[19] In 1998, the name was changed to The Arts Institute at Bournemouth (AIB) and won a Queen's Anniversary Prize for "Education in the film industry".

The School was established in 1963 as part of a Cine pathway within the Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design by Reginald Johnson.

In 2023, BFS Funding Futures began a collaboration with BFI Network Southwest that led in 2024 to a partnership on a first-of-its-kind Director Talent Hub and micro short film commission.

BFS is made up of: The Campus at Wallisdown in Poole covers roughly 5 hectares and houses 14 buildings with specialist workshops and workspaces, many of which are shared across similar courses.

[27] In addition to the campus, students have access to Pavilion Dance South West,Palace Court Theatre and Elliot Road Film Studios.

In 2023 the university opened AUBMakers, a pop-up shop in Poole Town centre as a student-led outlet for sales of work.

The ASHPs (for North Building project) are designed to provide approximately over a third of the universities’ heat energy and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

[41] In 2024 AUB ranked in the top 50 of all UK higher education institutions in the People and Planet university league table.

[42] AUB explores ways to be connected to nature and increase biodiversity on campus through ecological surveys; wildlife camera’s; bat, birds, and insect homes; no mow May; and the planting of trees and other flora.

The university also validates courses in various art-related subjects for Bournemouth and Poole College and The Northern School of Art.

[citation needed] Arts University Bournemouth is a member of GuildHE, one of the two recognised representative bodies for Higher Education in the UK.

[52] It was listed again in the top five and has since been recognised in other education league tables [53] In 2023 AUB provision in Foundation in Art and Design was rated Outstanding by Ofsted, having retained this highest ranking since 2018.

[55] In September 2024, the Nonsensical Agency, which designs social media campaigns for such companies as M&S, Interflora, and Uber Eats ranked AUB 29th out of UK universities for our TikTok channel.

AUB is the top performing arts university, rated highly for “Unique events like the petting zoo on campus add a touch of joy to the content, while notable videos like the 1M views hit on their VC reacting to the conspiracy theory that he’s Banksy, highlights the creativity and fun fostered at the university.” [56] All students of the Arts University Bournemouth are automatically a member of the Arts University Bournemouth Students’ Union (AUBSU), a registered charity affiliated with the National Union of Students.

[57] AUBSU runs over 30 clubs and societies,[58] organises Freshers’ Weeks, volunteering and fundraising events, trains course representatives, and hosts annual general meetings for all students.