BUCS UNIversal Gym Membership

University of Nottingham student and staff UoN sport and fitness members can also take advantage of BUCS UNIversal gym membership. The BUCS UNIversal programme allows access to over 70 University gyms nationwide with no additional cost!

Find my nearest UNIversal Gym
BUCS UNIversal Gym Membership

What is the BUCS UNIversal Gym Scheme?

We've partnered with British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) to offer all our student and staff UoN sport and fitness members (including Active Living) access to their UNIversal Gym scheme.

Through BUCS UNIversal, you can access fitness facilities at several different university venues across the UK, completely free-of-charge. It's ideal for during the university holidays when you return home, or when you visit friends so you can keep up your routine even when you're out of town!

We're also welcoming UNIversal Gym members from other institutions to our fitness venues.

How do I sign up for BUCS UNIversal?

You will first need to have purchased a student or staff UoN sport and fitness membership or hold an Active Living package. This includes One Semester memberships.

You then need to download the BUCS Play app (links below) and follow the instructions to set up your BUCS UNIversal account here.

You can then book your BUCS UNIversal sessions following the instructions here

BUCS UNIversal Information BUCS UNIversal Information
BUCS Play app Download for Apple
BUCS Play app Download for Android

Visitors to the University of Nottingham

UNIversal Gym Card holders from other participating institutions may access the below at any time during our opening hours:

  • David Ross Sports Village fitness suite
  • Jubilee sports centre fitness suite
  • Sutton Bonington sports centre fitness suite
  • Access to any facility other than the above is not permitted
  • Access to facilities may be subject to change dependent on capacity.

Please ensure you have pre-booked your session via the BUCS Playwaze app and show your QR code and student ID to our reception team to gain entry.

Please note, UNIversal Gym membership from Nottingham Trent University may not be used at the University of Nottingham and vice versa. This is due to the close proximity of the two institutions and potential capacity issues.

Your questions

Yes. The UNIversal Gym membership is only available to you if your membership is with your university of study or work.

The membership is valid until 31 August, regardless of which university you are at or when you activate your UNIversal Gym membership. The scheme runs on academic year and not 12 months from the date of collection.

All students who have an active membership until 30 June will be able to access other UNIversal facilities until 31 August.

You can use other universities' facilities during term-time and during the holiday periods.

Please note, if you opt to cancel your UoN student or staff sport and fitness membership, your BUCS UNIversal gym membership will also be cancelled.

All universities that are part of the UNIversal Gym Membership can be found here.

At a minimum, all universities are offering access to their gym facilities, some may be offering more. It is your responsibility to check what is available before visiting another university and any pre-booking requirements.

This will occur in situations when two universities are in close proximity or in the same city. This restriction is required in order to manage the number of users accessing facilities and potential capacity issues.

University of Nottingham students and staff who hold UNIversal Gym membership will not be able to access facilities at Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham Trent students and staff will not be able to access facilities at the University of Nottingham.

At the University of Nottingham, UNIversal Gym Members may access the fitness suite at David Ross Sports Village, the fitness suite at Jubilee Sports Centre and the fitness suite at Sutton Bonington Sports Centre. Please click here for the opening times of each facility.

Please pre-book your session via the BUCS Playwaze app - you will be then given a QR code to show to our reception teams to gain entry. You will also need to present your student card.