2025 at BSU
News
Fresh Starts, Record Rises and Historic Achievements: A snapshot of life at BSU in 2025
Friday, 19 December, 2025Every year at BSU is a highlight reel of amazing moments, incredible achievements and poignant points to pause and reflect – and 2025 has been no different.
As another memorable year comes to a close, we’re looking back at just a few of the amazing things our BSU community has achieved over the past 12 months.
We welcomed our new Vice-Chancellor
2025 got off to a flyer, with Professor Georgina Andrews being announced as the new Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University in December 2024 and officially taking up the role in January 2025.
BSU was rated the highest rising University in the UK according to The Guardian
BSU rose 47 places to 61st in the Guardian League table this year. The result sees BSU rise to its highest ranking in the Guardian league table since 2014, a testament to our commitment to high-quality teaching provision and our focus on inclusion.
We saved 10,000 cups from landfill with our reusable cup scheme
One year on from introducing our reusable cup scheme, we significantly reduced our use of disposable cups and saved enough cups from landfill to stretch from the entrance of Newton Park campus all the way to Café Commons – that's just over one kilometre!
One of our students founded her own charity to help her local community
When LLB Law student Aishah Ahmed saw people in her community struggling with food insecurity, she decided to take action – not by donating to charity, but by starting her own.
Aishah’s Food Charity is a local hot meal food bank supporting people in Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding area who are struggling with food insecurity. The charity also provides hot food to the homeless, homeless shelters, family centres and other organisations who support food insecurity initiatives.
We unveiled a new mural reflecting the experiences of disabled people
A team at BSU harnessed the power of art to present their research findings on the experiences of disabled people in the South West by commissioning an artist to create a mural. It is currently on display in the University’s Commons building.
BSU and Bath City FC’s partnership reached new heights
It was another highlight year for BSU and Bath City FC. In March, just after International Women’s Day, BSU students and staff teamed up to help Bath City Women break their all-time attendance record.
Adding to that slice of history, BSU now also proudly sponsors the Bath City FC Women’s team. For the first time in the club’s 120-year history all three teams have the same sponsor and identical shirt design.
Speaking of shirts, there was another monumental moment when BSU student won a competition to design Bath City’s third shirt – boasting over 300 sales!
A BSU lecturer won a national award in Parliament for social inclusion
Dr Sharon Colilles, Reader in Inclusive Early Childhood Education and leader of our Centre for Research in Early Childhood (REaCH) won the ‘Strong Foundations in Early Years’ award for her commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity and boosting social mobility at the prestigious Purpose Coalition ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ Awards held in the Houses of Parliament.
BSU won Best University Employability Strategy Award 2025
Our Careers and Employability team headed to London for TargetJobs' annual National Graduate Recruitment Awards, proudly taking home the prestigious award for Best University Employability Strategy 2025.
We opened our new Somer store in the city centre
BSU’s exciting new Somer Store celebrated its grand opening in June, with hundreds of shoppers taking to the floor to browse the range of creations made by students, staff and local brands.
We honoured some of Bath’s most important historical figures with trees on campus
We also paid homage to the women’s suffrage movement in Bath with a plaque commemorating our ‘Suffragette Tree’ at Newton Park - nearly 14 years to the day since the tree was planted.
Bath Spa University launched a new ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ Impact Report
The University published its ‘Breaking Down Barriers for Inclusive Growth’ Impact Report in partnership with The Purpose Coalition at a Parliamentary Reception held in Westminster. The report explored the University’s wider social impact and how the institution is using creativity and innovation to successfully address the key issues of our age.
We improved in all areas in the National Student Survey 2025
BSU improved in all areas of the National Student Survey assessment, achieving a clear year-on-year improvement in the positivity measure for all sections of the survey, including Learning Opportunities, Organisation and Management and Learning Resources, whilst continuing to be ahead of the sector in areas such as Assessment and Feedback, and Academic Support.
BSU’s Adult Skills provision was recognised a ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted
The University’s Adult Skills provision, including Skills Bootcamps and Adult Community Learning, was recognised as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in a report that highlighted innovative and impactful work across the region, noting the quality of the curriculum, rigorous evaluation and the focus on additional needs and SEN support for learners.
We opened our second London site at Canary Wharf
In October 2025, we opened a second teaching site in London as part of our continued expansion in the capital following the successful opening of BSU London, in Hackney, in 2020.
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The new Bath Spa University London (Canary Wharf) site is now home to over 2,000 adult learners who are already studying BSU degrees in Health and Social Care Management, Business and Management and Computing.
We appointed a new Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Professor Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor in October 2025 and took up her role on 1 November 2025.
BSU launched its 2025 Festive Campaign, celebrating over 50 years of student life
Our brand new 2025 festive film, titled ‘Our Old House’ launched on December 1 and generated over 50,000 engagements across social media, with over 20 BSU students, staff and alumni coming together to create a love letter to life at BSU.
The film also features an original song – written by BSU Acting student Eli May Basile.
BSU was named as the 2nd most sustainable University in the UK.
Rounding out the year in spectacular fashion, BSU was named as the second most ethical and sustainable university in the country in the latest People & Planet University League Table, and first in the South West.
Bath Spa University holds sustainability as one of our four core values and this recognition is testament to our commitment to ethical and sustainable growth.