Stoke-on-Trent
119 Reviews by Students #53 out of 80 University locations
I love it here! I’m originally from Stoke but moved away when I was 2 years old. I returned for university. This city is full of amazing places to go!
By member548523 On 20th May 2020
Study in Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire University has one of its campuses in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, which is famously known for its history in pottery.
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Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University has four campuses with its main campus located in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The university has strong industry connections and emphasis on experience to make students among some of the most employable after graduating. It is a leading university for digital technologies, it has a strong computing heritage and reputation for computer games courses.
Study in Stoke-on-Trent? Review your location
Stoke-on-Trent Student Life
Situated about halfway between Birmingham and Manchester, Stoke is a modern place that still has a lot of older buildings from its days in the pottery trade, which gives it character. It’s a good size for a town, big enough to hold all the facilities that a uni student needs.
Cost of Living
Accommodation
Student accommodation costs in Stoke-on-Trent range from £80 - £157 per week; the average is £116 per week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Wolverhampton: £127/week, Worcester: £142/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: £11
A pint of beer: £3
A regular takeout coffee: £2.79
1L of milk: £0.96
A loaf of white bread: £1.06
Prices are about 2% lower than equivalent costs in Worcester and about 3% lower than Birmingham.
(Source: Numbeo)
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Nights Out
There’s a decent nightlife, although many students will taxi the short distance over to Hanley which has a few more clubs aimed at students. For the culture vultures, there are several theatres to pick from, the biggest being the Regent Theatre and the Victoria Concert Hall is just down the road. There’s also an Odeon cinema at Festival Park.
Public Transport
The Stoke-On-Trent campus has two sites which are just a few minutes walk apart from each other. To get around Stoke it’s easy by bus which links the city centre to the wider area. To get out of the city there is a good rail network, Manchester is just a 35-minute journey, Birmingham is 45-minutes and London 90-minutes.
Eating Out
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You’ll quickly get to know about the Staffordshire Oatcake (think of a very dense pancake) when living in Stoke. The Oatcake Boat is a canal boat serving fresh and insanely delicious homemade filled oatcakes through their side hatch. Keep an eye on their Facebook page to see what part of the canal you can find them!
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Inside the Stoke Indoor Market, you’ll find the popular Tiffin Chai Indian Street Food. They cook up tasty home-cooked curry and street food at very reasonable prices. They cater to everybody with vegan options available.
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There’s nothing like a pie on a cold winter’s day and in the Trentham retail village you’ll find Pieminister. These pies are recognised nationwide as really, really, really good pies. Now you know where to head when you are after some comfort food.
Shopping
shops and restaurants all very close…
shops and restaurants all very close to uni and accommodation
The town has anything you need…
The town has anything you need from many corner shops to a big mall such as intu Potteries.
Hanley is mainly outdoor shopping centre…
There some many places to explore from parks to the shopping center. Hanley is mainly outdoor shopping center where you can find anything you need for a reasonable price.
Many shops to look around…
So many places to eat out and order from and many shops to look around.
Study in Stoke-on-Trent? Review your location
Days Out
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Canals
Nothing says “I’ve just received my student loan” like a party on a boat. The Trent and Mersey canal system runs through Stoke and is over 90 miles long. There are often day trips you can do, and some companies will let you rent out a boat for the day, although you might have to pull in an adult guarantor to help convince them you won’t crash it.
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National Cycle Network
There are nearly 80 miles of off-road cycle paths that run through Stoke to explore. We can’t think of a better way to clear your head after a hard week of studying!
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It’s ten miles away. You could hike that if you had to. You won’t though, because there’s a bus that goes from Stoke Rail Station.
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Trentham Estate is a stately home and beautiful gardens, where you can find peace and quiet. There are trails and barefoot walks as well as a Monkey Forest. Yes, that’s right, a forest full of actual monkeys. They just wander around and are used to people so they’ll come pretty close.
Top 10 Stoke-on-Trent Accommodation
Read Stoke-on-Trent Reviews
It’s okay for che...
It’s okay for cheap living if you’re a student but apart from that not recommended, there’s better places to study. read more
Minimum of shoppi...
Minimum of shopping, you have your popular towns Hanley and Newcastle but they are quiet run down and you do have to travel a bit far out for shopping read more
Stoke-on-Trent is...
Stoke-on-Trent is a city located in Staffordshire, England, that is known for its rich history, cultural heritage, and diverse attractions. The city is often referred to as the "Potteries" due to its long history of ceramic production and is home to several world-renowned pottery brands such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, and Portmeirion. One of the main attractions in Stoke-on-Trent is the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, which houses an impressive collection of ceramics, including works by famous artists such as Josiah Wedgwood and Clarice Cliff. The museum also features displays on local history, including the city's industrial heritage and the life and works of famous writer Arnold Bennett. The city is also home to several beautiful parks, including Hanley Park, which features a boating lake, a bandstand, and a range of sports facilities. Trentham Gardens is another popular attraction, with its stunning gardens, lake, and adventure playground. read more
A place I have gr...
A place I have grown up and lived in. Cost of living is a struggle in general at the minute but there are different things/places to go. read more
Stoke on trent is...
Stoke on trent is a very calm city. Ideal for students. However, there is no much things to do at night. read more
Its a small town...
Its a small town with all the facilities you can ask for. Public transport is always within reach and living costs here are inexpensive as compared to big cities. However, it gets boring especially at night! read more
Stoke has undergo...
Stoke has undergone a significant amount of destitution and suffers from poverty with numerous homeless locals begging in the streets. The cost of living is survivable for students with an Aldi being local to the area in which the campus is situated. Pints are cheap in the pubs, but alcohol is certainly not cheap in the clubs. The only place you can really go on a night out is Hanley or the University SU night, both of which are pretty bad. read more
the local area ha...
the local area has lots of opportunities for growth however, the local government fails to invest in local towns. places such as Hanley have shops that are derelict and the majority of places that offer nightlife have had bad reputations due to spiking incidents read more
Cheap to live in....
Cheap to live in. Terrible for everything else. read more
A more affordable...
A more affordable location with lots of local amenities including a local shopping centre, and access to train station and bus stop within a very short walking distance. read more
Stoke is a unique...
Stoke is a unique place to live with very little to do read more
Very feasible for...
Very feasible for students who use public transport. Train station is Infront of uni. And have lots of parking space for car parking at cheapest rate read more
Lots of amenities...
Lots of amenities to keep occupied with loads of things to do read more
Diverse community...
Diverse community. No two nights are ever the same. Recommended Slamwich in Hanley it is nice. read more
It’s stoke on Tre...
It’s stoke on Trent what else do I need to say read more
good city to live...
good city to live in for students but things are quite fwr awau read more
Hello. Do not go...
Hello. Do not go to Hanley Park if you chose to live here. People set off fireworks at each other and high schoolers might attempt to shank you after 3pm. Other than that it's a pretty average place, couple druggies but it's actually not that bad. There's also the pottery centre which is a pretty big shopping mall that's about a 40 - 50 minute walk from campus and the train station is right by staffs uni so if your commuting or want to go home it's really easy to get there read more
Its hard to make...
Its hard to make this place feel like home. Most takeouts are not that great, nightlife feels very unsafe and with cost of living increasing its hard to justify staying here. Terrible public transport (that is somewhat expensive) makes me feel very trapped. It is a shame the university is in such an awful area, as the uni itself is very great. read more
There's a lot to...
There's a lot to be desired but generally it's not a bad place to stay. read more
Food is alright,...
Food is alright, never used public transport, nights is a mess because they cram so many people into such tiny spaces read more
Hanley is a great...
Hanley is a great place to go shopping and nights out at gossip are the best. read more
Not too bad. Grea...
Not too bad. Great public transport. Could be better in other areas. read more
Easy to get aroun...
Easy to get around using the bus and train station nearby. Plenty of places nearby read more
A lot of places t...
A lot of places to go out and have fun read more
A city in a very...
A city in a very useful geographic location. Situated close to the Manchester metropol, while being close enough to the rest of the Midlands for ease of access to Birmingham, Nottingham, and Sheffield. read more
AMAZING! Couldn't...
AMAZING! Couldn't find better, great night life and the locals are super friendly read more
Stoke-on-Trent, n...
Stoke-on-Trent, not the best city and the university campus is really small. read more
Poorly managed by...
Poorly managed by a corrupt council, heavily deprived high crime area. read more
Cheap place to li...
Cheap place to live with lots of local shops, restaurants, pubs, clubs that mean you rarely have to travel far by foot. read more
Not pretty but ch...
Not pretty but charming. Nice places are a little hidden but they are there. Living here is cheap, traveling is easy, a good student experience. read more
There are many su...
There are many supermarkets here. Shopping is very convenient read more
It isn’t the best...
It isn’t the best location, there’s a lot of rough looking spots. I do want to move away when I’ve graduate which is a shame as the University is good. read more
is a very good to...
is a very good town, nice people read more
A good place to s...
A good place to spend some time when bored. read more
Not the best city...
Not the best city for night outs. Has one decent club in town, others are just not it. Most people go to Manchester to do big proper shopping but stoke has a few small decent shops. Public transport isn’t the best in terms of promptness and you can be in the cold bus stop for a while sometimes. read more
The clubs and bar...
The clubs and bars are good and pretty cheap to be fair. There's also many options when it comes to deciding where to eat or many shops near by should you wanna make something yourself. read more
Again, like my la...
Again, like my last review, I haven't really done much. I don't go on nights out, or eat out, or even catch the bus, since everything I need is 10 to 15 minutes from where I live. The Tesco's I go and resupply at is decent, got everything I need there, my only criticism is the self checkout getting annoyed that I have my own bag, but technology, it'll do whatever. read more
The town could be...
The town could be better with more option read more
In terms of place...
In terms of place to live Stoke-on-Trent is one of the cheapest cities out there as the cost of living is far cheaper than say London. If you're a student you're most likely be using the on sites nightclub rather than going out into to Hanley as it will be more safer, however a range of clubs are available nearby. As university student the range public transport on offer is huge as a regular bus service serves the campus as well as having a train station right on its doorstep for those who are commuting. You won't get lost as the both sides of the stoke campus are right next to train station. read more
It's a great town...
It's a great town, there are a ton of accommodations off and on campus. Public transports are readily available as well, Nightlife can be a bit scary so make sure to go out as a group of at least 3-4! read more
Great transport n...
Great transport not far from station 10 min walk read more
Stoke On Trent is...
Stoke On Trent is a great place for student life. There are many clubs for students, a huge shopping centre and a nice park to take walks in. The transport is readily available and there are a good range of food options. read more
The location that...
The location that this is based in it is quite near the stoke on-Trent town center where they are lots of different brands and shops to choose from and I say that it would take 10 min to get there especially the nearby shops like Tesco. For a big shopping, I would recommend delivery which the accommodation is happy with doing. read more
The city is super...
The city is super pretty with alot of shops. The shopping mall is big and the city reminds me alot of cardiff. I haven't had any problems with workers and everyone is super nice and friendly. Appart from the occasional drug user and road men who do like to harass you if you are of the female gender which is the downside of stoke. read more
It is very cheap...
It is very cheap living, and prices of places are to go are survivable read more
Nice place, every...
Nice place, everything is within a 20 min walk, plenty of places to visit, see and do. read more
It’s okay. There’...
It’s okay. There’s nothing exceptional about the city, but it’s got everything you could need and does it in a satisfactory way read more
The town is a nic...
The town is a nice quiet town which as an introvert is quite cool read more
Shops close by so...
Shops close by so convenient, regular public transport services, read more
Plenty of towns i...
Plenty of towns in and around stoke/Stafford that offer a variety of different things. read more
Public transport...
Public transport is terrible. Good luck read more
Great place to li...
Great place to live. People are lovely and sweet. read more
Decent nightlife...
Decent nightlife and a variety of things to do read more
The cost of livin...
The cost of living here isn't too expensive and nights out are OK they aren't anything special around here. The public transport is great for getting around. read more
Stoke on Trent is...
Stoke on Trent is a very big place read more
Dodgy areas but g...
Dodgy areas but great shopping in Hanley read more
Lots of diffrent...
Lots of diffrent stores and shops to go to, great night life read more
Wide range of pub...
Wide range of pubs and clubs to attend. read more
Stoke is a place...
Stoke is a place where you will always find something to do read more
Nice area, univer...
Nice area, university looks good and is within walking distance from the train station. read more
Every beautiful u...
Every beautiful university. With great facilities read more
Stoke has been a...
Stoke has been a pretty good place for the past two years. Accommodation and general costs are quite cheap. There's easy access to campus/shops etc as everything is quite close, and there's a range of different supermarkets/shop to choose from. Having the Potteries close to campus/accommodation is also nice, as there's things to do with friends. read more
An alright city t...
An alright city that is spacious enough to make me happy read more
Nights out are no...
Nights out are not the greatest but they are fine, there is a big shopping mall in a 20 minute walk that has everything, and if you do not want to walk you can just take a bus directly there. read more
I've not really h...
I've not really had the chance to do half the stuff so I can't really rate it but cost of living is alright and I've gone round the shops a few times they've got something for everyone. read more
Cute little town...
Cute little town with cheap transport to the nearest shopping centre and bigger towns read more
The buses are gre...
The buses are great and run often. I haven’t been able to experience the nightlife fully but from what I’ve seen the pubs and bars are great - shame I haven’t seen the nightclubs read more
Spoons is cool, a...
Spoons is cool, as well as the many places to get takeout from so love that read more
Not much to do, o...
Not much to do, only place to go apart from Hanley shopping center is the Park.. short trip to Birmingham by train tho. However since we can't travel due to covid, being in stoke made it 10x more boring read more
Hanley (city cent...
Hanley (city center) has the potteries shopping center. This is a great place for shopping as it has pretty much whatever you'll want. It is about 25 mins walking distance from the uni. Lots of grocery shopping options pretty close to the uni too. read more
Due to the pandem...
Due to the pandemic, I haven't been able to experience much. But so far, the city has been alright. read more
In stoke on trent...
In stoke on trent there is a lot of clubs you can go to on nights out as a student and a lot of places to out eat and go shoppinh such as the potteries shopping centre. read more
No nights out con...
No nights out considering Covid so can’t exactly say much on it. The town is okay, nothing fancy. read more
Not the best nigh...
Not the best night outs, pretty dead imo I'm I'm normally very sociable so a little disappointed. Houses are good and there's a couple of places to eat but pretty much all large chain restaurants read more
Brill so far perf...
Brill so far perfect balance between city and country with the park read more
Best place I've e...
Best place I've ever been I cant get over how modern it is read more
Stoke is very con...
Stoke is very confusing to drive around but as soon as you’ve spent a couple of weeks here driving about it is fine. Public transport runs down the roads where the university is based and there is a big bus station near the Tesco, fire and police stations are in Hanley read more
I like stoke on t...
I like stoke on trent, it's a very modest town with some good beauty spots if you look hard enough, but has everything you need. read more
Plenty to do, and...
Plenty to do, and some nice parks read more
Cost of living in...
Cost of living in relatively low, but all I’ve experienced so far from this town is a lot of alright shops and a wetherspoons. Good market tho read more
Stoke is a nice l...
Stoke is a nice little area, with places like Newcastle-under-Lyme up the road there's not a lot missing from Stoke read more
Typical student t...
Typical student town - great nights out but that's about it read more
I like the area,...
I like the area, especially how everything important to me is in close quarters and it is near to the motorway in which I can drive home. read more
everywhere is ver...
everywhere is very easy to get to within walking distance and Hanley park is a very nice area for walks in the day! very updated shopping area for all students! read more
everything is ver...
everything is very close by and easy to get to! everywhere is close to walk to so no need to get in the car and go into town! read more
The town is very...
The town is very nice to go shopping read more
Cant really judge...
Cant really judge nights out cos i dont go out. But stoke is brilliant, with most things on your door step/ read more
Lovely town but h...
Lovely town but hard to get anywhere unless you can drive or willing to pay stupid money for taxis read more
Not particularly...
Not particularly great for going out, but there are other places like Manchester, Birmingham near by. The cost of living is very cheap and reasonable! read more
shops and restaur...
shops and restaurants all very close to uni and accommodation read more
I love it here! I...
I love it here! I’m originally from Stoke but moved away when I was 2 years old. I returned for university. This city is full of amazing places to go! read more
Hanley is A good...
Hanley is A good Place So many places to eat out - Shopping for Clothes Now Thou There Are No Clothes Shops Around Hanley Anymore you used to go up & they'd be 2/3/5 Lady's fashionable little clothes shops all around & they were Great ..and Now there's None..at All ( there's Only Primark & M&S which isn't everybody's cup of tea) ...Nights Out Alot places There just full of kids .now..But night life is ok read more
Hanley is very go...
Hanley is very good for night life and shops. Pak food is also very close and provides international foods read more
This is a very ra...
This is a very ravist city. There is a real sence of white supremacy here read more
It's a terrible c...
It's a terrible city full of fake people. So many undercover racist people read more
Everything is wit...
Everything is within walking distance and so easy to access! There’s nothing I’m missing from the area read more
Stoke isn't the b...
Stoke isn't the best but it's cheap, not too many nice places to eat read more
Tons of places to...
Tons of places to go in Hanley during the weekend, The Hive at Intu Potteries is amazing for eating out and the cinema is right next to the restaurants. The Hanley park is very huge and relaxing to walk through. Except there are tons of geese and I’m scared of walking around them, but they’ve never attacked so far. read more
Stoke on trent is...
Stoke on trent is a interesting place to live.There some many places to explore from parks to the shopping center. Hanley is mainly outdoor shopping center where you can find anything you need for a reasonable price. I haven't been out in the night to experience "nights out" but there is a choice of two cinemas, a bowling alley and close by is alton towers. The public transport isn't very good as the buses are ether very full and busy or the bus drivers are a bit rude. (personal experience). Not to mention the high price for usage. I walk everywhere, better scenery, especially in the mornings. read more
Hmm not really go...
Hmm not really good it's kinda bass read more
I have nothing to...
I have nothing to complain about apart from how bad the nights out are here it’s really worth drinking at home in student accommodation because student union is bad and so is hanley. Public transport I only use trains and they are usually late (stoke-manchester). Cost of living seems decent especially in student accommodation. read more
The town is not v...
The town is not very big which is very good because less traffic, less crimes, and very quite. The town has anything you need from many corner shops to a big mall such as intu Potteries. You can find anything here and there’s lots of activities to do. read more
Set aside a fair...
Set aside a fair amount of money for my weekly food shop and I’ve never spent more than half of it. So many places to eat out and order from and many shops to look around. read more
Trainstation onto...
Trainstation ontop of campus and lots of busses so thats good but the cost of going out sometimes can be quite taxing read more
Loving living it...
Loving living it Stoke. Great transport links, easy to get back home. Shopping and eating out are all affordable. read more
Average small tow...
Average small town really! Quiet and good for a mix of activities, but better travelling to Manchester etc for huge nights out read more
great city with l...
great city with lots to see and do read more
Great place, gene...
Great place, generally nice chatty people, an entertaining and unique accent.. Still a bit of a s**thole. Some locals are quite chavy and a bit gobby which really brings the atmosphere down, especially with their lowered cars and stupid revving engines at 3am. read more