Dudley College

Age: 149

History: Dudley College can trace its origins to 1862 and the building of the Dudley Public Hall and Mechanics Institute to provide for the technical, recreational and vocational needs of the students. In 1896 additional accommodation was purchased named the Dudley Technical School, which was later renamed in 1928 as Dudley Technical College.

Address: Dudley is located in the Black Country, part of the West Midlands urban area but also close to the beautiful countryside of Worcestershire and Shropshire, including lronbridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in Britain.

Ambience: Students are aged 14 and up, and most are from around the Black Country area, although there are also around 300 international students. All campuses offer a friendly approach to study, with dedicated areas for both work and relaxation. Mons Hill Campus is a modern building packed with specialist equipment needed for subjects studied there, such as art and construction. Broadway Campus offers a mixture of traditional and new buildings and caters for the more traditional humanities subjects.

Vital statistics: Dudley specialises in design, engineering and computing courses. It has recently introduced foundation degrees in addition to its HND and HNC programmes. The libraries have a combined total of more than 50,000 volumes. HE qualifications are validated by Wolverhampton University.

Added value: A unique international glass centre, in keeping with Black Country traditions, specialising in hot and cold glasswork. A purpose-designed A-level academy providing a contemporary work area fully equipped with state-of-the art technology. The large 'academy' learning centre has 40 'high spec' PCs for students to use, individual work areas and an area for group discussions. Wireless connectivity allows students to use their own equipment to access the internet. Subjects are accessible via the Virtual Learning Environment enabling students to access exciting digital learning media, catch up with missed work, hand in assignments electronically and communicate with their tutors and fellow students via email and bulletin boards. The performing arts studios are purpose-built, well equipped and fully licensed for live productions.

Easy to get into? Varies widely between courses. Some require very little in terms of formal qualifications, but many ask for industrial experience.

Transport links: Trains and late-night buses to and from Birmingham and Wolverhampton are plentiful. The West Midlands is at the heart of the national road and rail networks, so most of England and Wales are easily accessible. London is two hours to the south and Manchester an hour to the north.

Who's the boss? Lowell Williams is principal.

Teaching: The college is an Investor in People and has a Matrix Award for information, advice and guidance services. It also received a Training Quality Standard in February 2011 for meeting the training needs of employers effectively.

Foundation Degrees: Musical theatre.

Nightlife: The SU organises a bash at Christmas and the end of the year. Bars and cinemas at the Castlegate Complex, the Waterfront and Merry Hill a few miles away. Birmingham's top notch club scene is just a half hour journey away.

Any accommodation? Only offered to international students by the college.

Cheap to live there? Very much so. Private rents start from as little as £50 per week for a room in a shared house.

Fees: £1,345 per year for full-time HE courses starting in 2011/2012. The college plans to charge £4,500 per year from 2012.

Bursaries: None offered by the college.

Prospectus: 01384 363 000; www.dudleycol.ac.uk

UCAS code: D58