a marina and watersports centre on the beach.

If you prefer to watch sport, we have football with Sunderland AFC, county and international cricket at nearby Durham County Cricket Club, rugby fans can watch Newcastle Falcons or Gateshead Thunder, and for basketball lovers we have the Newcastle Eagles.

We also have our own University sports teams. Over 20 teams compete in the British Universities College Sports (BUCS) leagues every Wednesday as well as other competitions throughout the year. So if you want to play, coach, study or watch sport, the University can cater to all of your sporting needs.

We also have an on-campus gym, with student memberships for £150 per year.

Music & Nightlife

Home to nationally-acclaimed musicians, The Futureheads, Hyde and Beast, Frankie and the Heartstrings and The Lake Poets, Sunderland’s music scene is eclectic and electric. Sunderland is a globally recognised Music City, part of The Music Cities Network and joining the likes of Berlin, Aarhus and Sydney. It is only the second city in the UK in the group following Manchester.

You’ll find everything you want in Sunderland, from cheesy clubs and student-friendly bars to real-ale pubs and sophisticated restaurants.