Brunel University of London
A single-campus west London university built around placement years, engineering, design and sport.
- Offer rate
- 70%
- 2025-26 entry (latest published); applying for 2027 entry
- Students
- 13,696
- 9,313 undergraduates
- International
- 58%
- of students
- Tuition
- £17,400
- From · 2027-28
- Founded
- 1966
About Brunel
Brunel University of London is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It became a university by royal charter in 1966, growing out of Acton Technical College, which launched sandwich courses mixing study and work in the 1950s, and it joined the University of London federation in 2024. Its roots also include older teacher-training colleges such as Borough Road College, founded in 1798.
Everything happens on one campus in Uxbridge, west London, where all halls of residence are within ten minutes of teaching, social and sports facilities. The 1960s brutalist buildings famously appeared in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. In 2025-26 Brunel had 13,696 students, including 9,313 undergraduates, organised into colleges for Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences; Health, Medicine and Life Sciences; Arts, Law and Social Sciences; and Brunel Business School.
Most courses offer a four-year option with a placement year, a founding idea of the university, and course pages list typical offers from BBC to ABB with contextual offers one or two grades lower. That makes Brunel a realistic choice for applicants who want work experience built into a London degree, including in engineering, product design, computer science, law and economics.
Why students choose Brunel
Most degrees, including Computer Science, Law, Economics and Aerospace Engineering, can be taken as a four-year course with a placement year.
UK applicants who meet contextual markers get lower offers, for example BBB instead of ABB for Computer Science and Law.
The single Uxbridge campus puts every hall of residence within ten minutes of teaching, social and sports facilities.
Brunel Medical School's MBBS accepts international applicants without the UCAT, via UCAS or direct application.
Admissions
2025-26 entry (latest published); applying for 2027 entry
14,837 offers from 21,115 applications
Offer rate: in 2025-26 Brunel received 21,115 undergraduate applications and made 14,837 offers (about 70%), with 2,646 new undergraduates enrolling. Medicine is far more competitive.
Typical entry requirements
| A-levels | Course-specific standard offers, e.g. ABB (Computer Science, Law, Economics), ABB including Maths and a science (Aerospace Engineering), ABB including Maths or Physics (Product Design Engineering), AAA (Medicine); contextual offers typically BBB or BBC |
|---|---|
| IB Diploma | Typically 31-30 points (Computer Science, Law, Economics, Aerospace Engineering), 31-29 (Product Design Engineering), 36 (Medicine) |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 IELTS 6.5 with at least 5.5 in each area for courses such as Computer Science and Law (6.0 with 5.5 minimum for Product Design Engineering). Pearson 59 and Brunel's own BrunELT test are also accepted. |
Deadlines
- UCAS (Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary) Non-binding Next deadline · In 9 days15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time
Medicine MBBS (A100) for Home applicants; UCAT must be taken in the year you apply.
- UCAS equal consideration deadline Non-binding In ~3 months13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
Equal consideration deadline for most courses; many courses stay open after this date.
- UCAS last date before Clearing Non-binding In ~9 months30 June 2027, 18:00 UK time
Applications received by this date are sent to universities if courses still have places; after it, applications go into Clearing.
- Medicine MBBS direct application (international) Non-binding In ~9 months30 June 2027
International fee-status applicants can apply via UCAS or directly; the direct route may close earlier if places fill.
UCAS dates for 2027 entry. Brunel says many courses remain open for late applications after the January deadline.
How to apply
Apply through UCAS (institution code B84) with a personal statement and reference. International applicants may instead apply directly through a registered Brunel agent if they have not applied through UCAS. International Medicine applicants can apply through UCAS or directly by 30 June 2027.
What admissions looks for
- Grades at or near the standard offer, with lower contextual offers for UK applicants who meet Brunel's contextual markers.
- Required subjects where specified, such as A-level Maths and a science for Aerospace Engineering and GCSE Maths at grade 5/B for Economics.
- A personal statement and reference submitted through UCAS.
- For Home Medicine applicants, a strong UCAT (or GAMSAT) score to reach interview, then performance in six virtual mini-interviews.
Tips for applying to Brunel
- 1 Check the with-placement course code (for example G407 for Computer Science with placement) if you want a year in industry built into your degree.
- 2 Look at the contextual offer on each course page: if you meet the markers, your offer can drop to BBB or BBC.
- 3 International Medicine applicants do not need the UCAT, but should apply early because the direct route can close before 30 June.
- 4 International applicants can apply for competitive awards such as the Vice-Chancellor's Undergraduate Excellence Award (a 25% fee waiver for 2026 entry), which close well before the start of term.
Costs & financial aid
2027-28 · figures in GBP
Brunel lists scholarships such as a £2,000 College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences Academic Excellence Scholarship (automatic consideration), a £5,000 EU Undergraduate Bursary, sports scholarships of up to £3,000 and a £2,000 Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursary. International undergraduates could apply for the Vice-Chancellor's Undergraduate Excellence Award (25 fee waivers of 25%) for 2026 entry; students paying their fees in full at registration get a 2% prompt-payment discount.
- £2,000, automatic consideration
- CEDPS Academic Excellence Scholarship 2026/27
- £5,000, no application
- EU Undergraduate Bursary 2026/27
- 25 awards of a 25% fee waiver per year
- Vice-Chancellor's Undergraduate Excellence Award (2026 entry)
- 10% off tuition each year
- Brunel Alumni Family Discount
Academics
Aerospace Engineering (BEng)
ABB including Maths and a science, with a placement-year option; international fee £21,795 in 2026/27.
Product Design Engineering (BSc)
Taught by Brunel Design School, whose final-year work is shown at the annual Made in Brunel exhibition in central London.
Computer Science (BSc)
ABB standard or BBB contextual offer, with a four-year placement route (G407).
Medicine (MBBS)
AAA or 36 IB points; early patient contact in GP placements from Year 1 and 18 video-equipped consultation rooms for simulated practice.
Economics (BSc)
ABB standard offer; Brunel says graduates earn on average £41,000 five years after the course.
Research
- Research is organised around six strategic challenge areas: Communities, Digital, Health, Materials and Manufacturing, Circular Economy, and Energy and Power.
- The Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology is one of the research centres in the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences.
- Brunel's Institute of the Environment won a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2011.
Schools & faculties
- College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
- College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
- College of Arts, Law and Social Sciences
- Brunel Business School
- Brunel Medical School
- Brunel Design School
- Brunel Law School
Brunel's Economics course page reports average graduate earnings of £41,000 a year five years after the course.
Student life
Brunel is fully campus-based: teaching buildings, the students' union, sports facilities and all the halls of residence share one site in Uxbridge, so halls are never more than about ten minutes from teaching and sport. The campus mixes 1960s brutalist concrete, used as a set in A Clockwork Orange, with newer glass buildings. More than half the students have international fee status, from 152 countries, which gives the campus a mixed, global community.
- The campus lecture centre, a Grade II listed building, appeared in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.
- Made in Brunel, the Design School's annual exhibition, is held in central London.
- Sports scholarships of up to £3,000 for talented athletes.
- Students from 152 countries in 2025-26.
Housing. All Brunel halls of residence are on the Uxbridge campus, within ten minutes of teaching, social and sporting facilities; Brunel Student Lettings helps with private housing nearby.
Location
The campus is in Uxbridge, in the London Borough of Hillingdon on the western edge of Greater London. It feels more suburban than central London, with green space and lower density, while the Underground from Uxbridge connects students to the city centre. Heathrow Airport is close by, which is convenient for international students.
Nearest airport: London Heathrow (LHR)
Notable alumni
- JB Jo BrandComedian; studied social sciences and nursing
- GD Greg DaviesComedian and actor; English and Drama
- LM Lee MackComedian; drama graduate
- AP Archie PanjabiActor; Management Studies (1994)
- DI Damson IdrisActor; Theatre, Film and Television graduate
- GV Guillaume V, Grand Duke of LuxembourgGrand Duke of Luxembourg since 2025
- RA Rosena Allin-KhanLabour MP and doctor; Medical Biochemistry
- CJ Chen JiningCommunist Party Secretary of Shanghai; began graduate studies at Brunel in 1988 before transferring to Imperial College London
Frequently asked questions
What is Brunel University's acceptance rate?
Brunel's 2025-26 figures show 21,115 undergraduate applications and 14,837 offers, an offer rate of about 70%. Medicine is much more selective.
What grades do you need for Brunel?
Most courses list a standard offer of ABB and a contextual offer of BBB or BBC, and typically 29-31 IB points; Medicine asks for AAA or 36 IB points.
Does Brunel require the UCAT for Medicine?
Home applicants must take the UCAT (or GAMSAT if a graduate) and apply by 15 October 2026. International applicants do not need the UCAT and can apply via UCAS or directly by 30 June 2027.
How much are Brunel's fees for international students?
2026/27 international fees were £17,400 for courses such as Computer Science, Law and Economics, £21,795 for engineering and design, and £49,395 for Medicine; 2027/28 fees are not yet listed.
Can I do a placement year at Brunel?
Yes, most degrees can be taken over four years with a placement year, a founding principle of Brunel's sandwich degrees.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
- QS World University Rankings 2027 (topuniversities.com)
- THE World University Rankings 2026
- ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026
- Brunel University of London: Facts, figures and key information
- Brunel University of London: Facts and Figures 2025-26 (PDF)
- Brunel University of London: Brunel through the years (timeline)
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