UniHomes guide to

Nottingham

Nottingham’s Best Hidden-Gem Restaurants for Students

Sober in Notts: The Best Alcohol-Free Things to Do for Students in Nottingham

The Best Summer Activities for Nottingham Students

The Best Places to Live in Nottingham

The Nottingham Student Guide: Radford

What It's Really Like Living in Nottingham as a Student

The 10 Best Things About Being a Nottingham Trent Student

A Student’s Guide to Nottingham in the Winter

The Most Instagrammable Places in Nottingham

Check out more posts like these on our student blog

Student Videos Student Videos Blog Posts Blog Posts Key Points Key Points Universities Universities FAQs FAQs All photos All photos

Uni Life in Nottingham

Often known as the legendary home of Robin Hood, Nottingham boasts historical roots and a bustling student community. With a student population of 80,000, Nottingham is a vibrant and lively place to study without being overwhelmingly large. Here, foodies and drinkers can explore lots of quirky bars and restaurants, while music lovers won’t have to travel very far to find a great gig. There will also be plenty of opportunities to embrace your cultural side at the famous Nottingham Castle, Lace Market, and City of Caves, which features hundreds of underground sandstone caves.
Stepping outside of the city centre, you’ll discover a range of neighbourhoods, each with its own flavour of life. Our Nottingham student guide wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the top student areas such as Beeston, Lenton, and Arboretum, all of which cater to different lifestyles. Whether you want to be in arm’s reach of handy shops or tranquil green spaces, you’ll never struggle finding your home away from home here.

Key reasons to study in Nottingham

  • 1
    A real student community

    Nottingham has a community feel, thanks to its preponderance of independent businesses and quirky bars, cafés, and shops. With both UoN and Nottingham Trent among the top 15 largest UK universities, students here benefit from a vast network. And, with so many students, it comes as no surprise that there are countless free activities, from discovering Nottingham Contemporary exhibitions to wandering in Old Market Square.

  • 2
    Green space and countryside

    In the city centre, you'll find City Park and the Arboretum for green space. Outside of the city, what more is there to say about the iconic Sherwood Forest? It’s a beautiful walk through endless greenery and home to the legend that is Robin Hood. The nature reserve gets 350,000 visitors a year, and the Wollaton mansion is well-known around the world for being Wayne Manor in the Dark Knight trilogy - a must-visit!

  • 3
    Noticeable nightlife

    Student life in Nottingham wouldn’t be complete without a Friday night dance.​ Nottingham has a thriving nightlife, with some of the most popular bars including Bunk, PRYZM and Stealth Rock City, which is a well-known venue for gigs. You'll also find nightlife staples like Popworld and Revolution scattered around the city, so you and your flatmates can take your pick!

  • 4
    A centre of knowledge

    The two universities in Nottingham have a staggering total of twelve separate libraries between them, so you won't struggle to find the resources you need or a quiet place to study when exam season rolls around. Some of these libraries are specialists in their field, such as Greenfield Medical Library and the Denis Arnold Music Library.

  • 5
    Places to eat

    For cheap eats, The Roebuck Inn (Wetherspoon) is your best bet, although you may find some cheeky student perks and memorable Asian flavours at Panda Mami, Zaap Thai, and Chopstix. Fussy flatmates can’t go wrong at Casa Italian, whilst BOHNS Best Burgers is proud to cater for vegans and vegetarians, as well as meat lovers. For those looking for a delivery instead of a sit-down meal, Lasani offers delicious curries. What’s not to love about these restaurants and takeaways?

  • 6
    Efficient transport links

    Getting around Nottingham is super easy with the Nottingham Express Transit tram system, which connects the campuses to the city centre, as well as surrounding neighbourhoods. If you’re trying to cut the costs whilst keeping fit, cycling is popular here, with plenty of cycle lanes and opportunities to rent a bike for cheap. To go further afield, Nottingham’s train station is well-connected and can get you to cities like London, Birmingham, and Sheffield on a direct journey.

There's lots going on with the majority of students attending either Rock City or Ocean for the student nights out! Lenton is the local student area - it has a few cafés as well as some small supermarkets. There's always lots of do in Nottingham in terms of nightlife.

Charlotte G Brand Ambassador

Universities in Nottingham

Nottingham Trent University

Picture of Nottingham Trent University

Originating from the Nottingham Government School of Design, Nottingham Trent University was named Modern University of the Year in The Times Good University Guide 2023, and is one of the UK's largest universities. You'll find the main campus in the city centre, but it has five separate campuses: City, Clifton, Confetti, Brackenhurst and a further campus further out, in the town of Mansfield.

University of Nottingham

Picture of University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham is an extremely reputable UK university, ranked as a top 20 UK university and 8th in the UK for research power. Located to the south-east of the city just past Lenton, the university is split across four campuses: University Park, Jubilee, Sutton Bonington and King's Meadow, all easily accessible by frequent buses. It's also within a stones through of the popular Wollaton Park.

University of Nottingham - Sutton Bonington Campus

Picture of University of Nottingham - Sutton Bonington Campus

The University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington Campus is home to around 2,500 students, creating a tight-knit community with its very own Student Union Guild. This countryside site is around 30 minutes from the city and has its very own working farm.

Student Life in Nottingham

Blog posts featuring Nottingham

Sober in Notts: The Best Alcohol-Free Things to Do for Students in Nottingham

The Best Summer Activities for Nottingham Students

The Best Places to Live in Nottingham

The Nottingham Student Guide: Radford

Check out more posts like these on our student blog

Nottingham is full of green space. University Park Campus is so pretty, with lots of good bars and nightlife, and there's really good transport links. Lenton has lots of different cafés within the student area too.

Charlotte G Brand Ambassador

Frequently Asked Questions

Nottingham student life is often described as fun and balanced, with a compact and accessible city and campus. The city boasts a good mix of vibrant nightlife, events, and green spaces. You can also drive your passions outside the lecture hall; with hundreds of student-led societies, there’s a community for everyone.
There are various neighbourhoods suitable for student life in Nottingham, the most popular being Lenton and Beeston. If you’re looking for a quieter, greener area, Arboretum can be a good shout. Be sure to check out the different areas in Nottingham and their local amenities to see which suits you the best.

The short answer is yes! The nightclubs are busy every night of the week, and the nightlife scene is often said to rival that of Leeds and Newcastle. If you’re looking to party, Rock City is an award-winning music venue, and Ocean is 100% student entry, making it a fantastic place to meet people. However, there are also plenty of alcohol-free activities to enjoy.

Students cite Nottingham's green spaces, coffee shops, and food scene as some of the best things about this city. Check out our CA George's accounts of what it's really like living in Nottingham as a student and the best things about studying at Nottingham Trent.

What students are saying about us

Trustpilot