Portfolios and Interviews

For some of our courses you may be required to attend an interview as part of the entry requirement. We have compiled some useful information about this process below.

Guidelines for applicants who have been selected for interview

If you have been invited for interview, please read these guidelines carefully as they contain important information on Northumbria’s approach to Interviews and our expectations on how to prepare for and conduct yourself during the interview. It is important that you adhere to these to get the most out of your interview.

Download Interview Guidelines

Interviews

How do I select my Interview slot?

If you have been selected for interview, you will receive an email inviting you to select a date and time on the applicant portal.

How long will it take to find out if I was successful at interview

In many cases you will find out in the following few days after your interview if you were successful or unsuccessful. Depending on your interview performance/score we may not always be able to make a decision straightaway. We will let you know if you have received a borderline score that requires further review by the academic team and will aim to get back to you as soon as possible with a final outcome on your application. Feel free to contact us if you have not heard from us after 10 days. In some instances, if we are unable to offer you a place on your chosen course following your interview, you may be made a change of course offer.

How will my interview be conducted

Some programmes are offering a combination of online and on campus, face-to-face interviews. The University gives no preference between candidates who attend interviews on campus or those who choose to interview online- this is simply to allow candidates the option to attend face to face if they prefer.

There are no additional planned activities whilst attending a face-to-face interview- for additional campus experiences there are multiple opportunities throughout the year to attend Open Days for both Undergraduates, Postgraduates, and tailored events for International Students.We also hold NU Experience days for offer holders where offer holders can join campus tours, accommodation tours etc. You are however free to explore the general open access campus facilities after your interview but will not be able to visit specific teaching spaces related to your course.

Please be aware that face to face interviews will be conducted on our Coach Lane Campus- not City Campus. Further information on Coach Lane Campus is available on the University website.

I have accepted an interview but can no longer attend can I rearrange

In most cases you can do this via your applicant portal using the cancel interview button and then using the book interview option again to select a new date, but you should only do this if there is a genuine reason that you cannot attend the original date as there may not be any other dates available as the cycle progresses. If there are no dates available, you will need to contact applicant services and we will do our best to rearrange where possible. Please contact us, in advance of cancelling if you are unsure.

What is the format of my interview and what do I need to prepare in advance

Each course that requires an interview have different formats or things to prepare. Your interview may be individual, group or a combination of both. For some programmes there may be a video to watch in advance, a written test or a scenario to read. You can access the details of you interview, from the events tab on the applicant portal.