Aston University, Birmingham

Age: 116

History: Began life as Birmingham Municipal Technical School, was renamed Birmingham Central Technical College, then became the first College of Advanced Technology, and finally, in 1966, a university.

Address: Aston Triangle in the centre of Birmingham.

Ambience: Set on a modern, green 40-acre campus, Aston is a compact university with a friendly, close-knit atmosphere. The tree-ringed lake is a magnet for the 8,500 students. A £215m development of the campus and accommodation is taking place over the next 4 years. Campus is a five-minute walk from Birmingham city centre, with its excellent nightlife and futuristic BullRing Shopping Centre.

Vital statistics: Industry-focused university with 70 per cent of students on sandwich courses. Business, engineering, languages, subjects allied to medicine, social sciences and health sciences are all strong points.

Added value: Strong European focus. One in 10 students spend a year abroad as part of their course. It has shiny new psychology, pharmacy, computing and audiology labs, social study areas and a £22m extension to the business school. A state of the art library opened in November 2010 and the refurbishment of the Woodcock Sports Centre is due for completion in September 2011.

Easy to get into? Above average. Entry requirements range from 280-300 UCAS points (Transport, Logistics , Chemistry, Engineering ) to 340 or more (Business, Optometry).

Glittering alumni: Lord Drayson, former Cabinet Minister; Gregor Townsend, former Scottish international rugby player; Lord Rooker, Labour peer; Laura Jones, BBC Newsround reporter; 2008 and 2009 Apprentice final programme contestants Alex Wotherspoon and Kate Walsh.

Transport links: Plenty of buses on the campus doorstep. Birmingham New Street station is a 15-minute stroll from campus and Digbeth (for coaches) is a five-minute cab journey. Three miles from the M6 and nine miles from Birmingham international airport.

Who's the boss? Professor Julia King. She previously held academic posts at Nottingham and Cambridge before spending eight years at Rolls Royce and a two-year stint as the Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics. She works closely with Government as a member of the Ministerial Group on Manufacturing, the Committee on Climate Change, and the National Security Forum.

Teaching: Ranked 55th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: Ranked 48th out of 114 according to the Research Assessment Exercise. Scored highly for business and management studies, and allied health professions.

Overall ranking: 25th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: A lively spread of events at the students' guild, with several bars, four club nights a week plus occasional comedy nights, concerts and events such as the Charter Ball and the 'Astonbury' music festival. Plenty of affordable pubs and restaurants nearby in Birmingham city centre and a lively and varied club scene which includes the legendary Gatecrasher, 02 Academy and firm favourite with the 'indie' crowd, Snobs.

How green is it? Very - Ranked 12th out of 138 in People and Planet's Green League 2011, an assessment of environmental performance.

Any accommodation? Yes. On-campus accommodation starts at £72 per week, or £110 per week for en suite. The university guarantees a place in halls for all first years, subject to conditions. 1,300 new en suite rooms opened in 2010.

Cheap to live there? Yes indeed. Student rents in the private sector average a mere £68 per week.

Sports ranking: 88th in the BUCS league.

Fees: £3,375 a year for those starting in 2011/12, with students on placement year paying £1,680. The university is set to charge £9,000 per year from 2012.

Bursaries: The Aston Bursary of £500 is offered to those with a family income of less that £25,000, who are in receipt of a full maintenance grant.

Prospectus: 0121 204 3000; www.aston.ac.uk

UCAS code: A80