St Mary's University, Twickenham

By ALASTAIR MCCALL, DAILY MAIL UNIVERSITY GUIDE EDITOR Published: 13:06, 12 August 2026 | Updated: 13:06, 12 August 2026 Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. The opening of the Centenary Building this autumn marks two institution-defining events for St Mary's, one of the smallest and most distinctive universities in this guide. The first is the 100th anniversary of the founding of its attractive Strawberry Hill campus and the second is the opening of the university's School of Medicine, housed in the new development, which welcomes its first intake in September 2026. The latter has the potential to be among the most significant in the university's history, admitting St Mary's to the exclusive club of universities with medical schools. Initially offering places to only international students, the university will hope to admit UK ones in the coming years. Watch this space. St Mary's began life 175 years ago as a Catholic teacher training college. Its religious foundation - and an associated caring ethos - continues to this day but the university now admits students of all faiths and none. Alongside teacher training - for which St Mary's was our top-ranked institution last year - the university has been best known until now for its ten sport-related degrees, spanning everything from coaching to communications and rehabilitation to psychology. Based in a leafy part of south west London, St Mary's offers a less frantic student experience compared to the London norm. The university has around 5,500 undergraduates, with places for 650 students in halls on campus, which is also home to outstanding sports facilities and the spectacular gothic revival Strawberry Hill House. Your browser does not support iframes. Sports scholarships at St Mary's are graded in the same colours as the medals their athletes hope to win one day. The top gold award, for athletes competing at senior international level, is worth up to £2,000, made up of £1,000 in cash and in-kind support in the form of a gym membership and access to services to help with strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology and performance lifestyle. The silver award (for national or junior international standard athletes) is worth £500 in cash with the same support package, while bronze (for county and regional standard athletes) comes with the support package only. Sports coaching bursaries help students get coaching, officiating and other sports qualifications. The musically talented are also rewarded, with four choral scholarships - for a soprano, alto, tenor and bass - worth up to £2,000 a year and one organ scholarship worth up to £3,000 a year. The university pays a small number of Widening Participation Bursaries worth between £1,000 and £2,000 in each year of study, the sum determined by the number of eligible students in each intake cohort. Not all eligible students receive an award, but those who are eligible are invited to apply for funding after enrolment. A St Mary's Cares Bursary of £3,000 per year is awarded to students who have been in care or who are estranged from their parents. There are over 650 places in student accommodation for undergraduates and postgraduates. All self-catered rooms are reserved for postgraduates, leaving undergraduates with catered halls only and a choice of shared or en suite bathrooms. Prices for 2026-27 range from £7,061 for a 36-week tenancy up to £11,836. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Admissions, teaching and student support The standard offer for St Mary's degrees ranges between 112 and 128 UCAS points (equivalent to BBC to ABB at A-level). However, the university's contextual offers scheme can reduce the ask to as low as 96 points (CCC or BCD) with typically a 16-point reduction. Among the qualifying criteria for contextual offers are taking part in a widening participation programme, such as Saturday Club, living in a postcode among the 20% considered to be the most deprived, being eligible for free school meals, having been in care, being estranged from parents or having studied at one of South Thames College, Kingston College, Merton College and Carshalton College. St Mary's outreach and schools and colleges teams work extensively in the capital in areas of disadvantage and with groups traditionally under-represented in higher education to encourage applications. Student support operates on several levels, with a university counselling service and mental health advisers at its heart and the chaplaincy also offering help. Resident mentors, security staff and student senior residents all undergo mental health training, providing round-the-clock support for residential students. And all students have 24/7 access to the Togetherall and Student Space online mental health and wellbeing apps. St Mary's has perhaps the most developed programme of any university around the issue of sexual consent. Each student is required to take an online induction module and those living in halls of residence must attend a meeting on the subject. Student ambassadors and all those who hold senior positions in sports teams and societies are required to undergo training in keeping students safe.