City University London

City University London

Age: 115

History: City University London was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and was awarded full university status in 1966, but its origins trace back to the mid-nineteenth century. The Inns of Court School of Law (latterly our City Law School) was founded by the Council of Legal Education in 1852, while the famous St Bartholomew’s College of Nursing was founded in 1877.

Address: The University is mostly based within the triangle formed by the Angel, Old Street and Barbican Tube stations. The main campus is in Northampton Square, just down the road from Angel, but it also has sites across the City and Clerkenwell.

Ambience: It is located in a thriving urban area with many restaurants, bars and shops. The university itself is more of a hub for students than a homely campus, however, and the Students Union is closed on weekends.

Vital statistics: Over 23,000 students from 156 countries, while teaching staff are drawn from nearly 50 international locations; the University has a truly international outlook. It has one of the highest proportions of international and graduate students of any university in the UK.

Added value: Close links with industry and with the City of London help maintain a high level of graduate employability throughout the University.

Easy to get into? Depends on the course. Requirements range from 240 to 360 UCAS points. Several of the University’s courses are extremely competitive including law, business, journalism and social sciences.

Glittering alumni: Will Lewis (Editor of The Telegraph); Brendan Barber (TUC president); Michael Fish (ex-weatherman); Stelios Haji-Ionnau (Easyjet founder) and Dermot Murnaghan (Sky News newsreader).

Transport links: Several bus routes, tube and the mainline stations of Farringdon and Barbican as well as several nearby tube stations.

Who's the boss? Professor Malcolm Gillies, is the Vice-Chancellor and President of City University London. Professor Gillies is also the government adviser on school and university links in London.

Teaching: 77rd out of 113 for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2008.

Research: 44th out of 113 in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Nightlife: In 2008 the Students’ Union underwent a £1.5 million and boasts an air-hockey table, table football and pool tables. It also hosts various student club nights.

How green is it? Much improved; City University London has risen 74 places in the overall ranking of the People and Planet Green League 2009, climbing to joint 31st.

Any accommodation? Yes, in nearby halls of residence. The fee average is £133.25 which includes internet connection. All halls are self catering and include all utility bills except telephone.

Cheap to live there? Not by a long chalk. Accommodation in Angel/Islington starts from approximately £128 per week.

Overall ranking: Came 44th out of 113 in the Independent's Complete University Guide 2010.

Sports Ranking: Pretty poor; 115th out of 144 in the BUCS league table

Prospectus: 020 7040 8029; www.city.ac.uk

UCAS code: C60