Commuting to university

Derby campus

If you’re planning to drive to our Derby campus, you’ll need a permit to park. We have a limited number of spaces for students at our Kedleston Road site, available for those who can demonstrate an exceptional need to park here. Eligible students will need to pay for their parking digitally via MiPermit. 

Working with Derby City Council, we’re also pleased to offer a limited amount of parking permits for the nearby Markeaton Park, allowing students to access discounted tariffs from Monday to Friday during teaching weeks. 

If you wish to drive to the University but do not want a Student Parking Permit here are some local parking alternatives to consider: 

• Markeaton Park public pay and display car park (A38/A52 junction)
• On street car parking
• Public car parks
• Brook Street Car Park (for One Friar Gate Square)
• Park and ride

Our Unibus service connects Markeaton Park to our other Derby sites, allowing you to travel seamlessly across our campus when you park here. Easily accessible from the A38 and A52 via Markeaton roundabout, the car park is only a 10-to-15-minute walk from each of our Derby sites.

Motorcycles

Motorcyclists are welcome to park at our Kedleston Road site for free and without a permit, using the covered bays in Car Park 1. Lockers are available to store your kit, and these can be booked by visiting the transport office. Motorcycle parking can also be found at our Markeaton Street site.

Chesterfield campus

While there’s no on-site parking at our St Helena site, Chesterfield Borough Council offer reduced-cost parking for students nearby using a daily scratch card, which can be purchased from our online shop and collected from the Student Hub Express on site. 

These allow all-day parking in the following car parks for just £3.00 per day.

• Albion Road
• Derbyshire Times
• Devonshire Street
• Durrant Road
• Hollis Lane
• Queen's Park Annexe
• Queen's Park North
• Queen's Park South
• Spa Lane
• Station Lane
• Theatre Lane
• West Street

There’s limited Blue Badge parking at St Helena, and approval to park must be acquired via the MiPermit Derby website.

Getting to campus by bus is easy, with plenty of well-connected and frequent services to choose from whether you are travelling from the surrounding area or further afield.

Public buses

If you live nearby, there are plenty of public bus services to choose from, many of which stop either at Derby Bus Station (connected to our Derby site via our Unibus service) or on Kedleston Road. 

• The Allestree - Derby City Centre to Allestree
• 114 - from Ashbourne
• The Sixes - from Bakewell, Matlock, Wirksworth, Belper, Ripley, and Openwoodgate
• Transpeak - from Buxton and Matlock
• Swift - from Uttoxeter and Ashbourne
• Comet - from Chesterfield and Ripley
• Red Arrow - from Nottingham

Our Chesterfield campus is also well connected via bus, and routes include:

• Comet - from Derby and Ripley
• 43 – from Sheffield
• 170 – from Bakewell
• Pronto – from Nottingham and Mansfield

Unibus

Running all year round, our Unibus service is the quickest and cheapest way to get around our Derby campus. Operating two timetables that link key transport hubs, including Derby Train and Bus stations, the city centre and our University sites – you’ll be able to immerse yourself in student life all over the city with ease.

Unibus 1 connects our Kedleston Road site with Bridge Street, Derby City centre and Derby Train Station, while Unibus 2 serves our Markeaton Street and Britannia Mill sites.

Travelling to our Derby campus

With a rich railway heritage, Derby benefits from excellent links to locations across the UK. Major train services stopping in Derby include:

• East Midlands Railway – offers direct trains from London, Leicester, Chesterfield and Sheffield
• Cross Country – connects Derby with major cities including Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol and more

Our Unibus 1 service means you’ll be able to hop off your train and straight onto a direct bus to our Kedleston Road site.

Travelling to our Chesterfield campus

Chesterfield benefits from similar train links, and features on several major routes including:

• East Midlands Railway – offers direct trains from London, Leicester, Derby and Sheffield
• Cross Country – connects Chesterfield with Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham, Bristol, Reading and more

Chesterfield station is just a 10-minute journey (0.4 miles) to our St Helena campus, meaning you won’t have to worry about finding a bus when you arrive here.

Cycling and walking offer a sustainable and healthy way to travel, while helping you to beat the morning traffic and explore our campus at your own pace. Derbyshire is packed with cycle routes and public footpaths, making it easy and safe to commute here.

Both our Derby and Chesterfield campuses offer covered bike storage and shower facilities, while our Kedleston Road site is home to our Sustainable Travel Hub, which features safe storage space protected by swipe card access, and a service station equipped with an air pump, bike rack and various cycling tools to aid emergency repairs.

Want to find out how long it would take to walk around our Derby campus and to popular city centre locations? Use our handy tool to find out.