Why Bristol?

Today, Bristol is a buzzing, multicultural university city of almost half a million people. Unique, vibrant and diverse, there are at least 45 religions, 187 countries of birth and 91 foreign first languages spoken here.

Bristol is home to more than 54,000 students and has one of the highest graduate-retention rates in the UK – that’s because once you have experienced living in Bristol, you won’t want to leave.

Bristol has so much to offer - from arts and sports, to nightlife and many green spaces. Our city has received dozens of lifestyle and travel destination awards. The student experience in Bristol is about so much more than just studying. 

Bristol was named Most Artistic City in the UK in a 2019 survey by Premier Inn, which considered the number of museums, theatres, live music gigs and street art in each of the UK’s major cities. From Spike Island to the Old Vic Theatre, from the Thekla to Nelson Street students in Bristol can experience some of the best music, art and theatre that the UK has to offer.  

Bristol has nurtured amazing talent across the arts, producing some the UK’s most successful visual artists. Damien Hirst, anyone?

And of course, there’s Banksy. His street art is amongst the most recognised in the world; his ‘Show Me the Monet’ painting was sold at Sotheby’s in October 2020 for £7.5 million! You can take a walking tour of Bristol and see loads of original Banksy works in their natural habitat – the streets of our city – for free! Bristol is a city that truly nurtures creativity. No wonder it was named one of Europe’s top cultural and creative cities in a 2019 report by the EU – or that it came third in the UK out of 190 European cities!