Nottingham Student Guide
The city of Nottingham can be found in the county of Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England. The city has a high student population of over 57,000 making it a young and vibrant city with lots on offer.
Nightlife
The canal side of Nottingham provides the perfect backdrop for summer drinking and there are a number of pubs scattered along the canal with beer gardens. Nottingham is full of nightclubs and live music venues, all of which cater for students and often host cheap weekday evenings. The Cookie Club is a 500 capacity nightclub in the heart of Nottingham and has three dancefloors, 3 bars, a chillout room and a rooftop garden. The club is popular on Wednesdays and entry is only £1 (but don’t forget your NUS card!)
Shopping
With over 1,000 shops in the centre of the city, Nottingham is a haven for shoppers and provides the perfect opportunity for a bit of retail therapy. The Market Square is in the centre of the city and where you will find all the favourite high street stores. The Hockley area of the city is where you can find smaller independent boutiques selling everything from vintage clothes to vinyl records and handmade jewellery.
Culture and Entertainment
If live performance and music is more your thing then Nottingham has lots on offer. Rock City is a nightclub and performance venue in the centre of the city and regularly hosts concerts from well-established bands and singers to up-and-coming performers. Nottingham Contemporary is one of the leading venues in Nottingham’s thriving art scene and is one of the largest contemporary arts centres in the UK. Lakeside Arts Centre is a public arts space run by the University of Nottingham and regularly hosts exhibitions, performances and live events.
Where Can I Study?
There are two universities in Nottingham: the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.
The University of Nottingham is the larger of the two and has a student population of over 40,000. The university is a public research university and is one of the most popular first choice universities for applicants. The University of Nottingham excels across a wide range of subjects, particularly in traditional courses like law, economics and medicine. In 2012, The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed the University of Nottingham 140th out of the top 400 universities in the world.
The University of Nottingham is split across several campuses. University Park Campus is the largest campus and is located to the west of the city centre. The campus covers an area of 330 acres and has won numerous awards for its architecture and landscaping. Jubilee Campus opened in 1999 and can be found 1 mile from University Park Campus. The campus is home to the faculties of Education and Computer Science as well as the Nottingham University Business School.
Nottingham Trent University (often referred to as NTU) is a public research and teaching university with a student population of around 24,000. The institution was founded as a university in 1992 although its history can be traced back to 1843. NTU is split over three campuses: City, Clifton Campus and Brackenhurst Campus.
The City site is the largest campus and is home to over 16,000 students. The campus is the centre of the Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Law School, School of Architecture, School of Art and Design and the Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism. The Clifton Campus is home to the School of Arts and Humanities, School of Science and Technology and the School of Education.
The campus is situated 4 miles from the city centre. Brackenhurst Campus is the smallest of the campuses and is home to students from the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. The campus lies 14 miles from the centre of the city in a countryside estate.
Should I Study in Nottingham?
A student’s honest opinion:
“There are two universities in Nottingham, but for the University of Nottingham, many students tend to live in the main student area Lenton, although some also choose to live in Beeston, Dunkirk or nearer to the city centre. Lenton has several good cheap pubs, like the Bag ‘o’ Nails and the Happy Return, and lots of takeaways. Beeston also has several pubs and a larger high street than Lenton.
Nottingham is famous for being the home of Robin Hood, and many tourists are attracted by Nottingham Castle and Sherwood Forest. However, this is not all that there is to do in Nottingham. There are several big clubs such as Oceana, Gatecrasher, Reflex and, a Nottingham student favourite, Ocean. There are student nights nearly every day of the week. If you are into alternative music, there is also Rock City, Stealth, the Bodega Social Club and Rescue Rooms, so there really is something for everyone.
Shopping in Nottingham is quite spread out around the city centre, but the main shopping centres are the Victoria Centre and the Broadmarsh Centre. Nottingham also has independent cinemas the Savoy and the Broadway, as well as several multiplex cinemas. Nottingham is also a great city for sport, being home to two football teams. The National Ice Centre and the National Watersports Centre can also be found in Nottingham.” Jess, 23