Central Lancashire, University of

Central Lancashire, University of

Age: 17

History: Founded as the Preston Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge in 1828, it was transformed into the Harris Institute in 1882, the Harris College in 1956, Preston Polytechnic in 1973, Lancashire Polytechnic in 1984, and at long last, a fully-fledged university in 1992.

Address: Main campus in Preston, slap-bang in the middle of Lancashire. There are further campuses at Westlakes in West Cumbria, Llangollen in North Wales, and a new University campus at Burnley will open in September 2009.

Ambience: Situated in the city centre, the Preston campus is a mix of old and new. A massive building programme has produced more residences, a refurbished students' union, a library and modern teaching facilities.

Vital statistics: One of the biggest of the new universities, with more than 32,000 students. Courses are grouped into business; arts, humanities and social science; science and technology; and health. There are over 2,100 international students from over 130 countries around the world.

Added value: Great for sports with a £12m outdoor sports arena in Preston. The University's Foster Sports Centre accommodates a wide range of sporting activities including an extended weights room. A new £16 million indoor sport centre will be completed for early 2011. UCLan has a strong record of student success in various national and international competitions including the Nationwide Mercury Prize Art Competition and Graduate Fashion Week. The University is currently in the process of spending £120 million on new buildings and facilities to enhance teaching, learning and leisure activities. The recently opened £15m Media Factory includes theatre spaces, available for student performances and visiting theatre companies, a digital television studio with control galleries, a film and photographic studio, video editing rooms, music practice and ensemble studios, and a studio for theatre, film and dance.

Easy to get into? It all depends. Requirements range from 180 to 300 UCAS entry points. Journalism is pretty competitive.

Glittering alumni: Joe Lydon, former rugby league international; Simon Kelner, Managing Director of The Independent; Victoria Derbyshire, Radio Five Live Presenter; Tjinder Singh, Lead singer of the band Cornershop; Phil Mackentire, manager of comedian Peter Kay.

Transport links: Good road and rail access. It takes two-and-a-half hours by train to London and Glasgow, and one hour to Manchester.

Who's the boss? Vice-Chancellor Malcolm McVicar, an expert in public policy and education management.

Teaching: 47th out of 113 for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey.

Research: 88th out of 113 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 79th out of 113 in the Independent's Complete University Guide 2010.

Nightlife: There are lots of pubs and reasonably priced places to eat next to Preston campus. The new £6.5m students' union building has three bars and the '53 degrees' venue for live music, comedy and club nights.

How green is it? Very – 4th out of 120 universities graded by People & Planet for their 'Green League 2009'.

Any accommodation? Yes. A room in halls costs £74 per week on average. There are 2,100 rooms in the university-owned or leased halls and a large number of privately owned halls, all offering modern facilities. All rooms come with free wireless internet.

Cheap to live there? Very – around £58 per week for a room in a rented flat.

Sports Ranking: Not bad; 43rd out of 144 in the BUCS league table.

Prospectus: 01772 201 201; www.uclan.ac.uk

UCAS code: C30