Sheffield Student Guide
The city of Sheffield is located in South Yorkshire and has a student population of over 58,000.
Nightlife
Students living in the city are not short of options for a good night out and The Leadmill is a popular destination. The Leadmill is Sheffield’s longest running independent live music venue and has hosted bands like Coldplay, the Arctic Monkeys and the Strokes. The venue also hosts regular club nights and attracts indie music lovers. Ecclesall Road has something on offer for everybody, from busy bars and clubs to quieter pubs and restaurants. The road is also home to a number of university halls of residence, so you won’t have far to stumble when you leave a club!
Top Things to Do
Take advantage of the Sheffield Brewery Company, 10 minutes north from the city centre. The brewery offers tours for groups and shows how some of Yorkshire’s finest beers are brewed. Visitors get to sample the beer and are provided with a delicious ‘meat ‘n’ potato, pea supper’. Sheffield has an industrial heritage and is famous for its production of steel. The Magna Science Adventure Centre offers a chance to learn about the history of steel production in the city. ‘The Big Melt’ at the Adventure Centre is a sound and light show and uses smoke and pyrotechnics to tell the story of the steel making process.
Shopping
Shoppers can take refuge in a number of Sheffield’s retail destinations. Meadowhall is a shopping centre on the outskirts of the city and provides opportunities to shop ‘til you drop. Meadowhall boasts an impressive collection of shops and includes most of the high street favourites like Primark, Next and New Look. H&M and Primark are top choices for students on a budget. The Devonshire Quarter can be found near West Street and is home to the ultra-trendy. Shops in the Devonshire Quarter include Ark, G-Star and Garage.
Where Can I Study?
The city of Sheffield is home to two universities: Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University.
Sheffield Hallam University (often abbreviated to SHU) is one of the largest in the country and is home to over 33,000 students. The university is split across two campuses: City Campus and Collegiate Crescent Campus. Collegiate Crescent Campus is located to the south west of the city centre, close to Ecclesall Road. City Campus can be found close to Sheffield Rail Station and includes the universities Accommodation Services, Adsetts Learning Centre and Arundel Gate Court.
SHU is divided into four faculties: Faculty of Arts, Computing, Engineering and Sciences, Faculty of Development and Society, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, and Sheffield Business School. In 2012, The Complete University Guide placed Sheffield Hallam University as 62nd in the national league tables. The university was voted high in subjects relating to nursing, occupational therapy, radiography, tourism, law, and management. Sheffield Hallam has 30 research centres, including centres for sustainable consumption, science education, and health and social care research.
The University of Sheffield (also known as Sheffield University) is located in the centre of the city and provides places of study to over 27,000 students every year. The university is a research university and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive universities. Sheffield University is split into five faculties: Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, Faculty of Pure Science and Faculty of Social Sciences.
The university also has a campus in Thessaloniki and offers students the opportunity to study in subjects relating to business, computer science, psychology and humanities. Sheffield University is spread across different buildings, all located within close proximity to each other. St George’s Campus is centred on Mappin Street and is home to the Faculty of Engineering, the School of Management, and the Department of Computer Science.
Sheffield University has a reputation for academic excellence and consistently ranks high in the league tables. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed Sheffield University 101st in the world’s top universities.
Should I Study in Sheffield?
A student’s honest opinion
“I’ve already graduated from university, but I loved Sheffield so much, I decided to stay. Between being one of the safest cities in Europe, having an awesome nightlife as well as a stone’s throw from the Peak District, I couldn’t help but stay.
If you want to experience the real student lifestyle in a city, Sheffield is definitely for you. There are so many students here! But it gives the whole place a good atmosphere, and also what makes the nightlife so good too. Some of my own personal favourites include Embrace and Forward. You don’t need to worry about the cost either- rent and drinks are really cheap, so it leaves some money to treat yourself once in a while.
Sheffield also has some great rock climbing facilities and you can walk around quite a few parts of the city so you don’t become too lazy as a student!” Gemma, 23