Delivering excellence
We are committed to delivering an outstanding student experience that matches our gold-standard teaching and research. By offering a wide range of development opportunities, students have the freedom to tailor their university journey to suit their personal and professional goals. From day one, we provide unconditional support and guidance to help students become the best version of themselves.
- Free Freshers’ wristband
- Awards
- Events
- Real-world experience
Free Freshers’ wristband
The current cost of living crisis is never far from students’ minds, and understandably so. At Derby, we recognise the pressures and sacrifices students face to attend university and with living costs on the rise, it is not an easy decision for them to invest in higher education. Socialising costs money, which causes additional stress when it comes to settling in and making friends.
To help students overcome these barriers, we introduced a free Freshers’ wristband worth £100 for those joining us. All new undergraduate students were eligible for a wristband granting them entry into events and activities on campus and across the city during their first two weeks at university, including headline acts.
This initiative saw the University working in partnership with the Union of Students to make sure that every student had equal opportunities to enjoy their Freshers in its entirety.
A wealth of other support is available to students to help them conquer the cost of living. An expert student finance team is on hand to provide students with nifty budgeting tips to make their money stretch, and we offer fixed-price accommodation with inclusive bills meaning students can spend less time worrying about their finances and more time focusing on their studies.
Awards
Best University Housing
Our halls of residence are at the heart of the student experience and our Student Living team goes above and beyond to provide an award-winning service. For the second year running, we retained our title as Best University Housing in the UK and Ireland in the Global Student Living Awards 2023. These awards are voted for by students, making it an even greater testament to the dedication and exceptional care of our accommodation staff.
But that's not all, in the same Global Student Living Awards 2023, we scooped up the Best Environmental Management award for providing a highly sustainable and environmentally friendly accommodation service.
Global Student Living introduced a new certification scheme which recognises excellence within our accommodation service, as well as looking at seven key aspects of the halls experience which are bedrooms, condition and quality, internet, value for money, student care and support, recycling and environmental, and overall management. These elements are rated on a scale of one to 100 to give a category Silver, Gold or Platinum.
In the 2023/24 academic year, we were certified as a Platinum operator – the highest possible categorisation which once again reflects the high standard of our purpose-built accommodation. In the summer of 2024, we were certified as a Gold operator which is still a fantastic achievement. This certificate is valid from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025.
BUCS
British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), the national governing body of university sport, has presented the University with a Physical Activity Excellence Award. The award, held by just 17 UK universities, recognises the University’s outstanding contribution towards encouraging physical activity and its commitment to providing an inclusive sporting programme.
Sport is an integral part of our university experience and Team Derby Badminton brought home two gold medals in the BUCS Nationals, an annual multi-sport event which showcases the best of university student sporting talent. Jonty Russ and Magda Lozniceriu in the Mixed Doubles; and Sophie Watson and Kiara Henry in the Women’s Doubles claimed gold. In total, the badminton team had 15 entries with 14 student athletes competing.
Events
Open Days
Our undergraduate Open Days have gone from strength to strength, with the addition of a new student hub area and businesses from across the city attending to promote student experiences in Derby. Months of preparation go into each event to make it extra special for all visitors and to leave a lasting impression that Derby is the perfect place to begin an exciting university journey.
In October 2023, our undergraduate Open Day bookings were up 11% compared to the same time in the previous year proving that appetite is growing for our small but vibrant city. The timing of the TEF Gold release in September set us up for some bumper attendance figures and since then, we have welcomed thousands of students and their families to our campus at each event.
Degree apprenticeships have a growing presence at our undergraduate Open Days, where students can learn about the opportunities available with our industry partners including Rolls-Royce and the NHS. We recognise that this is becoming a popular route to employment, so we believe it is important to diversify our offer to meet the changing needs of students.
We are continually looking for ways to make Derby stand out and to help ease students’ journey to university – whatever pathways they choose with us. A new feature we introduced for our June 2024 Open Day was a provisional offer-making service. This means that if students have their grades or predicted grades, and they meet our entry requirements, our Admissions team can provide bespoke advice on how to submit a personal statement that will increase a student’s chance of securing a conditional offer with us. This will become a permanent service at our undergraduate Open Days throughout the next academic year to support our recruitment activities.
Graduation
Graduation continues to be one of the most joyous events in the university calendar. It never fails to be an extraordinary celebration of our students’ achievements – thousands walked across the stage at the Devonshire Dome in Buxton and at Derby Arena, cheered on by their loved ones and supporters.
This year we commended some incredibly worthy honorands, starting with Professor Andrew Curran CBE, Director of Science and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at the Buxton ceremony on 28 June 2024. Professor Curran has a distinguished career and recently led a major study into the transmission of Covid-19.
The impressive list of honorary degree recipients continued across the Derby ceremonies which took place from 17 to 19 July 2024, and included:
- Millie Bright, professional footballer who captained England to the World Cup Final in 2023
- James Stanford, American contemporary artist and patron to our School of Art International Workshop in Nevada
- Theresa Peltier DL, former Head of Equality for Derbyshire Police and High Sheriff of Derbyshire for 2023/24
- Professor Sir Kevan Collins, former Chief Executive at the Education Endowment Foundation
- Captain Harpreet Chandi MBE, British army medical officer, known as Polar Preet, who became the fastest woman to ski solo to the South Pole.
A posthumous award was then handed to Professor Graham Orpwood, who dedicated more than 50 years to teaching and research into curriculum design and assessment, with a focus on mathematics and science education. Graham sadly passed away in November 2023 before having the opportunity to collect his award.
Building futures with real-world experience
Our focus is on transforming ambitious students into highly skilled graduates who are sought after by top employers. Our curriculum has been shaped by industry leaders to create an applied learning experience where students have exciting opportunities to use their theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios to make a real-world impact.
Industry engagement is threaded through each degree programme allowing students to make vital connections with leading businesses and large organisations including Lubrizol, where Nathan Sawyer, BA (Hons) Business Management student, secured a fantastic placement in their Global Marcomms team. Through this, and similar opportunities, students can develop a broad and transferable skillset that will stand them in good stead for future employment, specifically communication, time management, organisational, presenting networking and project management skills.
When asked about his placement and the opportunity to work within a well-established, global organisation, Nathan said:
“In my opinion, taking a placement year especially with such a large company allows me to differentiate myself from other students who will apply for graduate roles at the same time as me by helping me gain relevant work experience to apply to my career. I’ve also found it beneficial working in a corporate environment which I can apply to future roles. At Lubrizol I am actively encouraged to try new things, ask questions and network within the company all of which I believe will support my future career aspirations.”
Read more about Nathan’s latest business venture and how he was encouraged by his academic team to explore opportunities in the sector.