Thousands of complaints made over Bristol student noise

But one of the city’s universities was worse than the other

University of Bristol students spark far more noise complaints as their University of the West of England counterparts, but are also relatively far more likely to be punished for them.

Between 2020 and 2025, Bristol students were the subject of 2,451 noise complaints, equivalent to more than 40 per month and 47 percent more than their UWE brethren. Of these, 375 resulted in student disciplinary action, meaning 15.30% of complaints led to punishment.

In contrast, UWE students received 1,664 noise complaints over the same period, with just 149 leading to disciplinary measures. This represents only 8.95% of complaints resulting in punishment.

A University of Bristol spokesperson reminded students of the need to treat locals with respect.

“The university is committed to being a good neighbour and encouraging high standards of conduct by all members of our community,” the spokesperson said. “We expect our students to be respectful of their neighbours in both privately-owned and university-owned accommodation.

“All reported allegations of student misconduct are examined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Student Disciplinary Regulations and the University’s local rules and regulations for student behaviour in the community.”

There was a spike in the number of complaints about Bristol students during the height of the Covid pandemic in 2020, when students were largely confined to houses rather than being able to go to bars or clubs to party.

The newly-revealed information, which was compiled from Freedom of Information data provided by universities to bedding company Mattress Next Day, comes as Bristol prepares to welcome back tens of thousands of students ahead of the new academic year.

In 2023/24, 35,925 students were enrolled at UWE, down from a peak of nearly 39,000 the previous year.

There were 32,145 students at Bristol, an almost identical number to the year before, according to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The huge boom in university numbers over the last two decades has led to a debate around whether there are now too many students in the city, with a common complaint from residents being around the vast number of student accommodation towers that are popping up all over Bristol amid a citywide, and national, housing crisis.

Due to cuts in higher education funding and the introduction of student fees during the austerity era ushered in by the Cameron government, universities say they rely on their inflated enrolment numbers to survive.

The University of Bristol is also due to open a new £500m Enterprise Campus on the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office in September 2026.

A UWE spokesperson said the small number of disciplinary measures was due to the university’s approach of deescalating problems when they arose, rather than punishing students for complaints.

“Our Campus Support team respond quickly and effectively to noise complaints by visiting the property and working to deescalate the issue as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said. “A small number of cases may result in disciplinary action due to repeated behaviour or further complaints. Our Accommodation Services team work hard to educate our students on respectful behaviours when living in student accommodation.”

Bristol was the seventh most-complained about student body in the country, according to the data.

Oxford Brookes University took out the unenviable top spot, with over 5,000 complaints in a five-year period.