Cheltenham
50 Reviews by Students #53 out of 172 University locations
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Cheltenham is a beautiful and historic city that has a lot to offer visitors and residents alike. I was struck by the picturesque architecture, the abundance of green spaces, and the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. One of the highlights of Cheltenham is its stunning regency architecture, which can be seen in many of the city's buildings and streets. The town center has a wide variety of independent shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as high street chains, providing plenty of options for shopping and dining…
By member684960 On 26th April 2023
Study in Cheltenham
The University of Gloucestershire is spread across three campuses in Cheltenham and one in nearby Gloucester.
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University of Gloucestershire
University of Gloucestershire has three campuses and have recently invested in state-of-the art facilities and new buildings. They have great industry links which helps with placing over 4,000 students each year in placements and internships. The university also prides itself on its sustainability and was voted the UK’s most sustainable university in 2019 by People and Planet University League.
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Cheltenham Student Life
Cheltenham is a spa town, also known as 'The Western Gateway to the Cotswolds'. The town itself has a lot to offer students outside of studying such as lots of nightlife spots, eating out, shopping, festivals. It is also in a great position to explore the nearby famous countryside.
Cost of Living
Accommodation
Student accommodation costs range from £108 - £202 per week; the average is £150 per week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Norwich: £150/week, Colchester: £144/week, Birmingham: £173/week.
(prices are for all purpose-built student accommodation (both private and university-owned) over the last 12 months, as listed on StudentCrowd)
The average price for:
A cheap meal at a restaurant: £12
A pint of beer: £4
A regular takeout coffee: £2.92
1L of milk: £1.05
A loaf of white bread: £1
(Source: Numbeo)
Nights Out
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Moo Moo Clubrooms is a popular nightclub for a really fun night out. There are three different club rooms all playing different music and it is also home to the official SU night out. It will be sure to become a regular haunt!
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Live Music Venues
There are some great venues for live music around Cheltenham. The Frog and Fiddle offers a special student menu whilst watching some of the finest local bands. The 2 Pigs and Cafe Rene are also popular bars to catch live music.
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Spoons
You can’t go wrong with a Wetherspoons, especially when it comes to going out for drinks but on a student budget. Thankfully, in Cheltenham you have two to choose from. There’s The Moon Under Water and The Bank House, both centrally located.
Public Transport
None of the campuses are more than 20-mins walk from the main shopping area and there are regular buses linking all of them to the town centre and each other. Stagecoach is the local service, and do discounts for university students. The local station is Cheltenham Spa, on the edge of town. Gloucester is 10-mins away, Bristol is 40-mins and London Paddington is 2-hrs.
Eating Out
A lot of restaurants…
A lot of restaurants and usually you can get good student deals.
Great restaurants…
Cheltenham is such a lovely town with great restaurants and things to do
Range of eating places…
Range of eating places, cheap and expensive.
Cheltenham is a…
Cheltenham is a reasonably priced place to live with lots of facilities for shopping eating and drinking.
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Shopping
There’s some decent shopping here. The Promenade is a bit posher, while the High Street and the Beechwood and Regent Arcade shopping centres have some more familiar brands. If you go in the Regent Arcade, check out the Wishing Fish clock. It’s 45ft high, moves and plays tunes as it ticks. There’s also the Brewery retail area which throws a gym, bingo hall, cinema and some restaurants all in together, and a regular farmer’s market for some tasty local produce.
Cultural Guide
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Festivals
Cheltenham has a festival for everything. Two of the most famous are the Cheltenham Races and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Then there are festivals for literature, science and music that all take place in and around the town. Oh, and there’s a Cricket Festival too. Any students who choose to stick around over the holidays may find there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
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Theatre
The Everyman Theatre, Playhouse Theatre, and Town Hall all run a range of plays, musicals, comedy, operas, talks and music events all through the year. Check the venue websites for the upcoming schedules.
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Galleries and Museums
The Wilson, formerly known as Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum is mainly focused on the town’s history over the centuries. The museum has an Edwardian nursery and a working Victorian kitchen that will make you appreciate your washing machine so much more (and it has free entry too!).
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Gloucester Cathedral
Harry Potter fans hold on to your broomsticks. Gloucester Cathedral was featured in Harry Potter films and you can go on an actual Harry Potter tour! If you’re not an HP fan then the cathedral is still an incredible place to explore as it’s one of Britain's finest medieval buildings.
Top 10 Cheltenham Accommodation
Read Cheltenham Reviews
The cost of livin...
The cost of living for international students is very high, the govt could give us some payment cuts to make things easier.okay. read more
Cheltenham is a n...
Cheltenham is a nice town and lots to do and enjoy good for students read more
Cheltenham is a b...
Cheltenham is a beautiful and historic city that has a lot to offer visitors and residents alike. I was struck by the picturesque architecture, the abundance of green spaces, and the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. One of the highlights of Cheltenham is its stunning regency architecture, which can be seen in many of the city's buildings and streets. The town center has a wide variety of independent shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as high street chains, providing plenty of options for shopping and dining. Cheltenham is also well known for its festivals and events, such as the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Jazz Festival, and Science Festival. These events attract visitors from around the world and create a vibrant and exciting atmosphere throughout the city. For nature lovers, Cheltenham has several beautiful parks and gardens, including the Pittville Park and the Imperial Gardens. read more
lovely place, mix...
lovely place, mixture of rural and urban but can be expensive read more
Cheltenham is a g...
Cheltenham is a great space with loads to do in the town and nearby spaces, there really is so much it's difficult to summarise but I would highly recommend to anyone just because of the sheer number of events throughout the year such as the yearly Jazz, Science, Music and Literature festivals which are always a great experience. read more
It’s an expensive...
It’s an expensive city but there’s quite a bit to do and the shopping is good read more
it is quite a big...
it is quite a big city so it seems to be a great choice to live in. I would compare the cost of living to the standard. read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living is difficult but there is a large range of shops so if you keep up to date with the comparisons of shops they is enough to go a cheaper and within price range shop in Cheltenham. There are also plenty of places, like restaurants and take-out places to eat out if you wanted to. I personally havent been on any nights out as is to much for me but there are plenty of bars and clubs that everyone can go to. Plenty of shops in Cheltenham. With a wide range you can get anything from sports clothing to antiques from the market that happens every other Saturday morning. The public transport isn't extremely reliable compared to other towns but it is fast and quick to get onto, as long as you have someone who know how to use the app to keep track of the bus you won't be to early or late for anything. read more
Things are expens...
Things are expensive everywhere. Some house are a bit more than others. I found a good place that covers rent etc for decent prices but most go over the average student loan. Food places have a good range from Lidl and Aldi which are cheap to Tesco, Sainsbury's and marks and Spencers. Poundland offers cheap alternatives along. High street holds many ships that offer discounts throughout the year. The brewery is the best place for restaurants with Mr Mulligan's golf and cinema included. Also has two gyms read more
Cheltenham has gr...
Cheltenham has great job opportunities for students. Safe nightlife. However cost of living is increasing so house rentals are expensive read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living is ridiculous particularly in today’s economy. £6 a pint, £15 a kebab just to mention. Surrounded by posh people who judge you all the time, no nights out at all that isn’t clubbing and raves. read more
A beautiful city...
A beautiful city with a bustling town. There's always something to do. read more
public transport...
public transport can be expensive in cheltenham without a student ID, however it is relatively cheap and you are able to eat out at nice places for not too muc read more
Cheltenham is gor...
Cheltenham is gorgeous. Few clubs and lots of bars and places to go. Really lovely area and lots of events happen regularly read more
Lovely city, perh...
Lovely city, perhaps one of my favourites read more
Not much to do bo...
Not much to do boring, university life sucks to be honest, shops close early read more
Nice place to liv...
Nice place to live, nice people. I like livin next to the park at pittville. read more
Cheltenham is ver...
Cheltenham is very expensive and offers very little for students on a budget. It has shops and things to do none of them are near pittville campus though. Public transport is shocking, it’s 50/50 whether the bus will show up or not. You wont really have much money to go out that much after paying for the extreme rent. read more
Cheltenham is a e...
Cheltenham is a expensive area, so dont expect to be going to nice pubs every week, expect to be in spoons or mcdonalds alot. For food shopping its great as you basically have every supermarket available across the town. Public transport is great with subsidies bus tickets, and frequent buses mean there is no worry about getting from point a to b. Moo Moos, the only club worth going to is great, but more good options would be nice. read more
Buses are £1.60 t...
Buses are £1.60 to anywhere in gloucestershire which is great. Everything you need shopping wise, good selection of supermarkets for food too. A lot of restaurants and usually you can get good student deals. Housing after first year shouldn’t cost you more than £100 a week inc. bills. read more
No jobs, everythi...
No jobs, everything In chelts ham is so expensive read more
I really like Che...
I really like Cheltenham and the things it has to offer read more
Cheltenham is a b...
Cheltenham is a brilliant university town and has lots to offer. The high street was large with plenty of shops, coffee houses, restaurants, clothes stores and supermarkets. Cheltenham also has a racecourse which was good for student employment. The town is surrounded by countryside which is perfect for those who want to escape urban life. read more
Cheltenham is a l...
Cheltenham is a lovely area with plenty of shops, clubs and dining establishments. read more
Cheltenham is suc...
Cheltenham is such a lovely town with great restaurants and things to do read more
Good location and...
Good location and transport links, but expensive for buses. read more
Nice town full of...
Nice town full of rude ppl and very expensive read more
Amazing town, sma...
Amazing town, smaller than other unis. But I never want to leave kno I’ve lived here. Bristol, Brum and Cdiff just a quick train away read more
Cost of living is...
Cost of living is a little pricy and so is eating out but a treat every now and again isnt too bad! Shops are lovely alot of variety. I wish the bus if cheaper for students or even free I know for a fact other unis get free bus passes for atleast their first year so that would honestly make a big difference. But there is enough transport just too pricey x read more
Cheltenham - Good...
Cheltenham - Good nightlife for a town, easy trains to Bristol and brum. Overall a beautiful town read more
Living close to t...
Living close to town is great as there is SO much to do. It's big too! read more
There’s a lot to...
There’s a lot to do in Cheltenham and it’s quite a nice town. There’s lots of shops, restaurants and things to do. There’s a handful of clubs and lots of pubs/bars and the train station is really easy to get to read more
Expensive rent bu...
Expensive rent but range of eating places, cheap and expensive. Nights out are fairly cheap especially when you read the deals beforehand. Student buses cover the whole of Cheltenham and are only £1.60 read more
Living in Chelten...
Living in Cheltenham is very good, the shops are very close by to campus and the whole town is dedicated to helping students get the best for their money with multiple offers and discounts to help students budget. The stagecoach buses are extremely helpful with their bus pass discount and university bus route makes it much easier for people to get around! read more
Student hub. Amaz...
Student hub. Amazing places to eat, both chains and small independents. Night life is amazing read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living is reasonable for those with a full loan and grant/ a part time job. However, despite the cheapness of day trips and the like, the night life is lacking. There are no alternative bars and no spaces for LGBTQ people. Overall, Gloucestershire doesnt feel friendly to LGBTQ people. But that's by-the-by. Public transport is infrequent, but reliable. read more
Transport is a bi...
Transport is a bit slow and you can only get around by bus or car, but since the town itself is not so big it is quite easy to walk everywhere. read more
smaller than you...
smaller than you think, only a couple of clubs and nice places to eat. its nice and clean, but the smell of sewage in hot weather is unavoidable :( read more
Cheltenham is a g...
Cheltenham is a great town with lots to do and plenty of places to eat and drink read more
I can't complain...
I can't complain about anything at all read more
For me Cheltenham...
For me Cheltenham is perfect, I don't like to live in a city but there is definitely enough in the town to keep you busy and excited! read more
Everything's grea...
Everything's great, but I can't say anything about the nights out since I'm far from a social butterfly read more
Cheltenham is lik...
Cheltenham is like home now, it’s a beautiful town with a great social life read more
Cheltenham is a b...
Cheltenham is a brilliant town to live in read more
Cheltenham is a b...
Cheltenham is a brilliant town to live in read more
Cheltenham is a r...
Cheltenham is a reasonably priced place to live with lots of facilities for shopping eating and drinking. The night life does not offer a wide range of clubs but there’s always something to offer every night of the week in Cheltenham. The nightlife is what you make of it. read more
Cheltenham as a t...
Cheltenham as a town is great. It’s massive and there are so many things to do and places to eat, club and socialise read more