The University of Sunderland's BSc (Hons) International Tourism and Hospitality Management, offered through the Faculty of Business, Law and Tourism, is one of Sunderland's more distinctive programs, built for a genuinely global industry rather than a UK-only one. Sunderland is not a high-tariff, heavily selective university. It is a mass-volume institution with accessible entry requirements, flexible campuses (Sunderland's North East England site or the London campus at Canary Wharf), and full eligibility for the UK's Graduate Route post-study work visa. For applicants from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in particular, this program is a practical, comparatively affordable route into international hospitality, events, and travel-sector careers, with a UK degree attached.
This guide walks through what the program actually costs, what Sunderland expects from applicants, the English-test rules, and what a Sunderland tourism and hospitality degree can lead to.
Acceptance Rate
The University of Sunderland does not publish a headline acceptance or offer rate, for this program or any other. This is normal for UK universities outside the most selective tier: Sunderland's admissions model is not a numbers-capped competitive process the way Oxbridge or Russell Group universities can be for popular courses. In practice, most applicants who meet the published academic and English-language bar for the course receive an offer.
There is no program-specific figure to report here (Sunderland does not break this out by course), so treat Sunderland as a genuinely accessible university where the real bar to clear is the English-proficiency requirement and the financial/visa evidence needed for the UK Student visa, not competitive academic selection.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
| Cost Item | Amount (GBP/year) |
|---|---|
| Tuition (BSc International Tourism and Hospitality Management, international) | 12,000 |
| Estimated living expenses (Sunderland) | 11,500 |
| Estimated total cost per year | ~23,500 |
Over the standard three-year BSc, this puts total cost in the region of GBP 70,000-72,000 before any scholarship support. This tuition figure is notably lower than Sunderland's Pharmacy program (GBP 17,500/year), consistent with Sunderland's own published guidance that undergraduate international tuition runs roughly GBP 12,000-17,500/year depending on subject, with Tourism and Hospitality sitting toward the lower end. Living costs are lower in Sunderland's North East England campus than at the London (Canary Wharf) campus, where UK Visas and Immigration also sets a higher maintenance-funds requirement. There is no application fee for direct international applications to Sunderland.
Sunderland's International Excellence Scholarship offers a merit-based partial tuition-fee discount for qualifying international undergraduate applicants; the exact amount varies by admissions cycle.
Admission Requirements
Sunderland assesses international applicants against equivalent qualifications rather than a single GPA scale (A-Level, BTEC, IB, or a recognized international secondary qualification). Based on Sunderland's published international undergraduate requirements:
- Academic transcripts/certificates for the relevant secondary qualification (A-Level, BTEC, IB, or recognized equivalent)
- UCAS application and personal statement, or Sunderland's direct international application form
- Academic or school reference
- English language proficiency evidence (IELTS/PTE Academic/TOEFL iBT/Duolingo) unless exempt
- ATAS certificate is not required for this program (it applies mainly to certain engineering, science and technology courses)
Sunderland does not publish a specific minimum grade threshold for this course beyond its general entry bar, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis with a summer cut-off for a September/October start. Applicants who fall short of the direct-entry academic or English requirement can apply through Sunderland's International Foundation Programme, which guarantees progression onto a relevant undergraduate degree once progression criteria are met.
How to Get Into Sunderland's International Tourism and Hospitality Management Program
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Confirm your qualification equivalency early. Because Sunderland assesses each country's secondary qualification against its own equivalency tables rather than a single GPA cutoff, contact Sunderland's international admissions team (or an authorized agent) early to confirm exactly where your grades land before you invest time in test prep or paperwork.
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Clear the IELTS 6.0 bar comfortably, not just barely. The direct-entry requirement is IELTS 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5. Since Writing is the section where borderline applicants from Gabble's core markets most often fall short, prioritize Writing practice specifically rather than assuming a strong Reading/Listening score will average out a weak Writing band.
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Use the International Foundation Programme if you're close but not quite there. If your grades or English score sit just under Sunderland's direct-entry bar, the Foundation Programme is a more reliable path than repeated IELTS resits, since it comes with guaranteed progression onto the degree.
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Decide between the Sunderland and London (Canary Wharf) campuses deliberately. Both offer this degree pathway area, but London carries meaningfully higher living costs and a higher visa maintenance-funds requirement; weigh that against London's career-networking access if you're planning to enter hospitality or events specifically in London.
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Prepare your CAS and financial evidence well ahead of your visa application. Sunderland issues the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) once you have a firm offer and have met the academic and English conditions; have your financial documentation ready so the UK Student visa application isn't delayed.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
Sunderland's undergraduate English-proficiency policy applies to this program like any other Sunderland course:
- IELTS: minimum 6.0 overall, with no component below 5.5; a 6.5 overall is the safer, recommended target
- TOEFL: Sunderland's own TOEFL equivalency table could not be independently confirmed for this profile; several UK universities have scaled back TOEFL acceptance in recent years, so confirm current TOEFL acceptance and thresholds directly with Sunderland's international admissions team before relying on it
- Other accepted tests: PTE Academic, Duolingo English Test
- Waiver: available for applicants who completed a full qualification taught and assessed in English, including from a recognized majority-English-speaking country
For more general context on Sunderland's admissions process and campuses, see Gabble's University of Sunderland guide.
Career Outcomes
Sunderland does not publish employment-rate, starting-salary, or top-recruiter data specifically for this program (or for Sunderland graduates generally), so no verified figures can be reported here. What can be said with confidence is qualitative: international tourism and hospitality is a genuinely global industry, and graduates of this program typically pursue roles across hotel and resort management, event planning, travel and tour operations, airline and cruise-line guest services, and destination marketing, both in the UK and internationally. Sunderland's own transnational network (a London campus, a Hong Kong partner campus, and a wider international student base) gives graduates some built-in exposure to international hospitality markets beyond the UK.
Graduates of this Sunderland degree are eligible for the UK's Graduate Route, granting an unsponsored 2-year post-study work visa, giving graduates time to build UK work experience in hospitality or tourism-adjacent roles before their visa status needs revisiting.
FAQ
Does Sunderland publish an acceptance rate for International Tourism and Hospitality Management? No. Sunderland does not release a course-level or university-wide acceptance rate. Most applicants who meet the published academic and English-language requirements for the course receive an offer.
How much does this program cost for international students? Tuition is GBP 12,000/year, with estimated living costs of GBP 11,500/year, putting total annual cost around GBP 23,500, or roughly GBP 70,000-72,000 across the full three-year degree before any scholarship support.
What IELTS score do I need for this program? The standard requirement is an overall IELTS Academic score of 6.0 with no component below 5.5, though a 6.5 overall is a safer target.
What if my English score falls short of Sunderland's requirement? Sunderland's International Foundation Programme is designed for exactly this situation, offering guaranteed progression onto the main degree once progression criteria are met.
Can I study this program at Sunderland's London campus instead of the North East England campus? Sunderland's London campus at Canary Wharf offers undergraduate, foundation, and top-up courses with up to four intakes a year, though applicants should confirm current course availability directly, since not every Sunderland course runs at every campus in every intake.
Can I work in the UK after graduating from this program? Yes. Graduates of this Sunderland degree are eligible for the UK's Graduate Route, granting a 2-year unsponsored post-study work visa on the same terms as graduates of more selective UK universities.