University of Westminster
London's first polytechnic, founded on Regent Street in 1838 and still teaching there, with a creative campus in Harrow.
- Students
- 19,530
- International
- 51%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 20.0:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- £19,000
- 2027-28
- Founded
- 1838
About Westminster
The University of Westminster began in 1838, when Sir George Cayley opened the Polytechnic Institution at 309 Regent Street, the first polytechnic in London. In 1881 Quintin Hogg moved his Young Men's Christian Institute into the building, which became Regent Street Polytechnic, then the Polytechnic of Central London in 1970, and a university in 1992. The Regent Street headquarters still hosts teaching and the Regent Street Cinema, where the Lumiere brothers gave the UK's first public moving-picture show in 1896.
Westminster teaches through three colleges, each with four schools: Creative Arts and Technologies, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Westminster Business School. It has three central London campuses (Regent, Cavendish in Fitzrovia and Marylebone, opposite Baker Street) plus a media, arts and design campus in Harrow, north-west London, home to film studios and the fashion course. It is strongly international: THE counts 51% of its students as international, and Westminster says its students come from 169 countries.
Offers for 2027 entry are mostly CCC (96 UCAS tariff points), rising to BBB for Film and ABB for Architecture, and creative courses ask for a portfolio. Westminster suits students who want a practical, career-focused degree in the middle of London.
Dominus fortitudo nostra
“The Lord is our strength” — university motto
Why students choose Westminster
Westminster says its Fashion Design BA was the first undergraduate course in the world to show on the official London Fashion Week schedule; graduates include Christopher Bailey and Stuart Vevers.
The Film BA runs from a purpose-built studio facility in Harrow with two sound stages and a set construction workshop, and student films have won RTS awards and a Student Academy Award.
Three of the four campuses are in central London, within walking distance of Oxford Circus, Baker Street and Tottenham Court Road.
Many degrees, including Computer Science, Film and Biomedical Science, offer an optional placement year between years 2 and 3, and Westminster says it works with over 3,000 companies on placements.
Admissions
2027 entry
Selectivity
Westminster does not publish an offer rate. Typical 2027-entry offers are set per course in UCAS tariff points: CCC (96) for courses such as Computer Science, Law, Psychology, Biomedical Science, Tourism Management and Music Production, BBB (120) for Film and ABB (128) for Architecture. Creative courses add a portfolio review.
Typical entry requirements
| A-levels / UCAS tariff | Course-specific for 2027 entry: CCC or 96 points (Computer Science, Law, Psychology, Biomedical Science with two sciences, Tourism Management, Music Production), BBB or 120 points (Film), ABB or 128 points (Architecture) |
|---|---|
| International Baccalaureate | The same tariff total from all Diploma components, e.g. 96 points for Computer Science; 128 points including HL 6 in Visual Arts for Fashion Design |
| Fashion Design | 128 points from an Art and Design Foundation Diploma or equivalent; A-levels alone are not accepted without an additional art and design foundation year |
| GCSEs | English Language and Maths at grade 4/C for courses such as Computer Science |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 78 Most undergraduate courses: IELTS 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (Law needs 6.0 in writing; Fashion Design 6.0 in writing and speaking). TOEFL iBT (in-person only) 78 with at least 17 listening, 17 writing, 18 reading and 20 speaking for courses at the IELTS 6.0 level. PTE Academic (in person) is also accepted; TOEFL Home Edition and PTE Online are not. |
Deadlines
- UCAS equal consideration deadline Non-binding Next deadline · In ~3 months13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal consideration deadline for all Westminster courses.
- UCAS last date before Clearing Non-binding In ~9 months30 June 2027, 18:00 UK time
Applications received after this are entered into Clearing, which opens on 2 July 2027; places depend on availability.
- Final deadline for international applicants (September 2027) Non-binding In ~10 months15 August 2027
Clearing closes to international applicants; conditions must be met and the deposit paid by 27 August, and CAS requests from outside the UK are due by 8 September.
The 13 January and 30 June 2027 dates are UCAS deadlines. Westminster's how-to-apply page lists its own final deadlines under 'September 2027' (updated from last year's 14 August/3 September dates): Clearing closes on 15 August for international applicants and 10 September for home applicants, international conditions and deposit by 27 August, and the first week of teaching is 27 September. Places after January depend on availability.
How to apply
All full-time undergraduate applicants, including international students, apply through UCAS (institution code W50) with a personal statement and reference. Some courses then request a portfolio or interview by email. International offer-holders pay a £5,500 deposit before a CAS is issued.
What admissions looks for
- The published UCAS tariff points for your course, with required subjects such as two sciences for Biomedical Science.
- A personal statement that shows why you are interested in the subject; Westminster says it uses it to decide whether to make an offer.
- For Architecture, Fashion, Film and Music, a portfolio showing creative range and originality, and for some applicants an interview.
- Applicants who do not meet the normal requirements can contact course enquiries, as Westminster may still consider them, or take a foundation year.
Tips for applying to Westminster
- 1 Wait for the admissions team's email before sending a portfolio; Westminster asks applicants not to send portfolios until requested.
- 2 For Fashion Design, keep your sample portfolio to 10 pages or fewer and host it on a platform such as Behance or Issuu.
- 3 Home students with household income of £25,000 or below can apply for the Great Start Scholarship (£2,000 a year).
- 4 International applicants with strong grades can apply for the International Undergraduate Excellence Award (£2,500 off first-year fees in the 2026 round); those admitted on an eligible EU qualification get £4,500 off the first year.
Costs & financial aid
2027-28 · figures in GBP
Westminster says more than 700 students a year benefit from its scholarships. Home students with household income of £25,000 or less can apply for the Undergraduate Great Start Scholarship (£2,000 a year), and enrolled students can apply for bursaries such as the Care Leaver and Estranged Student Bursaries (£1,000-£3,000). International students can apply for the International Undergraduate Excellence Award (£2,500 off the first year in the 2026 round), and those admitted on an eligible EU qualification receive a £4,500 first-year reduction.
- £2,000 per year, household income £25,000 or below
- Undergraduate Great Start Scholarship (Home)
- £2,500 off first-year fees (2026 round)
- International Undergraduate Excellence Award
- £4,500 off the first year
- EU qualification award (international fee payers)
- More than 700
- Students helped by scholarships each year
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Fashion Design (BA, W230)
Harrow-based course that first put undergraduates on the London Fashion Week schedule; alumni include Christopher Bailey, Stuart Vevers and LVMH Prize winner Steven Stokey Daley.
Film (BA, W620)
Crew-role training in Harrow studios with two sound stages; student films have won RTS, Grierson and Student Academy awards; BBB (120 points) plus portfolio.
Architecture (BA, K100)
Studio-based course at Marylebone; ABB (128 points) plus portfolio. Westminster notes that from 2025 starters the BA will no longer be ARB Part 1 prescribed, as ARB stops prescribing undergraduate degrees.
Computer Science (BSc, G402)
Accredited by the British Computer Society, giving a route to CITP and partial CEng; taught at Cavendish with an optional placement year.
Music Production, Performance and Business (BA, W307)
Links with record labels, publishers and PRS and PPL, with a portfolio in production, performance or music business.
Biomedical Science (BSc, B940)
Accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science, supporting a route to HCPC registration; placement year or study abroad option.
Research
- The Centre for the Study of Democracy, founded in 1989, says its Politics and International Studies research was ranked fourth in the UK for impact in REF 2021.
- The Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) is the university's centre for media and communication research.
- The Regent Street Cinema at 309 Regent Street, restored and reopened in 2015, hosted the UK's first public moving-picture show in 1896.
- The Polytechnic opened Europe's first public photographic portrait studio in 1841 and later offered the first degrees in Photography and Media Studies.
Schools & faculties
- College of Creative Arts and Technologies
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Westminster Business School
- School of Architecture and Cities
- School of Computer Science and Engineering
- Westminster School of Arts
- Westminster School of Media and Communications
- School of Humanities
- School of Life Sciences
- School of Social Sciences
- Westminster Law School
Student life
Students automatically join the University of Westminster Students' Union (UWSU), which runs over 100 sports clubs and societies, Smoke Media (magazine, radio and TV), the Undercroft Bar and the Area 51 nightclub at Harrow; it organised 520 society events last year. Sport centres on the 45-acre Quintin Hogg Sports Ground at Chiswick, with pitches, courts and a boathouse, plus gyms at Regent Street and Harrow. Most students live in London flats or in halls in Hoxton, Harrow, Wembley or Tottenham Hale.
- Over 100 sports clubs and societies run by UWSU.
- 45-acre Quintin Hogg Sports Ground at Chiswick with a boathouse.
- Smoke Media: student magazine, radio station and TV channel.
- Regent Street Cinema, the university's historic public cinema at its headquarters.
- Pink Floyd formed at the Polytechnic, where its founders studied architecture.
Housing. Places in Westminster's halls (Alexander Fleming Hall in Hoxton, Harrow Hall, and Unite halls at Wembley and Tottenham Hale, from about £198 to £324 a week) are allocated to full-time students who have firmly accepted an offer, in order of application and subject to availability, with priority for some groups such as disabled students and care leavers; there is no general guarantee.
Location
Westminster's main campuses sit in the West End: Regent Street by Oxford Circus, Cavendish in Fitzrovia near the BT Tower, and Marylebone opposite Baker Street station, while Harrow is about 20 minutes away by Tube. London is expensive; the university estimates students spend around £475 a week on rent and living costs, and suggests budget supermarkets, a Student Oyster card and a railcard to save money.
Nearest airport: London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Notable alumni
- SA Sir Alexander FlemingNobel Prize-winning discoverer of penicillin; attended the Royal Polytechnic Institution as a young man before medical school (not a degree course)
- RW Roger WatersCo-founder of Pink Floyd; enrolled in architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic in 1962, where he met Nick Mason and Richard Wright, but lost interest in his studies and did not complete a degree
- CB Christopher BaileyFormer chief creative officer of Burberry; BA 1990
- SV Stuart VeversFashion designer, creative director of Coach; graduated 1996
- MK Michael KiwanukaMercury Prize-winning singer-songwriter; studied at the School of Media, Arts and Design
- CG Carrie GracieJournalist and former BBC China Editor; BA in Chinese
- AP Adar PoonawallaCEO of the Serum Institute of India; Westminster graduate
- SM Seamus McGarveyOscar-nominated cinematographer (Atonement, Anna Karenina); film school graduate 1988
Frequently asked questions
What grades do you need for the University of Westminster?
Many 2027-entry courses ask for CCC (96 UCAS points), including Computer Science, Law and Psychology. Film asks for BBB (120) and Architecture ABB (128), and creative courses also review a portfolio.
How much are Westminster's fees for international students?
International undergraduate fees are £19,000 a year for 2027/28 on the courses checked. A £5,500 deposit is due before your CAS is issued and is deducted from your fees.
Do international students apply to Westminster through UCAS?
Yes. Everyone applying for a full-time undergraduate degree applies through UCAS, including international students, using institution code W50.
Does Westminster guarantee accommodation?
No. Hall places go to full-time students who have firmly accepted an offer, in order of application and subject to availability, with priority for some groups.
Where are the University of Westminster's campuses?
Three are in central London (Regent Street, Cavendish in Fitzrovia and Marylebone) and one is in Harrow, north-west London, where media, arts, design, fashion and film courses are based.
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.
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to Westminster in the QS World University Rankings 2027.