The following resources will tell you all you need to know about studying through one of our partner colleges, and what support you can expect from BU during your studies.
If you are a student studying on a franchised or validated course at one of our partner colleges your course will be delivered by staff at your college. However, BU is the awarding institution and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the learning opportunities offered to you are adequate to enable you to achieve the academic standard required to successfully complete the course. If you do complete your course successfully, you will receive a BU certificate at the end of your studies.
The main difference between studying on franchised and validated courses is that:
- As a student on a BU franchised course you will be enrolled as a BU student and can therefore access a whole range of resources and facilities.
- As a student on a BU validated course you will be enrolled as a college student and the college are responsible for all the resources and facilities you will need to access.
If you are unsure which information best suits you, please use the franchised and validated programme list to find out more information about your course. If you aren't studying on any of these programmes please read students from other partners.
Students starting in September
The franchised partner student summary and validated partner student summary provide helpful information for you to start your BU journey at one of our partner colleges.
Read below for more information about the support available from BU:
Contact our partner colleges
Information for students on franchised courses
If you're studying on a franchised course, you can access a number of our services and facilities, from joining BU's Students' Union (SUBU) societies to getting advice from our Careers & Employability service. You'll also have full access to our libraries and their extensive resources. Plus the use of our fantastic SportBU facilities and activities.
Becoming a member of SUBU and joining a club or society is a brilliant way to meet other students away from your course and to really get involved in university life.
Although your college will provide you with careers and placements advice, you are also welcome to contact the Careers & Employability team at BU and access their varied online resources through MyCareerHub. However, you will not be eligible to apply for any of BU's study or work abroad schemes.
Get involved
Information for students on validated courses
If you're studying on a validated course, you will still be able to access some of our facilities and services, as well as getting involved with other aspects of university life. You can apply for associate membership with BU's Students' Union (SUBU), which will still allow you to join all of the clubs and societies. The only difference to full membership is that you won't be allowed to vote in SUBU elections.
You can also apply for external membership to our libraries, which will allow you to access the resources on both campuses. Plus the use of our fantastic SportBU facilities and activities. However, you won't be able to access the BU Careers & Employability Service. Your College will provide you with advice and guidance on careers and placements. Unfortunately you won't be eligible to apply for any of BU's study or work abroad schemes.
