City University London

Age: 116

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 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: 21,000 students from over 160 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, especially in its flagship courses in journalism, business and law.

Easy to get into? Depends on the course. Requirements range from 280 to 380 UCAS points. Several of the university’s courses are extremely competitive including law, business, journalism and social sciences.

Glittering alumni: Mahatma Gandhi; Tony Blair; Will Lewis, general manager at News International; Brendan Barber, TUC president; ex-weatherman Michael Fish; Stelios Haji-Ionnau, Easyjet founder; Dermot Murnaghan, Sky News newsreader.

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

Who's the boss? Professor Paul Curran is vice-chancellor. He is a former NASA research scientist and advisor to the European Space Agency.

Teaching: 70th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 44th out of 115 in the 2010 Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 41st out of 114 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: It's slap bang in the middle of London, so there's no shortage of entertainment for all tastes. Trendy Shoreditch is only ten minutes walk away and Upper Street, Angel, has plenty of smart bars. In 2008 the students’ union underwent a £1.5 million refurb, but is still a relatively low-key affair, with an air-hockey table, table football and pool tables.

How green is it? Alright - came joint 41st out of 138 universities graded by People and Planet in their 'Green league 2011'.

Any accommodation? Yes, but at a price. Halls of residence start at £130 per week, and go up to £266 per week.

Cheap to live there? Not by a long chalk. Accommodation in Angel/Islington starts from approximately £128 per week. Cheaper properties can be found further afield.

Sports Ranking: 129th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time undergrads from 2011/2012. The university plans to charge the maximum fee of £9,000 per year from 2012.

Bursaries: For eligible students who receive a full maintenance grant, the university offers a bursary of up to £350 per year. There are also a number of scholarships available. For more information visit City's bursaries and scholarships page.

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

UCAS code: C60