Photo: Malc McDonald · CC BY-SA 2.0Bournemouth and Poole College is 4 miles from Merley
No college sits inside the town; Bournemouth and Poole College is 4 miles away in Poole.
What stands out about college from Merley
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges and universities within 15 miles of Merley
4 within 15 miles: 3 universities, 1 further education college.
What would you pay?
Fees are set nationally, not by each university: in 2026–27 an English university can charge a home student up to £9,790 a year, and so can a Welsh one; Northern Ireland’s charge their own students up to £4,985; Scottish students pay no tuition fee at a Scottish university. Further education colleges are free for most 16 to 18 year olds. There is no family-by-family price to show, so this page doesn’t make one up.
Questions about college near Merley
Is Merley a university town?
No. 9 of every 100 residents aged 16 and over are full-time students (Census 2021), against 8 across England.
What colleges are near Merley?
Bournemouth and Poole College (4 mi); Bournemouth University (4.1 mi); Arts University Bournemouth (4.1 mi); Health Sciences University (7.1 mi).
Where can you study after 16 near Merley?
Bournemouth and Poole College, 4 miles away in Poole, teaches courses from 16, apprenticeships and some degrees.
What does university cost here?
Fees are set nationally, not by each university: in 2026–27 an English university can charge a home student up to £9,790 a year, and so can a Welsh one; Northern Ireland’s charge their own students up to £4,985; Scottish students pay no tuition fee at a Scottish university. Further education colleges are free for most 16 to 18 year olds. There is no family-by-family price to show, so this page doesn’t make one up.
Neighbours talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbours next door.
Colleges and universities: Wikidata (CC0): each institution with a UKPRN, its point and its students count, and, for Scottish colleges and university campuses away from the seat, our list placed from postcodes (postcodes.io, OGL). To come: Discover Uni teaching locations and HESA student numbers (CC BY 4.0). Students: Census 2021 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Scotland’s Census 2022, full-time students among residents aged 16 and over (OGL). Straight-line distances from the centre of Merley. Colleges are described, not graded; the University town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents aged 16 and over are full-time students. Fees: the UK and devolved governments, 2026–27. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, through each institution’s Wikidata item; author and licence on each.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.