Sheffield Hallam University

The beautiful town of Sheffield, large, expansive, a thoroughly modern city. I visit regularly, about £6 return on the train from wakefield I use the supertramp free.the Centre of Sheffield is surprisingly fresh, the town hall is a beauty by itself, likewise the cathedral, I often visit Hillsborough to the north of the city centre, and return in the early afternoon to visit the art gallery and the winter gardens, if you're looking for a spot of lunch, I would just go to the moors market᜵within the market are about 12 different food outlets, they are not expensive, entire area is very friendly.

This university operates more like a business than an educational institution. Don't expect strong support for student wellbeing or academic guidance unless you're paying extra or constantly chasing staff. Most of their advertised “services” — like gyms, clubs, and events — are just flashy promotion tools. If you're looking for genuine care and academic support, think twice before choosing this place.

I’m writing this review to share my experience with student support and administration during a difficult time in my life. When I was at university, I had already decided not to continue into the following academic year due to personal circumstances—including serious mental health struggles and the loss of a close family member. Despite this, student support advised me to enrol so I wouldn’t miss the cut-off date, assuring me that it was the right step. I trusted their guidance. Unfortunately, I dropped out within a month or two. I never attended any lectures and remained in contact with student support throughout, explaining my situation and the reasons I couldn’t continue. I expected compassion and flexibility. Instead, I was later sent to debt collectors for unpaid tuition fees for that term. I was shocked. I had made it clear how much I was struggling, and I had followed the advice given to me. Yet four years later, I’m still paying off this debt through a management company. It feels like I was penalised for seeking help and being honest about my situation. This experience has left me deeply disappointed. Universities often speak about supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing, but in my case, those words didn’t translate into action. I hope sharing this helps others think twice and encourages institutions to treat vulnerable students with more care and understanding

Been at this university for three years now, final semester and then I am done. I cannot explain how much I would not recommend this place, for many reasons as I will explain. Starting with the location issues. This university is right in the centre, meaning if you want to drive to university, there is limited option available and if you are disabled with a blue badge, there is a very small section for blue badge holders, but this is usually full. The university is not fully accessible for blue badge holders, and this is something they are meant to be working on to make better. Teaching, the teaching in this university is below parr, I have studied at two different universities now, Cardiff Metropolitan University being one of them, and this university exceeds below the average. Most lectures usually deal with lecturers reading a powerpoint, in which asking for help usually isn’t allowed in lectures, seminars are where you can ask questions. Lectures read really fast off the slides so the lecture can finish early, in which most cases a 2 hour lecture will last 1 hour, this 1 hour is a whole hour of powerpoint reading, no actual teaching. Timetables, the timetables are really bad, for every semester of the course I have had a new timetable, and in every timetable there is always a lecture for example, around 9am for 1 hour, and then no more lectures for the rest of the day. So, going all the way to university for someone to read off a powerpoint for a 1 hour lecture that will probably only last 45 minutes. Lectures, lectures discriminate and do hold grudges against you, if you get on their bad side, they will almost guarantee you will fail. Not much more can be said about this, as it’s as simple as it sounds. They do bully people in a passive aggressive way. Essays are not submitted anonymously so if you get the wrong lecturer assessing your work, you will be to be very lucky to pass. Lectures Pt.2, the university website or staff at university will probably tell you that you will have constant access to support, what they mean is mental health support, and learning access on your account, (powerpoint slides), they do not mean support from lectures, on average, getting a response from a lecturer about any questions you have will usually lead to them replying, telling you to go and look at some powerpoints they have provided, and this usually takes 2-3 days for them to reply with this. If you ask more than 2-3 times the same question, they will answer with the answers for the questions or help you need. Overall, this university prides themself with a lot of lies, I came to this university from an amazing university because I wanted to do a different degree, but the issues with this university will definitely make your time at university a problem. If you do decide to go, make sure you don’t question any of the lecturers powerpoints, as they will dislike you, make sure you can learn all the content by yourself, the lectures will not help you. Make sure you have efficient transport, probably getting the train would be the best option, or walking. Finally, make sure you have a strong head, and can deal with being bullied by teacher, (you can complain about these teachers but nothing will ever happen). If this all looks good for you, then this is the place to go. I was very reluctant doing this review as this will probably cause me to fail my year, but I don’t want anyone else to go through what I have been through with this university. Some staff are really nice, but that’s a very few amount.

My experience at Sheffield Hallam University has been, frankly, disheartening. While I arrived with enthusiasm and high expectations for academic and personal growth, what I encountered instead was a system that often prioritizes financial gain over student well-being and integrity. From the beginning, there were red flags—misleading communications from overseas agents, inconsistent support systems, and an environment that, at times, felt transactional rather than transformational. For an institution that markets itself as student-focused, the lived reality often tells a very different story. Academic engagement felt shallow, and support services that were promised—especially to international students—often lacked follow-through. In moments of stress or need, the response was frequently bureaucratic and cold, rather than empathetic or solution-oriented. It’s difficult to thrive in a space where mental and emotional well-being are sidelined in favour of administrative processes and financial optics. I have, in all honesty, disengaged emotionally and mentally from the university. The only reason I continue is for my personal growth and to complete what I started. But I no longer trust the institution. I now see it as part of a broader system where vulnerable international students are sometimes exploited by agents and institutions alike—sold a dream that quickly dissolves upon arrival. I am actively researching and documenting the manipulative tactics used by both recruitment agents and the university itself. I hope to use my experience not only as a lesson but as a platform to advocate for transparency and reform in how international students are recruited and supported.