University of Bolton

With a student body of around 11,000 you will get the best of all worlds at Bolton. You will be based on a modern, compact campus where no-one feels anonymous and, with small teaching groups on many courses, you can be sure you are a name, not just a number.

Bolton itself is a friendly, thriving town close to the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool.

Our teaching quality has consistently won the highest ratings possible from the Government's quality control agency and we have professional accreditation for more than 25 of our teaching programmes.

There are currently 192 Academic staff members of whom 130 hold PhD degrees. This represents 67.7% of PhD holders amongst the Academic staff.

Mission Statement & Vision

To be a distinctive teaching intensive and research informed university known for the quality of our staff, our facilities and our links to employment sectors.

We will provide:

• intensive support for learners by highly qualified and experienced staff
• first class facilities in which to learn
• strong links to employment sectors

Our Vision

By 2020 the University of Bolton will be a teaching intensive, research informed higher education institution whose distinctive high quality, student-focused, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes attract applications from all over the world. It will offer an exciting and challenging student experience with high levels of proactive student support and with excellent facilities which match the quality of its academic provision. It will be a local resource, a regional asset and a national and international centre of excellence as well as a byword for exemplary vocationally focused undergraduate and postgraduate programmes delivered in Bolton and across the world. Where appropriate, our students will study in an environment which reflects as closely as possible, the working environment which they are likely to enter, with industry standard equipment.All students will be offered work-based learning through placements, internships or ‘sandwich’ gap years.

Key Facts

The University of Bolton is a local institution with international reach. The University traces its educational roots all the way back to 1824 when it opened as one of the first mechanics institutes.

Granted university status in 2005, Bolton now has a global student body of around 11,000 - including all campuses and affiliates. The University is based on a modern, compact, town-centre campus and our teaching quality has consistently won the highest ratings possible from the Government's quality control agency.

Our strong industry links allow us to provide a large number of professionally accredited courses through partnerships that include several Chartered Institute organisations, the British Psychological Society and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. More than 30 of our courses are professionally accredited, reflecting the industry-needs focus of our courses' content.

The University of Bolton is committed to helping and supporting students and their teachers and advisers at every stage of the journey into higher education. Valuing its strong partnerships with local schools and colleges, the University offers a range of  enrichment activities supporting progression into higher education.

With the changes to student finance, the range of scholarships and bursaries on offer at Bolton has been updated.

UK Campus Development

In recent years the University has had a major redevelopment programme creating new and exciting facilities for study and recreation. In early 2012 we opened a £100,000 moot Law Court and  Bolton One , our new, purpose-built, £31 million health, leisure and research centre, in partnership with NHS Bolton and Bolton Council.

It is home to premier teaching and research activity, including flagship health and sports courses and services which are open to everyone. These include an  Athlete Development Centre, Sports and Spinal Injury Clinic, climbing wall, Centre for Research and Health and Wellbeing, and a Clinical Simulation suite.

2013 has seen the launch of Bolton Business School  – housing Business, Law and Accountancy, along with the  Centre of Islamic Finance  under one roof. There is also a purpose built Centre for Advanced Performance Engineering, to be run in conjunction with RLR motorsports, planned for the future.

The University has a wide ranging academic portfolio with courses on offer ranging from access and foundation level to undergraduate certificates, diplomas, degrees and postgraduate masters and doctorates.

The Student Community

The University actively encourages applications from all potential students and we are proud of our reputation of being an open, friendly and supportive university.

With a higher than average proportion of disabled students, Bolton is one of the leading universities for supporting students with additional needs. ( For more information visit our  Disability Service ).

The University has one of the most ethnically diverse student populations with around 25% of UK students from ethnic minority communities.

Bolton has proven particularly attractive to mature students who are entering or returning to higher education and believe our greater flexibility allow those with other commitments alongside university to gain their qualification while retaining a work/life balance.

The University is one of Bolton's largest employers, and is a major contributor to the town's income.