Your Birmingham experience

We are committed to making sure that you get the full university experience when you return to campus. Join us for Welcome back activities, sign up for the University gym and explore the city of Birmingham.

On this page:

Welcome back activities 

We have a great range of events and activities for returning students. Why not head down to campus and check out the Welcome Fair, sign up to some societies at the Guild of Students' Societies Fair or get stuck in to arts and crafts and relax with yoga in the Wellbeing Marquee. 

Activities for returning students

Guild of Students 

The Guild of Students is home to over 300 student clubs and societies, so whether you are interested in baking, skydiving, singing, sports, politics or food - you are sure to find the perfect group for you. You can join a student group at any point in the year and each group will host its own calendar of events and activities.  Discover what events you can get involved with at the Guild of Students.  

Your Guild of Students 

UB Sport and Fitness

UB Sport and Fitness features state-of-the-art facilities including a swimming pool, badminton and squash courts, climbing wall, outdoor hockey and footbal pitches and a large indoor gym. The University also runs Tiverton Gym in Selly Oak, which has the a wide range of gym equipment. You can also join a range of student sports clubs such as Basketball, Rugby, Rowing, Cheerleading, American Footbal, Cricket and much more. Our student sports clubs are availble to all students, no matter what your experience level is. Both gyms also offer flexible membership options, so there will be a membership to suit your needs. 

Find out more and join

University Music

If you have a keen interest and passion for music. University Music engages over 600 students and 150 local residents and University staff members in an average year. With 1,800 positions in 36 classical, early music, jazz, and experimental music ensembles and groups, University Music presents a series of public concerts, workshops with the region’s leading musicians, professional ensembles, and orchestras, and an extensive health and wellbeing programme. 2021/22 sees the introduction of folk music to University Music and the opening of a small ensemble recording studio.

University Music

Food and drink on campus

The University houses many food outlets on campus, including Costa, Starbucks, Subway, and cafes. 

See the full list of catering outlets and opening times

What's on in Birmingham

 

There's so much to explore in Birmingham from food & drink, sports, cinema, music, social activities and shopping, there's something for everyone to enjoy.  From the Ikon Gallery, Digbeth, Mailbox and Cadbury World, there are so many iconic spots to hang out with friends. See what Birmingham has to offer. 

Birmingham also has a thriving independent scene and nowhere is this more apparent than the city centre. Independent Birmingham is a celebration of independent culture in the city and is a great place to start exploring everything that you can do here. As well as independents, you can also find all major high street retailers in and around the city centre, whatever you fancy doing there'll be something for you. 

For returning students who missed out on campus last year, you can also enjoy a campus tour when you arrive, campus tours will take place from Thursday 9 - Friday 24 September, meet at Old Joe, bookings will be available soon.  You can also check out fellow students showing their top places to go on campus.

Explore Birmingham

Travelling around Birmingham

Our campus is conveniently located and well connected, making it easier to travel around Birmingham and beyond. Birmingham transport also offers a range of options for travelling around the local area, into the city centre and further afield, whether you are a commuting student or looking to explore the area. Being a student also means you are entitled to exclusive student discounts making it more affordable to travel around the city. 

Travel around Birmingham

Living Hub

After the first year of university most students are likely move into privately-rented accommodation in or around areas like Selly Oak as opposed to living in University-owned accommodation. The Living Hub are here to offer help and information to students living in private accommodation including supporting you to find a house, with any rent issues you may have, moving out of your home and living in the community. The Living Hub are based on campus at the Bournbrook Pavillion. 

See what the Living Hub can help you with

Keep in touch and stay updated at Birmingham

Stay updated at Birmingham through a range of student communications channels including the student intranet, Brum Bulletin newsletter, MyUoB app and social media. 

Stay updated at Birmingham

Colleges

Professional Services