Birmingham City University

Age: 168

History: It has been providing education in the city of Birmingham since 1843, when the Birmingham Government School of Design - which later became the Birmingham College of Art - was formed. In 1971 Birmingham Polytechnic was formed, and in 1992 Birmingham Polytechnic became The University of Central England in Birmingham. In 2007 the University's name was changed to Birmingham City University to better reflect its location in the heart of the Britain's second city.

Address: Eight sites around Birmingham: the largest is City North Campus in Perry Barr which is three miles to the north of the city centre. The Birmingham School of Acting came under the Birmingham City University umbrella in 2006 and is housed in purpose-built facilities along with the faculty of technology, innovation and development at the high-tech Millennium Point building in the city centre. Plans for a new £150m central flagship campus were given the green light in April 2011.

Ambience: Depends on the setting. Perry Barr is a modern urban campus, the faculty of health in Edgbaston occupies a leafy suburb and the school of jewellery is in the heart of Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter. The university’s school of music, Birmingham Conservatoire is housed in the city centre, not far from Margaret Street, an imposing listed Venetian Gothic building, which houses the department of art.

Vital statistics: A total of 25,000 students; almost 17,000 full-time undergraduates and 5,000 part-timers. Just over one-in-five are mature students. It plays host to 2,000 international students from over 80 different countries outside Europe.

Added value: The health faculty is part of a new centre of excellence for teaching and learning and the education faculty is highly rated. The new Mary Seacole library (on the Westbourne site) is one of the largest health education libraries in the country. Birmingham City University is the first university in England to have a virtual operating suite on-site, allowing healthcare students to hone their skills, operating on virtual patients.

Easy to get into? Six applications per place. Course entry requirements range from 240-320 UCAS points for degree level courses.

Glittering alumni: Novelist Jim Crace; Alfred Bestall, illustrator of Rupert Bear; comedian Frank Skinner; fashion designer, Betty Jackson; Capital FM and former Clothes Show presenter Margherita Taylor, and X-Factor 2007 runner-up Rhydian Roberts.

Transport links: Buses and trains between Perry Barr and the city centre, Birmingham is easy to get to and from. All of the other campuses are equally close and accessible.

Who's the boss? Vice-chancellor David Tidmarsh, a Coventry man who joined Birmingham City University from Anglia Ruskin University in 2006.

Teaching: 105th out of 116 for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 60th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Almost one-fifth of submissions to the RAE received 'wrold class' ranking - more than any other new university.

Overall ranking: 66th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: As the country’s second city, Birmingham has a huge number of bars and clubs to suit all tastes. There are live music venues across the city from pubs and intimate jazz bars to the O2 Academy and Jools Holland’s Jam House. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) and the LG (formerly the NEC) Arena are huge venues that draw big stars.

How green is it? OK – came 53rdth out of 138 universities graded by People & Planet for their ‘Green League 2011’, an assessment of environmental performance.

Any accommodation? Yes – the university offers a range of halls, costing between £77 and £110 per week.

Cheap to live there? About average - around £80 per week to rent privately.

Sports ranking: 115th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time first degrees for 2011/2012. Those starting after September 2012 will face fees of £7,500, £8,200 or £9,000 per year, dependent on course.

Bursaries: The university offers a bursary of up to £525 for full-time undergratuates. For details see the website.

Prospectus: 0121 331 5595; www.bcu.ac.uk

UCAS code: B25