Your guide to our city
Hull is often seen as a place apart. Yet one that plays its part on the world stage: pushing, performing, punching way above its weight. You might not think a city at the end of the line could start so much. You’d be wrong…
Think you know Hull? Think again.
We’ve become one of the country’s most talked-about destinations. And for all the right reasons.
One of the UK’s coolest postcodes
to move to in the UK in 20251
Ranked 2nd best place to visit
in the UK in Time Out's 2024 guide2
There’s an extra special brand of Northern friendliness here. We call it Hullness. Dip your toes in and discover our quirks, our culture, our hidden gems. Let’s explore the possibilities waiting for you around every corner.
About the city of Hull
1 min
A city that is in the world, yet sufficiently
on the edge of it to have a different resonance
Philip Larkin
A city not fit for a king
Strictly speaking, we’re called Kingston upon Hull. We dropped the royal part of our name after we denied the authoritarian King Charles I entry in 1642. That act helped spark the English Civil War – and brought down a monarchy.
We’ve been doing things differently ever since.
More life. Less cost.
Thinking about money? Don’t. Hull is the most affordable city in the country.3 You won’t have to worry about making your student budget stretch. In fact, you might be so busy enjoying life here that you stop thinking about money altogether. Now, wouldn’t that be a profitable position to be in?
How Hull changed the world
The city of uncommon sense
Hull is a haven for unconventionally brilliant minds. This proud port has launched generations of freethinkers and changemakers to the world. Each of them way ahead of their time – at exactly the right time.
1833
Hull-born MP William Wilberforce dedicated his life to ending slavery. One month after his death, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 became law.
1834
Born in Hull in 1834, John Venn was an English mathematician, logician and philosopher who gave the world the Venn diagram. Today, it’s used everywhere from logic and maths to memes and marketing.
1863
Ebenezer Cobb Morley, the founding father of the FA, was born in Hull. In 1863, he wrote football’s first rulebook – the game wouldn’t be the same without him.
1930
Pioneering pilot Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia. She broke records, shattered stereotypes, and made history in the skies.
1946
Mick Ronson, Hull-born guitarist, was born and went on to become the genius behind Bowie’s Spiders from Mars. His sound shaped an era – and influenced legends like Bob Dylan and Lou Reed.
1955
From Philip Larkin to J.R.R. Tolkien, Hull has inspired generations of poets, playwrights and novelists. Their words shaped the world, and in 1955 Larkin joined the University as our librarian.
1967
Without Professor George Gray’s breakthrough in LCD technology, there’d be no smartphones, laptops or flat-screen TVs. Hull helped the world see things differently.
1968
Lillian Bilocca led the Headscarf Revolutionaries to fight for safety at sea. She became a national figure, changing maritime law and saving lives.
We're quirky and we know it...
We evolved to be different. Always for the big things, and often for the little things.
Why not cream phone boxes?
In Hull, our phone network is run by KCOM, not BT. We painted our boxes cream to stand out – and stand apart. Different is what we do.
Chip spice
Every Hull student knows you can't graduate without trying our famous chip spice. Rules are rules, and all that.
The middle of somewhere
We’re a city on the edge of things, but very much the heart and soul of the country. The last stop, but always the first to say hello.
- Under 3 hours to London
- Nightly ferries to Rotterdam
- Easy flights across Europe
Did you know? Our Old Town has been the backdrop to Netflix thrillers and Channel 4 dramas. The Crown, Enola Holmes 2, Victoria and Blitz have all been filmed here. Welcome to Hullywood!
Hull’s unbeatable connections
Where to next? Anywhere.
With the Yorkshire Coast on one side and Europe on the other, Hull’s horizons stretch far and wide.
- Beach walks, coastal hikes and epic sunsets
- Day trips to Beverley, York, Leeds or London
- Ferries to Europe, flights to the world
This is your launchpad. The adventure starts now.
Take a look before you see
Want the bird's eye view before you get up close? Our virtual tours give you an overview of campus, with insights into accommodation, academic buildings and places for sports and socialising.
11 coolest UK postcodes to move to in 2025, Sunday Times.
The 15 best places to visit in the UK in 2024, Time Out.
Finder.com Student living cost calculator. Correct as of July 2025.