Welcome to Francis Close Hall Campus
Saturday 18 October, 10am – 3pm
Jump to: Your schedule | Getting here | Accommodation | Your new home on campus | Explore Cheltenham | Questions
Your open day
Get the best possible feel for what it’s like to study at UoG at our open day.
There’s so much on offer! You’ll get to talk to lecturers and specialist teams such as Accommodation, Admissions, Money Advice, Student Support and Disability and Wellbeing. Plus, student ambassadors will be on hand all day to answer your questions and show you around.
If there’s anything you need that’s not covered on this page, you can take a look at the FAQs.
What to expect from your open day?
Getting here
The campus address is: Francis Close Hall, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 4AZ
There’s limited parking onsite, so we recommend you head to the Racecourse Park and Ride (GL50 4SH) and catch the free bus to the campus. Accessible parking spaces will be available at Francis Close Hall for blue badge holders.
Please view the bus timetable to help plan your journey if you choose to park at the Racecourse Park & Ride.
When you arrive our friendly student ambassadors will direct you to check in.
You can also travel to us via public transport.
Maps
Open day travel bursaries
Got concerns over how you’ll pay for travel to UoG?
We recognise that the cost of travelling to university events can be a barrier, especially with the current rise in living expenses. To support as many prospective students as possible to attend, we’re offering a travel bursary to eligible applicants* to help cover transport costs for our Open Day on Saturday 18 October 2025.
To apply, please fill out this form and we’ll be in touch to confirm if you are eligible.
*Eligibility criteria is based on our Access and Participation Plan . Travel support must be requested in advance. Contributions towards travel will be reimbursed after the event, unless other arrangements have been made with the organisers.
Great Western Railway (GWR) is offering a 20% discount on advance purchase rail tickets to our open day on Saturday 18 October 2025.
Advance tickets must be booked using this webpage by 6pm the day before travel. No code is needed; the discount is applied automatically (subject to availability).
Fixed-date tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable.
Need help booking your ticket? Call GWR on 0345 700 0125 (option 3, then option 1).
This offer is only available for travel on GWR services. If you are travelling from or within a region of the country that is not part of this network, then you will need to purchase a separate ticket.
The destination must be relevant to University of Gloucestershire. For example, Gloucester Station and Cheltenham Spa Station.
Origin of the journey must be within the GWR network, but please note that Advance Purchase tickets are not available for short-distance journeys.
The scheme is only available for use with Advance Purchase tickets. These set times and dates of travel are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
The Open Days GWR travel offer is available for the dates provided by University of Gloucestershire and the week that the event takes place, running from Saturday to the next Sunday. So, stay for more than a day to get a feel for the local scene.
Discount can be used with the Railway Card 16-25. Tick the box on the page next to it and select from the drop-down menu
Your schedule
View your schedule below, including various talks and opportunities to explore our campus.
Tip: you can open each section for more information on each, including course talk times.
Check in at the marquee on Chapel Lawn and grab a printed programme with course talk times and locations.
10.30am – 11.15am:
For all courses
This is your overview of who we are and what we stand for. Plus get a student’s perspective on their uni experience so far.
Location: Chapel
Find out when your course talk and taster sessions are happening – we’ll let you know where to go when you check in on the day. Please note – if you’re visiting to find out more about integrated foundation degrees, you should attend the course talk for the full degree.
Our student ambassadors will share their experience, provide hints and tips of how to budget, maintain a good work/study balance and share an overview of a typical weekly planner.
Location: HC204
Tours and important extras – available all day
These teams will be available all day in the marquee to answer any questions you have.
Academics will be available all day in the marquee to answer any questions you have about your course. Please come and say hello to find out more.
Our campus tours run every 15 minutes from the campus tours desk located in the marquee. They’re led by our student ambassadors and you can ask them anything about the campus or student life at UoG.
Running all day until 5.30pm, our free shuttle bus will take you to Pittville Student Village where our ambassadors will be waiting to show you around our off-campus accommodation.
Refer to the map you were given when checking in to see where the bus stop is just outside the campus. Check the Buses FAQ section for more detailed timings.
Cutting-edge laboratories
Our recently refurbished biomedical labs at Francis Close Hall contain a range of equipment including teaching laboratories and research facilities.
Equipment includes class 2 biological safety cabinets, qPCR systems, plate reading spectrophotometers, flow cytometer, ultra centrifugate and fluorescent microscopes.
guaranteed accommodation
As a first-year student studying at FCH, you’re guaranteed accommodation near to the campus.
You’ll be able to view off-campus accommodation at Pittville Student Village as part of your open day.
Pittville has around 800 rooms, a regular bus service, 24/7 security, a gym, studio, laundry facilities, refectory, study-suite and social spaces.
Getting around
Use the FCH campus map to navigate around the campus, locate the rooms you need to visit for talks, and get a feel for the buildings, facilities, spaces and layout.
Visit the campuses page to find out about the other UoG campuses and more about Pittville Student Village.
Explore your new home on campus
Francis Close Hall provides an inspiring setting for your studies – one where ideas and creativity can be rooted in 21st century realities. Known as the ‘Hogwarts campus’, the gothic grounds dating back to 1847 sit alongside modern structures and facilities.
It’s just a short walk from both Cheltenham town centre and The Brewery Quarter, an entertainment hub popular with students which offers shops, restaurants, pubs, a cinema, and bowling. It’s also only 20 minutes’ walk from Pittville Student Village.
You’re likely to become familiar with the main library. The mix of historic architecture, modern facilities, and social study spaces provide the perfect atmosphere to research, write, and collaborate.
With a full range of resources and support available, you’ll be able to ace your assignments and develop professional skills.
Make the most of the local festival culture, with opportunities to perform, contribute, and display your work at Cheltenham’s notable Literature and Poetry Festivals, and at Gloucester’s History Festival.
You could see your work performed on stage by professional actors or displayed in public exhibitions, and will benefit from trips to historic sites and cultural events.
Explore Cheltenham
If you have time to spare, why not make your way into the centre of Cheltenham and get a feel for this vibrant festival town that you’ll call home.
It’s a 10-minute walk or short drive from FCH Campus and has some great options for shopping on the promenade, and plenty of places to eat and drink in the Brewery Quarter.
If you have any questions…
Speak to a member of staff or Student Ambassador who will be happy to help, or take a look at the open day FAQs page.
If you have any questions following your open day, please use the Contact us page to find details of the relevant department to speak to.
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