Doncaster College

Age: 21

History: Founded in 1990 by the merger of several smaller organisations, Doncaster College can trace its origins to Great Northern Railway evening classes in 1870. It offers a breadth of sixth-form, adult, further education and higher education provision, up to and including undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Higher education provision comes via the College's 'University Centre Doncaster' banner, and most qualifications are validated by the University Of Hull. The college is in the process of gaining Taught Degree Awarding Powers and aims to develop an indpendent University of Doncaster in the coming years.

Address: Most of the university courses are taught in the 126-acre University Centre Doncaster campus, which is six miles west of the town centre. The £65m Hub campus on the town's waterfront acts as a sister campus.

Ambience: High Melton's romantic 18th-century hall in 126 acres of woodland creates a peaceful learning environment. In contrast, the Hub is a vibrant and bustling campus where there's always something going on. The college is closely involved with local business, creative and performing arts and has links with community partners.

Vital statistics: South Yorkshire's biggest post-16 educational provider caters for over 3,000 16-to-18-year-olds and over 15,000 over-19s, 1,084 of which are studying towards HE qualifications. The college employs 1,072 staff. The university centre offers undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes validated by the University of Hull and has recently launched a graduate school and centre for professional studies. High Melton is home to many of the college's higher education courses, and houses Doncaster Business School, The Stables Conference Centre and Britain's first centre of excellence for relationship studies - The Relate Institute.

Added value: The business school includes professional qualifications and language qualifications as an integral part of many degree and diploma courses, and is proud of its close links to local business and industry. The university centre offers a range of bursaries to help students finance their studies. The college's own sporting facilities cater for football, golf and basketball, complementing public provision of swimming, bowling and skating.

Easy to get into? Yes - the college says it is very 'flexible' with prospective students, even if they miss application deadlines.

Transport links: The main east coast train line between London and Edinburgh serves Doncaster, and the three cities of Sheffield, Leeds and York are less than an hour away. Doncaster has good road access, lying at the junction of the A1 and M18 and close to the M1 and M62. The amusingly named Robin Hood International Airport serves destinations around the world.

Who's the boss? George Trow was appointed principal and chief executive in May 2010.

Teaching: A 2007 report from the Quality Assurance Agency said inspectors had confidence in the college's higher education academic standards, quality of learning and public information - the highest accolade awarded in the review process. Inspectors also praised its monitoring procedures, student progression opportunities and the relationship between staff and students.

Foundation Degrees: Animation and games art, sport and health studies, early childhood policy and practice, learning support, working with children and young people.

Nightlife: Doncaster is home to an array of pubs, clubs and bars. Nearby Sheffield, the UK's fifth largest city, boasts sporting and music arenas and a range of cinemas and theatres.

Any accommodation? Yes - you'll pay between £65 and £72 per week for a room in halls on the High Melton campus.

Cheap to live there? Yes - Doncaster can be very cheap, whether it's the price of a pint, the cost of local transport or the going rate for rents.

Fees: £2,950 per year for full-time undergrads starting in 2011. Part-time courses vary between £1,000 to £2,000 for the same year. As of 2012, the college plans to charge £6,000 per year for full-time students, and the equivalent of £3,000 per year for those studying part-time.

Bursaries: There are two bursaries of up to £400 per year available. One is means-tested for students in receipt of the full maintenance allowance from Student Finance England, while the other is for students who have previously completed qualifications at certain Doncaster colleges.

Prospectus: 0800 358 74 74 ; www.don.ac.uk

UCAS code: D52