Keele
80 Reviews by Students #58 out of 80 University locations
There is a good public transport system, however the busses are a bit slow. The local high street doesn’t have many shops. However, grocery shopping is cheap as Lidl and Aldi are one bus ride away from campus.
By member1054441 On 22nd February 21
Study in Keele
In between the village Keele and market town Newcastle-under-Lyme (referred to as Newcastle by locals) is Keele University, which has the largest campus in the UK.
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Keele University
Keele University is a public research university with a proud reputation for global research that creates a better world. It has a beautiful and very large campus with lots of facilities and its own woodland! Their reputation for teaching has been recognised with a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework and more than 10,000 students are enrolled at Keele University.
Study in Keele? Review your location
Keele Student Life
Situated in the heart of the UK and with good transport links to local towns and cities, students at Keele University can enjoy the benefits of visiting larger cities but study at a university set in over 600 acres of parkland.
Cost of Living
Student accommodation costs range from £90 - £180 per week; the average is £139 per week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Nottingham: £166/week, Chester: £132/week, Derby: £136/week.
(prices are for all purpose-built student accommodation (both private and university-owned) over the last 12 months, as listed on StudentCrowd)
Nights Out
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A Big Night Out?
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Fun at Lymelight Boulevard
If you are after a movie night, Lymelight Boulevard in Newcastle Under Lyme is the place to go. They have a Vue cinema that offers student discounts as well as an Escape Room and Laserquest for a fun-filled evening with mates.
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Drinks
Fancy a drink or two with friends in nearby Newcastle Under Lyme? You’ve got plenty of spots to choose from. A few of note are Bar Social for cocktails, Bridge Street Ale House the first micropub in the area and The Lymestone Vaults for a traditional cosy pub.
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Public Transport
You’ll get used to getting around by bus very quickly whilst at Keele as its the best way to get around. As a Keele student, you are able to get a ‘Keele Key’ which is an exclusive bus ticket for cheaper and easier travel. Buses run regularly from campus to Newcastle-under-Lyme, Hanley, Stoke and Crewe. Keele is connected well via road and rail; the closest stations are Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe, which are easy to get to by bus, taxi or bike.
Eating Out
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Takeaways
Almost all the takeaways in Newcastle are used to receiving student orders and will deliver to campus. Students recommend Chilli Jacks, where you can find pizza, Piri Piri chicken, Southern fried chicken and more!
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Everyone needs a trusty local coffee shop and Bygones is just the place. In Newcastle-under-Lyme, it’s time capsule with memorabilia from 30s all the way to the 70s. Head there with your course mates of a lovely afternoon for their themed afternoon teas!
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As a campus university, you’ll have the convenience of having an array of restaurants and cafes to choose from. You can expect anything from burgers and salads to street food and sandwiches.
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Shopping
For all your high street shopping needs including supermarkets such as Aldi and Sainsbury’s, Newcastle-under-Lyme will have you covered. For a bigger selection of shops and to make more of a day of it, Stoke-on-Trent is the nearest city or head further afield to Birmingham or Manchester which are both great shopping destinations.
Days Out
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You’ll be just 40 minutes away from the UK’s biggest theme park! As a student, you can get discounted day tickets from Student Beans. With some of the biggest and fastest rollercoasters in the country, we can’t think of a better way to blow off some steam!
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Just 50 minutes away is the Peak District National Park. Grab your hiking boots and explore some of the best walking trails in the country. You can also try abseiling, climbing, mountain biking or canoeing.
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If you after some bright city lights, Manchester is just a 45-minute train journey from Keele. The city offers superb cultural attractions, great shopping, a huge selection of restaurants and nightlife spots too.
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Whether you are a seasoned pro or a complete beginner, Tamworth SnowDome needs to be on the top of your to-do list! It’s a fantastic indoor ski centre where you can snowboard, ski or even grab some skates and get on the ice rink.
Top 10 Keele Accommodation
Read Keele Reviews
I am from Birming...
I am from Birmingham and living in Newcastle-under-lyme, this is generally much cheaper, especially with things such as petrol prices. There are a number of places to eat out in newcastle and stoke, but not Keele. Nights out aren't great as there is only the SU in keele, a few bars in Newcastle and a few more in stoke/a few clubs. Stoke is a bit further away though so have to pay transport if drinking/parking fees. Compared to Birmingham this isn't much but I understand Keele is a lot smaller and i appreciate the new opening of slug and lettuce, patty's and playhouse in newcastle- it is improving! This is the same for shopping, though there are a number of shops in newcastle for groceries and every day items on your doorstep, but as for nicer shops for things such as clothing, there aren't many even in Stoke. Public transport is cheap, but the buses to keele get full very quickly and often drive past people at bus stops, especially the number 25. I think there should be more buses. read more
Public transport...
Public transport is frequent and there is a variety of shops nearby read more
Although the buss...
Although the busses can sometimes be a bit unpredictable, the town is overall very nice, however, small. read more
Many grocery shop...
Many grocery shops to choose from and very affordable for students. A few places for the nightlife and great transport no matter the time. read more
Campus is miles a...
Campus is miles away from anything of value. There's an Aldi, Morrisons and Lidl on a 15 minute bus ride (50 min walk), plus some charity shops, a cinema and a bowling alley. Otherwise? It's an hour bus journey into Hanley for you (the station, any decent non-food shops, anywhere to spend your time that isn't the SU, which is dead and hell 80% of the time... Good luck having a life. read more
Not much to do in...
Not much to do in Keele itself. Newcastle and Stoke are the local places to go to if you want to do things. read more
Nice area and goo...
Nice area and good for students read more
Not a lot to do d...
Not a lot to do during a night out read more
It’s very differe...
It’s very different from a city. Wish buses from uni to town came more often. Has decent stores to buy groceries. Not much to do for students. read more
I have not spent...
I have not spent alot of time there read more
Keele is at a gre...
Keele is at a great location with a dedicated bus route that takes students to the main areas or the surrounding city. An additional benefit is the lower costs of living compared to bigger cities. read more
Its easy to get a...
Its easy to get a bus from Keele to the nearest town but we can‘t go tk the town everyday becauseit cost! And obviously there nothing much around here since its kinda outskirt place… Also, to eat out is abit pricey for me because of the currency. read more
Its a small town,...
Its a small town, nothing special, weird dodgy people around. But overall has everything you need read more
Only annoying thi...
Only annoying thing about living in this town is that buses stop after 6-8pm which sucks if you don’t have a car. read more
Not exactly Keele...
Not exactly Keele as it's a village but rather Newcastle/Stoke as they're the closest. There's buses all the time, to and from the campus every 10 ish minutes that goes all the way to Hanley. Night's out are pretty meh but it'll do. There's plenty of major shops to go to and restaurants read more
Nothing else to s...
Nothing else to say about the town. read more
Newcastle under L...
Newcastle under Lyme is a small be nice town, with plenty of pubs and cafes. Nothing to shout about but enough to do read more
I don't eat out b...
I don't eat out but there is a good variety of places to go. I don't go on nights out either so I can't really comment on that. I suppose it's a pretty average town. There are plenty of shops that I think are good for a student budget such as the ALDI and Poundland. Lymelight Boulevard seems good too from what I can tell. read more
The shops are all...
The shops are all accessible on the bus routes and everything you need is close read more
Range of supermar...
Range of supermarkets to shop from and plenty of bars/ restaurants/ cafes to visit. read more
Not much to do in...
Not much to do in the local town (Newcastle Under Lyme) but the campus itself is lovely. read more
Most shops and im...
Most shops and important establishments such as banks are located at Newcastle town centre. Although, there are local pharmacies and food shops at Keele campus. read more
Keele is a nice l...
Keele is a nice little area haha read more
Cheap and cheerfu...
Cheap and cheerful I suppose!!! read more
Very pleasant pla...
Very pleasant place to live with lots of nice and friendly people. Plenty of places to go on nights out that are also very safe. read more
Although the town...
Although the town is not dazzle, local students can still find lots of bars to hang out. Only 3 stars on "Nights Out" because of those night places are not for international students, people are trying to be nice but the town is not ready for big diverse. Stay chill and focus on your study at night if you are not local kids. read more
Pretty decent tow...
Pretty decent town to live in. It can sometimes get confusing when taking the buses, but overall it's a nice town with lots of kind people read more
I've not really v...
I've not really ventured out much but it all seems great tbh read more
keele is a great...
keele is a great university but newcastle is not where you want to spend your late teens and early twenties read more
A wide range of e...
A wide range of eateries, some good entertainment in the area and great public transport! read more
Not as hectic as...
Not as hectic as bigger cities but has everything you would need read more
Public transport...
Public transport could be better. Abundant amounts of shops to get supplies from. read more
Very good city an...
Very good city and very good restaurants read more
Excellent locatio...
Excellent location and modern building with helpful employees and fantastic shared facilities. read more
One London Road i...
One London Road is a new build that is pretty modern, with lovely little studios with kitchen and ensuites, as well as quite nice communal facilities. read more
quaint and lovely...
quaint and lovely area with lots of greenery read more
Nice place to liv...
Nice place to live but not many halal places in Newcastle under Lyme read more
Amazing city with...
Amazing city with all things accessible to you at a short distance. The grocery stores, clubs, restaurants etc are only about 10 minutes away from the accommodation. read more
quite accessible,...
quite accessible, lots of supermarkets and stuff read more
Keele is a great...
Keele is a great place to stay, it has everything you need within a small area and it’s all easily walk/bike distance as it has a carbon neutral goal read more
Really pretty and...
Really pretty and I’m glad I chose keele read more
Quiet town, not m...
Quiet town, not many shopping areas or activities but a few shops around. Low cost of living. read more
Keele is great in...
Keele is great in terms of cost of living and has some nice places for socialising. Public transport is great and there is a regular bus service going from campus. read more
The busses are do...
The busses are don't run very late but often are on time read more
run down place, n...
run down place, not much going on read more
Good town but tra...
Good town but transport is terrible and not to many shops read more
It’s pretty good...
It’s pretty good living here. Not much to complain about read more
Generally a reall...
Generally a really nice place to stay read more
Keele is a good t...
Keele is a good town to live in read more
Transport is easy...
Transport is easy to catch and the area is relatively safe. read more
It is quite acces...
It is quite accessible and their are shops every where read more
Train station and...
Train station and buses going round are great. Shopping centre in Stoke is decent and has good food places but only a couple good shops read more
Freshers was grea...
Freshers was great! They had a wide range of activities read more
Small but cozy, e...
Small but cozy, everything is close read more
very easy to get...
very easy to get around and affordable student area read more
Keele is very goo...
Keele is very good for a night out but dangerous read more
The local area is...
The local area is perfect for every day life however it doesnt have the best nightlife for uni students read more
nights out are no...
nights out are not the best but it’s not a huge city so it’s understandable. read more
It’s a really aff...
It’s a really affordable but fun area with a lot to do whilst remaining quite cheap! read more
Limited transport...
Limited transport but good in everything else read more
The town is nice...
The town is nice however the nightlife lacks atmosphere. read more
I don’t really ca...
I don’t really care about the city. I’m just furious with my accommodation read more
Not many shops in...
Not many shops in Newcastle (the closest town), but it does have a couple good ones, and Hanley is not too far by bus and offers a better shopping and nighlife experience read more
It’s alright not...
It’s alright not too bad but just quite read more
Love it! Grew up...
Love it! Grew up around here so I know the place pretty well read more
Shady ljchlchochc...
Shady ljchlchochchchcjcjvufhcyo read more
I can’t rate goin...
I can’t rate going out as I have not been able to due to corona read more
Need more things...
Need more things to do this place is dead read more
Its a small town...
Its a small town so all of this is to be expected but the SU at Keele makes up for it and Manc and Birmingham are close anyway read more
I’m close to the...
I’m close to the bus stop so it’s very convenient. read more
Not a nice town f...
Not a nice town for a night out tbh read more
Keele is a villag...
Keele is a village. Very remote. The nearest town is Staffordshire and it’s quite a long walk read more
There is a good p...
There is a good public transport system, however the busses are a bit slow. The local high street doesn’t have many shops. However, grocery shopping is cheap as Lidl and Aldi are one bus ride away from campus. read more
Night outs seem l...
Night outs seem like they could be good if it wasn't for covid but it's still not like it's a big city read more
Night outs are fa...
Night outs are fab and shopping is decent too. read more
The bus system ca...
The bus system can be pretty hit or miss read more
Nice city can be...
Nice city can be quiet at times but with the right people you can definitely make the most of it read more
Best gyms around...
Best gyms around (M club is where The Beast Eddie Hall trains), all the supermarkets you need, large shopping centre in Stoke on trent. read more
It's relatively c...
It's relatively cheap live in keele,(aim for the residential estate/ forge houses), there are a number of quiet shops but hanley isn't too far if you're after a bigger shopping centre. Nights out are fairly quiet, but again if you like going out and meeting the same people that's not a bad thing (go to fiction, hanley, or revs, NuL) read more