Birkbeck, University of London

STUDENT LIFE AT BIRKBECK

Birkbeck offers a unique combination of evening study and a matchless central London location, right in the geographic and academic centre of the city, giving you exceptional opportunities.

At Birkbeck, you can build your own university experience, with as little or as much support as you need. Birkbeck offers a famously friendly, welcoming environment and we will be with you every step of the way, offering academic support and pastoral guidance, whenever you need it.

And studying in the evening doesn’t mean you can't get the full student experience of life at a vibrant city-centre university: our main campus is on the University of London's central London campus, next to other universities, surrounded by world-famous museums and galleries, in the heart of London, and we're just a few minutes’ stroll from London’s famous West End.

CENTRAL LONDON CAMPUS

• Our campus in Bloomsbury, central London, is a lively student-centred area that’s home to a number of other universities and colleges of the University of London, including University College London (UCL) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
• Our courses are taught on our main Bloomsbury campus.
• Our campus offers all the facilities you need and is well-served by public transport, making it easy to get to and from college.

SOCIAL LIFE

• Right next door to Birkbeck’s campus in Bloomsbury, central London, is Student Central. You will have automatic access to its excellent and affordable sports facilities, societies, music venues, bars and cafes.
• We have got our own Students' Union too, which represents students’ interests and runs clubs, societies and social activities.
• Birkbeck has a range of cafes, coffee shops and a bar, and is home to the weekly Bloomsbury Farmers’ Market.
• We also have our own award-winning cinema at 43 Gordon Square in Bloomsbury, which hosts regular free film screenings.
• The Peltz Gallery in our School of Arts in Bloomsbury hosts curated displays, exhibitions and events.

EVENTS

• There's always something going on at Birkbeck, from public lectures to conferences to seminars. Visit our events feed.
• We also have annual events and event series, such as Arts Week, Science Week and the One World Festival.

CONNECT ONLINE

• Birkbeck has a presence across all major social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We use these channels to keep you up to date with what is happening at Birkbeck, including our #BBKresearch, news and events. Follow us and share your #BBKlife with us.

TEACHING SPACES AND LIBRARIES

• Birkbeck contains all the teaching spaces, laboratories and facilities you need to get the most from your time with us.
• While most of our teaching takes place on Birkbeck premises, we take full advantage of the University of London’s city centre network of rooms.
• Our richly resourced library is spread across five floors of the main Birkbeck building in Bloomsbury, central London. We are situated in one of the world’s greatest concentrations of libraries - including the British Library and Senate House Library - many of which Birkbeck students can access.

STUDENT SERVICES

• Our student services teams are here to support you before, during and after your studies at Birkbeck.

STUDENT ADVICE CENTRE

• Based in the main Birkbeck building in Bloomsbury, central London, our Student Advice Centre can help you with every aspect of applying to and studying at Birkbeck.

IT SERVICES

• We offer all the IT facilities you need, including workstations, a help desk, hands-on training, an online learning environment (Moodle) and assistive technologies for disabled students.

NURSERY

• We know that balancing study with caring for children is challenging, so we run a professional evening nursery for children aged two to six.

EMOTIONAL, MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY SUPPORT

• We provide specialist support via the following services:
  • Our Counselling Service is based in Bloomsbury, central London, and offers free, short-term professional counselling for students experiencing emotional difficulties.
  • Our Mental Health Service is based in Bloomsbury, central London, and offers support and specialist advice to students with a mental health condition.
  • Our Disability and Dyslexia Service works to ensure that our disabled and dyslexic students can participate fully.

LEARNING SUPPORT

• Moodle, our online learning environment, allows you to view course materials and learning resources or chat with your lecturer and other students about classes and topics. If you miss a class, you can access material and join the discussion online. You may also be able to watch videos of your lectures.
• Our Learning Development Service supports undergraduate and postgraduate students in every area needed to become a successful student, including free workshops, accessible learning materials, and one-to-one meetings.
• We offer English language and academic writing courses for undergraduate students, including pre-sessional English short courses.

HOST UK

• Birkbeck has partnered with Host UK, which arranges stays for international students in volunteers’ homes all over Britain. This is a great opportunity for current students to discover more about British life and culture, outside of London.
• Visits are possible for one day, two or three days at a weekend, or during the holidays including Christmas. Apply at Host UK.

ACCOMMODATION AND LIVING COSTS

• While the majority of our students decide to live in private accommodation, we also offer student accommodation. Birkbeck students can access places in University of London intercollegiate halls and apply for places in the halls run by specialist provider UNITE. Free professional advice is available from the University of London Housing Services.
• Find out more about the accommodation options at Birkbeck and how much it costs to live and study in London.

TERM DATES

• The academic year at Birkbeck runs from October to July and consists of three terms:
  • Autumn term - October to December
  • Spring term - January to April
  • Summer term - April to July.
• Some courses are taught over two terms - usually the Autumn and Spring terms, with examinations in the Summer term - while others are taught over all three terms - Autumn, Spring and Summer.
• Find out more about term dates.