your guide to our open experience day

Quick Links

Checking in

Main Check-in

Visit the main check in between 9.00am–3.00pm to pick up your welcome pack.

  • Students' Union on Cambridge Road (PO1 2EF)

 

Faculty Check-in

You can also check in at some of the buildings where course sessions are held, around 30 minutes before your course session starts:

 


 

Course sessions

Your course session is a chance to find out more about how your course is taught and what you'll learn.
Plan your day around your course session, as you won't want to miss it. 

Find out the time and location of your course session below. The course sessions are listed alphabetically. If there's any changes to your course session we'll notify you by email in advance.

 

Search alphabetically

Search A-Z of course sessions

 

Search by faculty

Faculty of Business and Law course sessions

Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries course sessions 

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences course sessions

Faculty of Science and Health course sessions

Faculty of Technology course sessions

 


 

Central information hub

Visit our central information hub, located in the Students' Union (PO1 2EF), to check-in, listen to our Key Talks and get your questions answered. 

 

Welcome Talk 

  • Welcome Talk: 09.15am - 09.55am, Students' Union , First Floor (PO1 2EF).

 

Placements Talk

Find out more about your placement options, how they can benefit you and hear directly from current students who are taking advantage of all a placement year can offer. 

  • Placements Talk: 10.00am - 10.30am, Students' Union , First Floor (PO1 2EF).

 

Housing Talk

What is the process for getting a place in our Halls of Residence? What is life like living in Portsmouth? Answer these questions and more when you attend this talk by our student housing team. 

  • Housing Talk: 10.45am - 11.15am, Students' Union , First Floor (PO1 2EF).

 

Parents and Supporters Q & A panel

Ask our Q&A panel of specialist staff and current students your burning questions about housing, finance, University services and life outside study. 

  • Q & A Panel for Parents and Supporters:  2.00pm - 2.45pm, Students' Union , First Floor (PO1 2EF).

 

Info Fair

If you’ve got any questions about health, managing money, living independently, or any other aspects of being a student at Portsmouth, you can speak to our support services at our Information Fair. It’s open from 9.30am–4.00pm.

Find our Student Experience fair in the University Library Foyer (PO1 2ST), and our Student Services Fair in our Careers and Employability building (PO1 2DD)

Who can you speak to at our Student Experience Info Fair?

If you disclose a disability or additional learning need, the Additional Support and Disability Advice Centre (ASDAC) can start to put in place academic support after you accept our offer. Speak to the ASDAC team for confidential advice and guidance.

When you study abroad as part of your degree, you're opening yourself up to a world of opportunities. It looks great on your CV too. 

We have links with institutions around the world, and every year many of our students take the chance to immerse themselves in another culture, learn another language, and gain international contacts and experience.

Learning another language at uni is a great way to meet people, make yourself more employable, and immerse yourself in another culture.

Our Institution-wide Language Programme (IWLP) gives all the student the opportunity to learn a new language alongside their degree course for free. In some cases, you will gain credits towards your degree,.

You can choose from 8 languages:

  • Arabic
  • British Sign Language
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Mandarin Chinese
  • Spanish

Our Residence Life Team is always there if you need help, advice or support. They also provide out-of-hours pastoral care 7 days a week, all year round.

Portsmouth is a great city for sport. 

As the UK's only island city, we're an ideal location for all kinds of water sports. We're home to great locations for outdoor and indoor sports too, and we've got national parks right on our doorstep. You'll find more than 40 sports teams and countless societies and clubs to join as a student here - so whether you're interested in competition or more social activities, we've got you covered.

An outstanding new sports centre for you to play, train and compete in, is opened in 2022. Some of the facilities include a 25m 8-lane swimming pool, bouldering and climbing walls, ski simulator and 8 court sports hall.

Speak to the Sport and Recreation team at the Information Fair to find out more about how you can benefit from the facilities during your time studying with us.

Independently run by our student, for our students - the University of Portsmouth Students' Union (UPSU) is there to support you with every aspect of your student life.

The Union is buzzing with inspiring people who are improving their skills, taking on new experiences and motivating others to get involved. If you want to meet new people, get involved with one of more than 100 student groups, or check out what's happening on campus each week, the Students' Union is the place to go.

Coming to uni is exciting but it can be challenging too. Moving to a new city - and into a new period in your life - can affect your mental health, physical health and wellbeing.

We're here to support you, every step of the way. From day one, our Student Wellbeing Service and Residence Life Team will help you settle in and support your mental health. You can get help through them, or through their partnerships with wellbeing organisations across the city.

Who can you speak to at our Student Services Info Fair?

Accepting an offer to study here is simple. If you'd like to speak to our friendly Admissions Team, you can find them at the Information Fair.

From day one of your degree – and for 5 years after you graduate – our Careers team are here to support you.

Whether you're looking for a part-time job while you study, a volunteering opportunity to grow your skills, work experience or placement to put your learning into practice, we can help. We'll also give you expert support when you apply and interview with employers, help you plan your career, and even give you advice on starting your own business.

Taking responsibility for your finances can feel like a big step, but we're here to help.

Whether you need advice on how to manage your money - or you've got questions about paying for uni or getting your student loan sorted - our Student Finance Centre is here to give you expert advice and guidance.

We know that moving away from home is a big step. We want to make sure you find accommodation to suit your needs. Discuss your options with the Student Housing team in person.

Degree apprenticeships allow you to work as an employee while you study part time. They combine academic study from a traditional university degree with practical on-the-job experience and employment skills you need for a successful career.

 


 

Tours

Take the opportunity to explore our campus, the halls of residence, library and brand new sports centre. 

 

Guided Campus Tours

Tours depart every 15 minutes from outside the Students’ Union (PO1 2EF) building between 9.30am–4.00pm and last 35-45 minutes. Our ambassadors will point out key buildings you could be studying in, as well as other relevant buildings. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore the rest of the campus with them as well as ask them any questions along the way. You’ll be in smaller groups than at our Open Days, so it’s a more personalised experience. 

 

Halls Tours

Our accommodation tours, running between 9.30am–4.00pm, are one of the most popular activities of our Open Experience Days. It's your chance to see where you might be living next year.

Make your way to each halls of residence where our ambassadors will be waiting to give you a tour of a standard room and kitchen. You'll discover lots of useful information about each hall based on our students' experiences.

There’s no need to book - just turn up and join the next tour. Tours last around 20-30 minutes.

If you require to view a disabled access room, please contact us at aed@port.ac.uk in advance of your visit.

The halls open to view are:

 

Library Tours

Make your way over to the library and ask the staff inside for more information. They'll be happy to take you on a tour and talk you through the resources we offer students and the different facilities available. Guided tours run from 09.00am - 1.00pm and then self-guided tours are available from 1.00pm .

 

Ravelin Centre Sports Tours

Come and see our impressive new sports centre for yourself. Tours will be taking place at Ravelin Sports Centre (PO1 2SE) from 10.00am–4.00pm, every 30 minutes. Get a feel for the building and find out more about how you can benefit from it during your time studying with us. This tour must be booked in advance.

Book your tour now

 


 

Food and drink

Food

There’s a lot to do on an Open Experience Day but there are plenty of options for keeping your energy up.

You and your guests are entitled to a free lunch meal deal at the cafes in Anglesea Building, Terrace Cafe (next to Students' Union), Dennis Sciama Building, Eldon Building, Park Building, Portland Building and Ravelin Sports Centre. Or, you can get a free lunch from the hot food pop up stall located in our Northern Quarter. Show your Open Experience Day Guide to our catering staff to redeem your free lunch for you and your guests.

If you’re out and about in Portsmouth, there are loads of cafes and restaurants throughout Guildhall Walk, Southsea and Gunwharf Quays featuring well-known names and independents. Ask our staff and students on the day for recommendations, they'll be happy to help.

 

Drinks

Don't forget to stay hydrated. Just ask an ambassador or a member of staff for directions to your nearest catering outlet.

 


 

Getting here

Please note there is no parking at the Students' Union. If you choose to drive, please take a look at the options available to you:

 

Park and ride

Portsmouth has a handy Park and Ride service to save you the hassle of finding parking in the city, for only £4 per day, per vehicle. The car park allocated for Open Experience Day visitors is at:

Park & Ride Portsmouth
Tipner Interchange
M275 Junction 1
Portsmouth
PO2 8AN

Tickets can be purchased through the ticket machines with cash or contactless bank card.

The University Park and Ride bus service runs every 15 minutes (peak) and 30 minutes (off-peak) and will drop you off just outside the Students' Union building. Please allow about 30 minutes to get to us from the car park. If you need help on arrival at the Park and Ride or when you get dropped off, look out for our student ambassadors (dressed in purple).

 

University Car Parks

Open Experience Days visitors can park for free in the University car parks listed below so please ignore the car parking signs. The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system will be switched off.

Car parks can be used on a first-come first-served basis and tend to fill up quickly on the day. Take a look at their locations below and plan your journey:

 

City centre parking

To get to car parking closest to the University, use the M27 (from the west) or A3(m)/A27 (from the east) and take the M275 into Portsmouth (signed 'Portsmouth West'). Ignore the M27/A27 junctions signed to Southsea and Hilsea.

On-street, pay-and-display parking is available close to campus and to the check-in venue. There are also public car parks throughout the City. There's more information about city centre car parking on the Portsmouth City Council website.

 

Electric vehicle charging points

The most convenient electric vehicle charging points are located at the Park and Ride depot or in Gunwharf Quays car park. 

Trains

The closest station to the University is Portsmouth and Southsea. It's a 5-minute walk from the nearest University buildings and close to all parts of the campus.

Plan your train journey to Portsmouth on the National Rail website.

 

Further travel information

There's more travel information our maps and directions page.

 


 

Need to know more?

If you've got questions, give our Open Experience Day team a call on +44 (0)23 9284 2748 or email aed@port.ac.uk.