The Basics

The University of Warwick (pronounced ‘War-rick’) is as old as Singapore, having been founded in 1965. Since then, the University has grown to its current intake of about 23,000 full-time students (of which 8,237 are international students) across 30 departments in Arts, Social Science, Science and Medicine. Warwick consistently fares well in university rankings, consistently within the top 10 in the UK and the 3rd in the world for institutions established post-1963. Full-time undergraduate tuition fees for 2016/17 entrants stand at between £16,620 and £21,200 per year depending on course. Full-time postgraduate tuition fees for 2016/17 entrants range from £15,460 to £17,500 per year, depending on course.


Campus Living

Warwick Accommodation provides and maintains 6,200 on-campus beds for students, with priority given to first-year and post-graduate international students, with rents ranging from £77 to £171 per week (utilities inclusive), depending on residence. There are a variety of options to suit most budgets and needs, with both en-suite and shared bathrooms, and differing facilities and locations on campus. Non-first year students generally stay in off-campus houses or flats, either privately-let or managed by Warwick Accommodation, though first years can also opt to stay off-campus if they wish. The residences available to different groups of students varies from year to year, and the most updated list can be found on the Warwick Accommodation website. 

 

 

Retail and Facilities

Being a campus university, Warwick boasts an array of amenities to cater to your needs, all within walking distance. Retail outlets on campus include cafes, restaurants, bars, a hair salon, banks, a travel agency, a pharmacy, a post office, a supermarket and an in-house printing company. The campus is also home to the Warwick Arts Centre, a professional arts venue which hosts performances and exhibitions throughout the year. Warwick Sport manages numerous well-equipped facilities, including a heated swimming pool, squash- and tennis courts, a running track, astroturf and grass sports pitches, an indoor rock climbing centre, a gym, and multiple sports halls. The complete list of facilities can be found on the University of Warwick and Student Union Websites. 

 

The nearby Cannon Park Shopping Centre is where you can find Tesco supermarket, as well as Wilko and Iceland. There is also Seoul Plaza, a mini-mart specializing in retailing Asian produce and products from Korea, China, Japan and even Singapore. Additionally, the Shopping Centre boasts a variety of other shops such as a barber, a pharmacy, a gym, and retail and F&B outlets. 

 

 

Work and Play

The campus is constantly buzzing with activity, and this is no surprise with the 260 student societies and 76 sports clubs that we have. Students are spoilt for choice with the variety of societies and sports clubs that you can join: Break dance, Magic, Skydiving, Volunteers, Canoe, WarwickSnow, Harry Potter Society and Thai Boxing, to name a few. Individual academic departments also frequently organise talks and events to supplement their curriculum and show how things learnt in the classroom apply to real life.

 

There is also a range of part-time and holiday jobs available for students to take up on campus, though Tier 4 International Student visas generally limit the number of hours that can be worked a week to 20. Students can source for such opportunities independently, or through the Unitemps part-time work agency on campus. 

 

Out and About

Outside of campus, the neighbouring city of Coventry (commonly referred to as ‘Cov’) and nearby town of Leamington Spa (commonly referred to as ‘Leam’, pronounced ‘lair-m’) are the places to go for Warwick students. Despite its name, the University of Warwick is actually located nearer to the city of Coventry than to the town of Warwick. Coventry city centre is 30 minutes from campus by public bus, where students can shop at the popular retailers like Primark, Topshop and H&M, buy household items from IKEA, eat at the many Asian restaurants like Noodle Bar, or spend the night at the popular nightclub Kasbah. Leamington is 45 minutes away from campus by public bus, and it too has the common high street brands, many good restaurants and several nightspots like Saint Bar, Smack and Evolve, which are frequented by Warwick students.

 

There are also a variety of historical and cultural attractions nearby, such as a few National Trust properties and Warwick Castle. The historical home of Shakespeare, Stratford-Upon-Avon, is accessible by bus from just outside the Warwick Arts Centre. The Warwick International Office also frequently organises day-trips to nearby towns and cities by return coach, such as York, Ludlow and Bath. 



Further Afield

With its location in the Midlands, it is also ideal to travel out of Warwick and explore other parts of the UK. You can catch a train from Coventry, Canley or Leamington Spa rail stations, or take a coach from the Megabus boarding point at Cannon Park Shopping Centre or the National Express boarding point at Pool Meadow Bus Station in Coventry city centre. Birmingham is 20 minutes by train from Coventry rail station, where you can have dim sum at Chinatown or shop at the mega-mall that is Bullring Shopping Centre. London is 1-2 hours away by train or 2.5 hours away by Megabus, where you can spend a weekend exploring the many things that the capital has to offer.

 

Should you wish to go to further destinations by plane, the nearest main airports to Warwick are Birmingham International (which can be reached cheaply and directly by train from Canley and Coventry) and the London airports (which are slightly more costly in time and money to get to). International trains to France can also be found in London.