A student in a mustard jumper holds a notebook on the waterfront at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester, England, near the University of Salford MediaCity campus.

University of Salford for International Students: Fees and Entry

November 02, 2026

TL;DR: The University of Salford for international students: full-time fees for courses starting in the 2027-28 year run from £16,920 to £22,140, most taught courses ask for IELTS Academic 6.0 with 5.5 in each skill, and automatic scholarships of £2,500 to £3,500 a year apply. September 2027 is the next main intake; full-time January 2027 courses are now closed.

Salford sits five minutes from Manchester city centre and, by its own account, is the only university with a campus at MediaCity, next to the BBC and ITV. It suits students who want a practical, industry-linked degree in Greater Manchester at a mid-range fee. Check your eligibility with Prosper to see whether your grades meet its entry rules.

Is the University of Salford good for international students?

Salford was founded in 1896 as the Royal Technical Institute and became a university by Royal Charter in 1967. It holds a Silver rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), run by the Office for Students, for both student experience and student outcomes.

It teaches across two campuses:

  • Peel Park: the main green campus, home to Salford Business School and most faculties, linked to MediaCity.
  • MediaCity: at Salford Quays, with TV and radio studios and a journalism centre. Salford describes itself as the only university with a campus at MediaCity next to the BBC and ITV.

Facilities highlighted by the university include health simulation suites and a podiatry clinic, an anechoic chamber and a flight simulator in engineering, and the SEE Building, opened in 2022. Surveying courses are accredited by RICS and computing courses by BCS.

University of Salford fees for international students

Item Amount (2027-28)
Full-time course fees £16,920 to £22,140 a year
Deposit before CAS £5,500, taken off your first-year fee
Paying the year in full 3% reduction
Instalments 5 or 7 monthly payments

Salford publishes one fee range for all full-time courses, so check the exact fee on your course page. The deposit must be paid before your unconditional offer is issued and before the CAS process starts. Our guide to UK university deposits explains how deposits work across UK universities, and UK tuition fees for international students shows how Salford compares.

Entry and English requirements

For undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses, Salford asks for:

  • IELTS Academic: 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each skill (postgraduate research: 6.5, with 6.0 in each skill).
  • PTE Academic: 59 overall and in each skill. The online PTE is not accepted.
  • TOEFL iBT: 4.5 overall with 4.0 in each skill for tests taken from 21 January 2026, or 79 overall for earlier tests.

Duolingo is not listed among Salford's accepted tests. If you are choosing between tests, our PTE exam guide sets out the format and scores.

Scholarships for international students

Salford awards two automatic scholarships. You do not apply separately, and each student can hold only one award.

Scholarship Undergraduate Postgraduate taught
Global Gold Excellence £3,500 a year, A-levels ABB or equivalent £3,000, first-class degree
Global Silver Excellence £3,000 a year, A-levels BBC or equivalent £2,500, 2:2 or above

To keep the award you must accept your offer and pay the deposit by the date in your offer. The scholarship pages still refer to earlier intakes, so confirm the current terms in your offer letter.

Check your eligibility ›

Intakes and placements

Salford lists January, June and September 2027 intakes. September 2027 covers all faculties. June 2027 is for Salford Business School only. At the time of writing, every full-time January 2027 course is closed to new applications, so a student starting now should aim for June or September 2027.

Salford Business School offers a professional placement year on all its undergraduate programmes, with no tuition fee for that year; students find their own placement. Most of its master's courses offer a 9 to 12 month placement, which needs a visa extension.

How to apply to the University of Salford

  • Undergraduate: apply through UCAS. The institution code is S03 and the campus code is left blank. Our UCAS application guide walks through the form.
  • Postgraduate, foundation year and pre-sessional English: apply directly through the university's online portal.
  • CAS: pay the £5,500 deposit, meet your conditions, then request your CAS. Meeting conditions early lets you request it sooner. The visa steps that follow are in our guide to applying for a UK student visa.

Applying from Sri Lanka

Salford's Sri Lanka page states that it welcomes Sri Lankan O/A Levels as well as London O/A Levels, and also accepts qualifications such as an HND. It does not publish A/L grades for each course, so your results are assessed course by course.

For a master's, Salford asks for at least 55% in a four-year bachelor's special degree. A three-year general degree may be considered where the grades are high, above 80%. Sri Lankan O/L English at Credit or above is accepted as proof of English in place of IELTS, which can save you a test.

Before your visa application you will need a TB test at the IOM clinic in Colombo; our IOM Colombo TB test guide explains the booking. Keep your bank funds in place for the 28-day rule.

FAQ

How much are University of Salford fees for international students? Full-time courses starting in the 2027-28 year cost from £16,920 to £22,140 a year. Salford also asks for a £5,500 deposit, which is taken off your first-year fee.

What IELTS score does the University of Salford need? Most undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses need IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each skill. Postgraduate research needs 6.5 with 6.0 in each skill.

Does the University of Salford have a January intake? Salford lists a January 2027 intake, mainly for postgraduate taught courses, but at the time of writing all full-time January 2027 courses are closed to new applications. June 2027 (Business School) and September 2027 remain open.

Does the University of Salford offer scholarships to international students? Yes. The Global Gold and Global Silver Excellence scholarships are awarded automatically, worth £3,000 to £3,500 a year for undergraduates and £2,500 to £3,000 for postgraduates.

Is the University of Salford in Manchester? Salford is in the city of Salford, part of Greater Manchester. Its Peel Park campus is about five minutes from Manchester city centre.

PS: Salford's entry rules depend on the type of degree you hold, so the right course list starts with your results. Check your eligibility with Prosper and we will check where you fit.

Check your eligibility ›

References

  1. Our heritage, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/about-us/heritage (accessed 02/11/2026)
  2. University of Salford institution details (TEF), Discover Uni, https://discoveruni.gov.uk/institution-details/10007156/ (accessed 02/11/2026)
  3. Study an undergraduate degree at Salford, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/study-undergraduate-degree-salford (accessed 02/11/2026)
  4. Academic facilities, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/academic-facilities (accessed 02/11/2026)
  5. International fees, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/fees (accessed 02/11/2026)
  6. English language requirements, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/english-language-requirements (accessed 02/11/2026)
  7. Global Gold Excellence Scholarship, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/scholarships/global-gold-excellence-scholarship (accessed 02/11/2026)
  8. Global Silver Excellence Scholarship, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/scholarships/global-silver-excellence-scholarship (accessed 02/11/2026)
  9. Intakes, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/intakes-for-2023 (accessed 02/11/2026)
  10. Application deadlines, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/application-deadlines (accessed 02/11/2026)
  11. Paid placements, Salford Business School, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/paid-placements-salford-business-school (accessed 02/11/2026)
  12. Salford and Sri Lanka, University of Salford, https://www.salford.ac.uk/international/your-country-or-region/salford-and-sri-lanka (accessed 02/11/2026)
  13. University of Salford, UCAS, https://www.ucas.com/explore/unis/07fe4a70/university-of-salford (accessed 02/11/2026)

Team Prosper

Team Prosper
Team Prosper|Editorial Team
Team Prosper is the editorial desk at Prosper Global Education, the Colombo-based study abroad consultancy co-founded in 2023 by Lasantha Jayawardena and Sandeepani Wickramasinghe. Articles carry this byline when they report a policy update, a university announcement, or an intake change, rather than draw on either founder's first-hand experience of guiding students. The desk links to the primary government or university source behind every factual claim, and says plainly when a rule is still changing or a detail has not yet been confirmed. Requirements move, and an article that pretends otherwise is worth less than one that tells you what is settled and what is not. For guidance on a specific application, Prosper's counsellors work directly with students and families from the Colombo office.
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