Dumfries: Barony College

Age: 60

History: Originally a farm school on a large estate, Barony became an FE college in the 1970s. It expanded over the years to include forestry, agriculture, engineering, fisheries management, horticulture, veterinary nursing and equine studies. It became an associate of SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) in 1997.

Address: An 18th-century manor house and estate in Parkgate, 10 miles from Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland.

Ambience: The beautiful 260 hectare estate includes a working dairy, deer and fish farms, woodland, lakes and the River Ae. A small close-knit cohort of like-minded students creates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Vital statistics: There are around 200 full-time students. En-suite accommodation is provided in the original baronial manor house and in a purpose-built property. In the past, students have come from as far afield as Africa, Malaysia, America, Greece, Italy Cyprus, Iceland, Norway and Eastern Europe. Most courses are vocational.

Added value: The small college boasts unique facilities. A new £1.3m Dairy Technology Centre was opened in September 2006, which incorporates the latest animal welfare designs and management systems (robotic milking). The Scottish Forest Industries Technology Centre also houses a state-of-the-art simulator, an animal care training centre with an X-ray room and operating theatres, a walled garden, outdoor riding arena and stable block, a commercial trout farm with hatchery, and a well equipped engineering workshop.

Easy to get into? Requirements vary according to point of entry. Access courses will secure a place at entry level but further qualifications are required on the HND course.

Transport links: There are frequent free buses to Dumfries, 10 miles away on the A701. It is a one-hour drive from Carlisle, an hour and a half from Glasgow and Edinburgh and nine miles from Lockerbie which connects with the M74. Trains from Lockerbie and Dumfries take about five hours to London.

Who's the boss? Principal and chief executive Russell Marchant.

Teaching: The latest assessment found all teaching and activities to be very good or good.

Nightlife: There is a student bar on the campus. A free bus runs on request to Dumfries and Carlisle for clubbing, bowling or special events.

Any accommodation? Yes, and it's pretty special too. Kirkmichael House is a converted 18th Century manor house, with 28 twin and single bedrooms, mostly en-suite. This swanky accommodation costs £110 per week for bed, breakfast and an evening meal. The college also offers self-catering cottages to mature students. There are also two hostels nearby, which have 16 single study bedrooms and common rooms with TV, tea and coffee making facilities, refrigerator and microwave. Not your average student lifestyle, really.

Cheap to live there? You'll have to fork out £110 per week for the college accommodation really, but who'd want to live anywhere else?

Fees: £1,285 per year for full-time higher education students, and £1,008 for further education students starting in 2011. Scottish fees will not be subject to the same government guidelines as England's in 2012, but it is expected fees will rise by the same amount as inflation.

Bursaries: Scottish further education students will have their fees paid by the college. None offered by the college for higher education students.

Prospectus: 01387 860 251; www.barony.ac.uk

UCAS code: B12