Farnborough College of Technology

Farnborough College of Technology (Farnborough College of Technology)

History: Originally established in 1957 as a training wing of the former Royal Aircraft Establishment, separating in the early seventies.

Address: Main modern campus within walking distance of Farnborough town centre in Hampshire, plus a campus at Aldershot (construction crafts) which opened in September 2005.

Ambience: Students of all ages studying a wide variety of subjects at different levels, from foundation courses to degrees, full and part-time.

Who's the boss? Business academic Christine Slaymaker became principal in 2001.

Prospectus: 01252 407 040 or request one online here.

UCAS code: F66

What you need to know

Easy to get into? Ranges between 120 and 160 UCAS points for foundation degrees and 160 and 240 for honours degrees.

Foundation Degrees: Include: business management; early years; education; hospitality management; learning support; photography; salon and spar management; social care; theatre, dance and film acting; tourism and events management; public services; aeronautical engineering; motorsport engineering; engineering; complementary therapies; film and TV production;graphic design, animation and interactive media; music production; radio and TV production; TV production and studio engineering; sport performance and personal training; childcare and education.

Vital statistics: 8,000 students, including around 1,000 higher education students. As one of its accredited colleges, the University of Surrey validates degrees in areas such as business, media, psychology and aeronautical engineering.

Added value: Farnborough has a strong reputation for engineering courses due to its longstanding relationship with Farnborough Airfield and the Royal Aircraft Establishment. It was also one of the first colleges in the country to offer sports science courses. The college has three Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs): engineering; business accounting and financial Services; applied ICT for business. Specialist on-site facilities include a hair and beauty salon, a floristry design studio and a restaurant. Nursery provision for those with children.

Teaching: State-of-the-art-equipment in a TV studio with industry-led tutors, close links with Sky television and BBC Radio. The QAA commended teaching in art and design communications, media, film and television studies.

Any accommodation? None provided by the college.

Cheap to live there? A little above average - a room in a shared flat will cost from around £85 per week.

Transport links: Regular trains to London (journey time 40 minutes); also close to M3 and M4 motorways and within easy reach of Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

Fees: £6,000 per year for UK students on full-time undergrad courses..

Bursaries: Part of the National Bursary Scheme.

The fun stuff

Nightlife: Plenty of local pubs in Farnborough, with nightclubs in Fleet, Aldershot, Camberley and Guildford.

Price of a pint: £3 in Aldershot but you'll find London prices in Guildford. Student nights will offer some deals- try Flares for a night of cheap'n'cheerful cheese.

Sporting reputation: No entry in the BUCS league but a fully-equipped gym is available to students, with sports degree students on hand to offer personal training.

Glittering alumni: Mike Rutherford from Genesis and Mike and the Mechanics; Jet and Trojan from Gladiators.