Bath Spa University
Bath Spa University is a UK public university serving undergraduate, postgraduate, teacher training, and international students across five campuses in Bath and London, with a strategic focus on creativity, arts, and professional education.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersBath, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bath Spa University does
Bath Spa University is a UK public higher education institution headquartered in Bath, England, established as a university in 2005 with institutional heritage dating to the 19th century and over 80 years of teacher training experience. The university delivers undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, doctoral research degrees, initial teacher training (PGCE and BA Primary Education with QTS), short courses, Skills Bootcamps, and community learning across disciplines including art and design, business, computing, creative writing, education, performing arts, sciences, and social sciences. It operates across five campuses: Newton Park (main countryside campus), Locksbrook, and Sion Hill in Bath, plus BSU London campuses at Canary Wharf and Hackney for international and professional programmes including an MBA.
The business model is anchored on tuition fee income from UK undergraduates (funded primarily through Student Finance England loans), higher-fee international student tuition, UK research council and charity research grants, on-campus accommodation and catering (across Bankside House, Charlton Court, Waterside Court, Lakeside Village and Twerton Mill halls), and ancillary commercial activity via wholly-owned subsidiaries including Bath Spa Live, EMERGE creative studio, and SOMER social enterprise retail. Pricing is programme-tiered, with scholarships ranging from £500 undergraduate awards through £2,000 postgraduate alumni discounts to £2,000-£4,000 international scholarships at Bath and London campuses. The university operates UCAS-led undergraduate admissions, direct postgraduate applications, an international agent network with regional offices (notably in India), and short-course open enrolment.
Underlying technology platforms include a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for course delivery, the Ultra student portal, Microsoft Teams for interviews and teaching, Figshare-based research data repositories (ResearchSPAce and BathSPAdata), and university-wide Adobe Creative Campus licensing for creative disciplines. The university's Strategy 2035 positions it as 'The Professionally Creative university for the future', with emphasis on applied research, innovation-intensive learning, and industry partnerships. Governance is led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Susan Rigby and Chair Jonathan Glasspool, operating as an independent chartered public institution accountable to the UK Office for Students.
Bath Spa University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bath Spa University
- Legal name
- Bath Spa University
- Website
- https://bathspa.ac.uk
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Bath Spa University is a UK public university serving undergraduate, postgraduate, teacher training, and international students across five campuses in Bath and London, with a strategic focus on creativity, arts, and professional education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bath Spa University industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities (EDAHABAG)
Keywords
Where Bath Spa University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bath
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Bath Spa University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Domestic Tuition Fees: Fee income from UK/EU undergraduate and postgraduate students funded through Student Finance England loans or self-funded
- International Tuition Fees: Higher fee income from international students including those at London campuses (Hackney and Canary Wharf)
- Research Grants and Contracts: Funding from UK research councils, charities, and industry for research activities
- Accommodation and Catering: On-campus accommodation services including halls (Bankside House, Charlton Court, Waterside Court, Lakeside Village, Twerton Mill) and food outlets
- Short Courses and Continuing Professional Development: Skills Bootcamps, community learning, and CPD programmes for professional development
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | The Undergraduate Scholarship awards £500 to students achieving AAB or better than predicted grades |
| Subscription | Annual | Postgraduate Alumni Scholarship provides £2,000 towards tuition fees for BSU graduates |
| Other | Annual | International student scholarships: £2,000 for Bath campuses, £4,000 for MBA at London Hackney campus |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Bath Spa University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bath Spa University is a UK public university delivering undergraduate degree programmes, postgraduate taught and research degrees, and initial teacher training (PGCE/QTS) across eight academic schools with a focus on creativity, culture, and enterprise. It also offers short courses, Skills Bootcamps, continuing professional development, and international exchange programmes through its Bath and London campuses. The university funds research through grants, provides on-campus accommodation and catering, and runs enterprise initiatives such as EMERGE (creative studio) and SOMER (social enterprise retail).
Product overview
Bath Spa University is a higher education institution offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and research degree programmes across eight academic schools. The core educational offering comprises undergraduate degrees (with foundation year options), taught postgraduate programmes (MA, MSc, MBA), and doctoral research degrees. Supporting products include Teacher Training (PGCE/QTS), Short Courses and Skills Bootcamps, and Distance Learning options. The university operates London campuses (Canary Wharf and Hackney), international exchange through Go Global, and enterprise initiatives including EMERGE creative studio and SOMER retail project. Technology platforms include ResearchSPAce institutional repository, BathSPAdata figshare platform, and Virtual Learning Environment. The institution's Strategy 2035 positions it as 'The Professionally Creative university' emphasising creative education and skills development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Undergraduate Degree Programmes
- Postgraduate Degree Programmes
- Teacher Training (PGCE & QTS)
- Short Courses and Skills Bootcamps
- Distance Learning
- Go Global (International Exchange)
- Community Learning
- Research Degrees (MPhil/PhD)
- University Accommodation
- BSU London (Canary Wharf and Hackney Campuses)
- EMERGE (Creative Studio)
- SOMER (Social Enterprise Retail)
Quantifiable outcome
- BSU rises 17 places in 'Top 50 UK Universities on TikTok' list (2026)
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Bath Spa University
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Bath Spa University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Bath Spa University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UWE BristolcoreBath Spa University is a founding member of Universities West, a regional forum of West of England universities launched to strengthen collaboration and support economic growth. The founding documents were signed at University of the West of England on 30 June 2026.
- Fashion Museum BathcorePartnership to develop a new digital fashion platform announced in May 2026. Includes crowdsourced scanning project with Youth Connect South West to bring collections to life through digital scanning.
- Santander UniversitiescoreOngoing partnership supporting international student mobility, Go Global exchange programmes, and student entrepreneurship initiatives.
- Royal United Hospitals (RUH)minorHealthcare partnership providing clinical placement opportunities for health-related programmes and collaborative research.
- Bath City FCminorFootball club partnership aligned with Strategy 2035 demonstrating community professional creativity embodiment.
- Holburne MuseumminorCultural partnership providing student placement opportunities and exhibition collaborations.
- Theatre Royal BathminorTheatre partnership for performing arts students and creative industry collaborations.
- AdobecoreAdobe Creative Campus designation providing university-wide access to Adobe software for creative disciplines including TV, film, design, and media students.
- MicrosoftcoreUniversity uses Microsoft Teams for interviews, teaching, and student communication. Part of broader technology integration.
- Southwest Creative Technology NetworkminorPart of Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries network for creative technology collaboration across the South West region.
- Bath Social Impact NetworkminorPartnership supporting social enterprise and community impact initiatives in Bath region.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bath Spa University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Falmouth University: UK specialist creative university strong in art, design, media and performing arts with similar size and creative-discipline portfolio comparable to Bath Spa.
- University for the Creative Arts: UK specialist creative-arts university with multi-campus delivery across the South of England, directly comparable in arts, design, and media specialism.
- University of Chichester: Mid-sized UK university with significant performing arts, education, and creative-arts provision — comparable regional creative-HE competitor with strong teacher-training heritage.
- Bishop Grosseteste University: Smaller UK university historically rooted in teacher training with arts and humanities provision — closely comparable teacher-training specialism and scale.
- York St John University: Mid-sized UK university with comparable scope across education, creative arts, and humanities — competing for similar domestic undergraduate applicants.
- University of Winchester: Mid-sized UK university offering education, arts, and humanities programmes; competes with Bath Spa for UK applicants and has similar professional/creative positioning.
- Plymouth College of Art: South-West specialist creative-arts college offering higher-education art and design programmes — geographically proximate and directly comparable specialisation.
- Arts University Bournemouth: Specialist UK arts university focused on art, design, media and performance with similar size and creative-HE positioning to Bath Spa.
- University of the Arts London: UK specialist creative-arts higher education institution with six colleges offering design, fashion, media, and performing arts — directly comparable creative-arts HE positioning and London presence.
- Leeds Arts University: UK specialist creative-arts university delivering degrees in art, design, film and music — direct comparator for Bath Spa's arts-design offer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bath Spa University social profiles
Digital presenceBath Spa University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bath Spa University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Bath Spa University subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Bath Spa University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bath Spa University M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bath Spa University
What does Bath Spa University do?
Bath Spa University is a UK public university delivering undergraduate degree programmes, postgraduate taught and research degrees, and initial teacher training (PGCE/QTS) across eight academic schools with a focus on creativity, culture, and enterprise. It also offers short courses, Skills Bootcamps, continuing professional development, and international exchange programmes through its Bath and London campuses. The university funds research through grants, provides on-campus accommodation and catering, and runs enterprise initiatives such as EMERGE (creative studio) and SOMER (social enterprise retail).
Is Bath Spa University a public or private company?
Bath Spa University is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Bath Spa University founded?
Bath Spa University was founded in 2005. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Bath Spa University based?
Bath Spa University is headquartered in Bath, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Bath Spa University make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Domestic Tuition Fees are the primary driver. The others are international Tuition Fees, research Grants and Contracts, accommodation and Catering and short Courses and Continuing Professional Development.
Who are Bath Spa University's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Falmouth University, University for the Creative Arts, University of Chichester, Bishop Grosseteste University, York St John University, University of Winchester, Plymouth College of Art, Arts University Bournemouth, University of the Arts London and Leeds Arts University.
Does Bath Spa University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bath Spa University.
What industry is Bath Spa University in?
Bath Spa University's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAG, Arts, Humanities & Creative Research Universities. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.