History
Innovative from the start, the University's forebear, The Mechanics Institute, was founded in 1832 in response to the need in the city for workers with cutting-edge skills relevant to the workplace. In 1957 Bradford Institute of Technology was established to take over the higher education role of Bradford Technical College.
Education
Faculties
- Engineering & Digital Technologies
- Health Studies
- Life Sciences
- Management, Law & Social Sciences
Research
With a rich history of making knowledge work, our mission is simple: to drive sustainable social and economic development through outstanding teaching, research and innovation.
As a friendly, inclusive institution, we enable our staff, students and partners – individuals and organisations – to make a difference through collaboration. The pioneering city of Bradford inspires us to change the world for the better. And our peers, partners and regulators recognise the quality of what we do.
Career
Our Career and Employability Services provide information and resources for current students, graduates, staff and businesses. We are delighted to welcome students and graduates to our modern Careers space for face-to-face appointments.
University Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2025
501
2024
501
2023
501
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2025
531 110
2024
641 60
2023
701
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2024
901
2023
-
2022
-
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2025
-
2024
1228 38
2023
1266
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Student services
Our comprehensive support services will help you to achieve your full potential – both academically and personally.
We're here to ensure you make the most of your time with us, and tackle any problems you may encounter.
Housing services
The University of Bradford does not own or operate its own student accommodation. However, accommodation can be found with the University's preferred student accommodation provider at The Green.
The Green is conveniently close to our campus, and if you would like to live there, we recommend you visit the Homes for Students website for more information and details about applying for a room.
Library services
Situated in the JB Priestley Building, the University of Bradford Library is available to students and staff.
- Read about Referencing and plagiarism
- Access our Databases and subject specific resources
- The Library welcomes feedback on our services and resources.
ICT services
Software for home useThe University has licence agreements which allow its members to download some software for home use.
- Office 365 ProPlus
- Bradford OnTheHub
- AntiVirus
- SPSS
- NVivo
- Minitab
Medical services
The University of Bradford Nursery was established in April 1992 to offer affordable childcare to University of Bradford students and staff members. We continue to offer both affordable and quality early educational experiences to children from 12 weeks to 5 years.
Campus life
You’ll find everything you need on campus – whether you’re studying, relaxing or playing.
It has the kind of community atmosphere you won't find elsewhere. It's a friendly, welcoming place where great things happen.
Campus is compact, self contained, and located just minutes from the city centre.
Sports facilities
We have fantastic sports facilities on campus including Unique Fitness, which offers a swimming pool, a fully equipped gym, a spin room, and a climbing wall. As well as a range of fitness classes, pitches and courts and a multi-use sports hall.
The Sports Park, five minutes walk from campus, has 3G pitches, tennis courts, a physio room and a new conditioning suite geared towards team sport training. Our Students' Union has over 30 sports clubs to choose from.
Student clubs
- A Chess Society
- Activities Committee
- Afghan Society
- African Caribbean Society
- Ale, Beer and Cider Society
- Anime Club
- Applied Artificial Intelligence Society
- Biomedical Science Society
Accreditation
Many of our courses have professional, statutory or regulatory body accreditation or approval. This means your degree has a mark of quality, and you can become a member of the accrediting body when you graduate.
