Program Description

Study alongside British students at the University of Bristol in England! This exchange program allows students to directly enroll in university courses at a top notch British university. Bristol, located in the southwest region of England, is home to over 400,000 inhabitants. The city of Bristol is small enough to get to know well, but large and cosmopolitan enough to have an enormous variety of social and cultural events. Along with all the things you might expect – cinemas, theatres, concert halls, museums, galleries – Bristol also offers some unusual treats, including festivals of kites, hot-air balloons, short films and animation. It also has a famously dynamic music and club scene. Though it is a thousand years old, Bristol is dynamic yet laid back, culturally rich but unpretentious.
The University of Bristol has a student population of 15,000 students, with international students making up 16 percent of the student body. Bristol is firmly established as one of the premier universities in the United Kingdom, and has a world-wide reputation for its academic achievement and research. Founded in 1876 as University College, Bristol, it was the first higher education institution in England to admit women on an equal basis to men.

Academics

The university offers a broad range of courses. Bristol organizes its academic affairs in some 45 departments and 15 research centers which are arranged in six faculties. The six faculties include Arts, Science, Engineering, Medical and Veterinary Science, Medicine & Dentistry, and Social Science and Law. Exchange students are assigned to an academic advisor who is familiar with non-British systems. A program of units (courses) is arranged in consultation with your academic advisor.

Housing

The University of Bristol Accommodations Office offers housing for exchange students in university dormitories. With 3,500 residential places for undergraduate students, a wide variety of housing choices exist ranging from self-catered student houses in Clifton (near the University) to large catered halls of residence in Stoke Bishop (35 minutes walk across open parkland). Between these two lie a variety of housing options, each of which has its own merits. Students will be asked to choose between two main categories of accommodation - catered (meals included) or self-catered.
Students in residences have access to a variety of social and sporting facilities such as a TV room, bar, launderette, squash and tennis courts. The residences provide friendly, caring environments where you can learn from others with different outlooks and backgrounds, pursue sporting and cultural interests and develop social and managerial skills. Some of the residences have rooms with ensuite facilities.

Excursions and Activities

The Study Abroad Office at the University of Bristol provides exchange students with an orientation program at the start of the semester. Students are automatically members of the University Union, which provides facilities for over 150 clubs, societies and sporting teams as well as housing the International Centre and Study Abroad offices.
Day trips to nearby towns and cities are also easily achievable. Bath, Wells and Glastonbury, for example, are just a short train or bus journey away. London is just over two hours away on the coach and day return tickets are generally inexpensive. If you like to travel in a group, a number of the Students' Union societies organise day trips and sometimes weekends away in pursuit of their particular interest. These can provide an ideal opportunity to see a little of the countryside outside Bristol, in sociable surroundings.