Derby
68 Reviews by Students #41 out of 81 University locations

Study in Derby
The University of Derby is situated in the East Midlands city of Derby. The main campus is near the suburbs of the town, right next to the huge and popular Markeaton Park.
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University of Derby
The University of Derby strives to provide students with industry-relevant and expert teaching. The university’s teaching has been recognised with a gold award from the Teaching Excellence Framework. They have invested millions into industry-standard facilities that include a sports centre, forensic house, custody suite, courtroom and two NHS-standard hospital wards.
Study in Derby? Review your location
Derby Student Life
Derby is a city but not a massive one so it’s easy to keep yourself fed and entertained without ever feeling overwhelmed by the place. It offers the perfect mix so you can enjoy everything a city has to offer whilst being able to escape to the countryside at the drop of a hat.
Cost of Living
Accommodation
Student accommodation costs in Derby range from £76 - £180 per week; the average is £136/week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Birmingham: £173/week, Nottingham: £166/week, Lincoln: £146/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: £13.50
A pint of beer: £3.50
A regular takeout coffee: £2.49
1L of milk: £0.85
A loaf of white bread: £1.06
The cost of living is about the same as equivalent costs in Nottingham and Lincoln and about 5% higher than Birmingham.
(Source: Numbeo)
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Nights Out
As with all student towns, the nightlife is generally good, with favourite venues being Mosh, a three-floor nightclub, Popworld and Moo Moo. For a more sophisticated night out, there’s the Derby Theatre and the smaller Guildhall Theatre for music, shows, talks and comedy. There’s also a handful of independent venues and two major cinemas a short taxi ride from the campus. The Derby QUAD is a community arts centre with a cinema attached. They show movies, art exhibitions and put on a bunch of events and extra workshops over a range of topics and they offer student discounts. Keep an eye on their calendar.
Public Transport
As well as being an easy city to get around by foot, as a student, you will benefit from a free Unibus that shuttles between the campuses as well as the town centre and train station. Derby is also well connected to the rest of the country with a great rail and road network.
Eating Out
You know it's good news when there is a popular street food market in town. Bustler is your go-to place to try out the best local street food vendors, which can be enjoyed with one of their many tasty craft beers or cocktails whilst listening to vinyl DJ’s.
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Not only do the neon lights in BUNK make for great insta pics, but they also serve up delicious food (think wings and hot dogs) all in a seriously fun atmosphere. If you fancy treating yourself, make sure to try one of their signature cocktails.
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Carnero Lounge is a real ‘go-to’ spot for many students, whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or drinks. It’s a quirky restaurant with comfy seating making it very easy to spend hours there with friends. Their menu caters for everyone; they even have a handy online menu where you can filter your options by allergen(s).
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Shopping
The Cathedral Quarter is where you’ll find all the little boutique shops and quirky cafes. St Peters is the classic high street area, a favourite spot for buskers and performers, as well as the Eagle Market. Finally, there’s Intu, a huge indoor shopping complex. There are over two hundred shops in there so there’s a fairly good chance they have what you’re looking for! If you’re all shopped out, Intu also has a cinema, bowling alley, mini-golf and, at Christmas, its famous ice bar, Glacier.
Days Out
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Outdoor adventurers will be pleased to know that you’re only half an hour from the edge of the Peaks, with their huge range of activities. You can keep it as low tech as a gentle walk, or gear up for some climbing or canoeing, whatever takes your fancy.
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Stately homes
Nearby manors like Chatsworth House and Hardwick Hall have been used in a number of movies, giving you the chance to go and immerse yourself in your favourite films all over again.
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You’re only 40 minutes away from Britain’s most popular theme park!
Top 10 Derby Accommodation

The Croft
The best accommodation in derby. The location is perfect and would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking of booking for next year. The staff are ...

Nunnery Court
The RA's are great, really helpful and can have a laugh with them, same with Sara. The courtyard is great for socialising...

Cathedral Court
N/A.......................

Roman House
THE BEST accommodation in Derby! The staff are very friendly and cater to any requests you may have. The communal areas such as the courtyard, study r...

St Christopher's Court
Really close to Markeaton Campus and buses running every 10 minutes to Kedleston. Libraries close by, can stay in accommodation in 2nd and 3rd year...

Peak Court
So much fun in halls. Meet some great people with regular hall activities being put on. Weekly cleaning and daily security feel safe while able to hav...

Princess Alice Court
If you have any problems someone comes up and sorts it out however only have common room as social space and that can be booked out. It takes about 30...

Abbey Lodge Student Village
I love living in this accommodation. Indeed, the wifi connection is not that strong, but that's no problem. The location and outdoor space are perfect...
Read Derby Reviews
I live really clo...
I live really close to town so everything is very near read more
It’s a small but...
It’s a small but nice city with lots to do read more
Very slow and a b...
Very slow and a bit quiet, but has a few things to do. read more
Derby is very qui...
Derby is very quiet and clean. Many shops around so you can find everything you need read more
It’s an alright c...
It’s an alright city just some dodgy places and some spiking happening. read more
nice city, shame...
nice city, shame about the crackheads read more
very central has...
very central has everything you need read more
Awful public tran...
Awful public transport in derby. Buses don’t ever run to schedule and are always dirty. In terms of nights out, food and shopping derby is severely lacking. We’ve only got 4 main clubs to choose from and two of those I wouldn’t even step foot in. read more
Intu is great for...
Intu is great for shopping with nearly every type of shop you could need. The uni provides free bus transport which is nice. Wide variety of restaurants which is nice. Nightlife is mixed. read more
Great place to li...
Great place to live nice and friendly place read more
Lack of student a...
Lack of student activities or places besides nightclubs and lack of halal restaurants read more
Great free univer...
Great free university bus that takes you all around the different campuses read more
Derby is a great...
Derby is a great city, by staying in the Croft you are not only close to the bus stop but also the city centre with it being just a 7 minute walk away. read more
good overall livi...
good overall living for students very good value for money read more
Great shopping ce...
Great shopping centre and restaurants read more
Very expensive as...
Very expensive as a bus daysaver in derby is 4.50 and in the west mids its 1.50 read more
Majority of subje...
Majority of subjects I don’t use so have average stars read more
The town is real...
The town is real fun and has lots of places to visit read more
Derby is a good p...
Derby is a good place to come and pursue your education and sport read more
Has something for...
Has something for everyone from clubs, bars, pubs, shops, restaurants, cafes to modes of transport. It really is a great city and it’s not too big so everything you need is all in one place in the city centre. read more
Nights out are ok...
Nights out are okay, got two spoons which is always handy. Apart from these and the main student club of pop world, there isn’t really much more open. I saw alot of closed clubs in the city ( I assume due to COVID), so maybe Derby’s nightlife will be better when more things open again, but generally for me the city didn’t really offer many good nights out, you’re better off travelling to Nottingham for a good night out. read more
Derby is a homely...
Derby is a homely place with lots of opportunities for fun, nights out aren’t the best but there are plenty of pubs to go to x read more
There are a varie...
There are a variety of places to explore in Derby and there is something for everyone. Whether you are looking for a park for a picnic, to browse the shopping centre or for a night out with your friends, Derby aims to please. read more
Most accommodatio...
Most accommodations here are fairly decently priced and loads of public transport within walking distance read more
There are many pl...
There are many places to go for drinks and many places to go for food. There are some really nice restaurants and really nice places to go for drinks. read more
Great and comfy p...
Great and comfy place to live. The nightlife is okay. read more
Good town and eve...
Good town and everything is local which is good read more
All accessible cl...
All accessible close to accommodation and uni read more
close to Nottingh...
close to Nottingham and easy to access to town centre and you can get everything in the town centre read more
The living cost i...
The living cost is very affordable and most of it is included in the rent. Shopping for groceries is not that far either. read more
Nice university b...
Nice university but dead city not gonna lie read more
Very good place t...
Very good place to stay and offered a various amount of things to do and very nice and practical. read more
Really really rea...
Really really really really really really really good read more
Lovely, friendly...
Lovely, friendly, accessible. read more
Great city with e...
Great city with everything you could ask for. It’s not too big and not too small, just right. read more
Love everything a...
Love everything about it, relatively cheap drinks and food and as mentioned before due to Derby being relatively small everything is a walking distance away :) read more
Decent place to h...
Decent place to have lived for two years read more
Derby is a small...
Derby is a small town but I like that however the clubs are rubbish read more
Reasonable for a...
Reasonable for a small city, everything is nearby which makes travelling easier read more
Very compact city...
Very compact city and it is easy to live here as a student. read more
Decent city . Nig...
Decent city . Night life is boring and no decent food places or restaurants read more
All round okay pl...
All round okay place to live, can be expensive to shop read more
Derby is such a l...
Derby is such a lovely place. It can be quite calm for a city, but there's always something exciting happening. I love the amount of green spaces there are, it's great for walks and relaxing with friends. read more
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Ndbsnahsbbebehdhdhdhdhdbdnbehdhdhdhhdhdhjd rhrnbdbd read more
Small city. Howev...
Small city. However, great for student living due to small prices, close distances to the campus, shops, train stations. read more
Free unibus trans...
Free unibus transport for students around the city. Plenty of shopping options. read more
Different pubs/ba...
Different pubs/bars/restaurants all close together so it is nice during a night out! Very easy to travel too as there are plenty of public transport options read more
Cost of transport...
Cost of transportation is relatively low. Living costs are well suited to every budget. Major shop chains are available. read more
The unibus is gre...
The unibus is great. It’s not the biggest city but I quite like it as I’m not a big city person anyway, nights out are ok but there aren’t many places to go. read more
Easy: derby has e...
Easy: derby has everything you need and would walk without it being hectic and confusing to get about read more
Derby is a good c...
Derby is a good city with good night life read more
Intu is about all...
Intu is about all there is. But it is insane.. very clean and loads of shops. Good food places too. Nights out are plentiful and many and easy to find a club that suits you. However the town is crawling with homeless people and drugged up zombies, police presence is constant read more
It's an ok city,...
It's an ok city, council need to do more about crime & the state of the city with homelessness & people on drugs walking around like zombies. read more
It's a lot like m...
It's a lot like my home town. Just cleaner and flatter read more
Buses aren't over...
Buses aren't over priced and actually turn up on time read more
Derby has the usu...
Derby has the usual places to shop and eat. Not so great on a night out if it isn't freshers or a bank holiday. Other then the bus station, public transport is confusing. Still don't really know any bus routes other then the university bus read more