Greenwich, University of

University of Greenwich

Age: 19, as a university

History: Founded 121 years ago as Woolwich Poly. Became Thames Poly in 1970. Became the University of Greenwich in 1992.

Address: Three campuses in total – Greenwich and Avery Hill in London, and Medway in Chatham Maritime, Kent. Each site is home to different courses and, as they are largely self-contained, it's worth checking where you'd be based.

Ambience: Depends on the campus. Greenwich is in the old Royal Naval College designed by Christopher Wren. A few miles away, Avery Hill is surrounded by beautiful parkland. In Kent, you'll see more grass and even the odd coastal house with the campus housed in what was HMS Pembroke, a former naval base.

Vital statistics: More than 28,500 students including over 22,500 undergrads. One in five are international students.

Added value: Greenwich is in a World Heritage site next to Greenwich Park, the National Maritime Museum, the (now scorched) Cutty Sark and the Old Royal Observatory. New buildings worth £14m have sprung up at Avery Hill, including sports facilities, labs and a teaching centre. The Medway campus is also being expanded as part of a £50m joint venture with the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University, and other partners. The newly refurbished Pilkington building provides a social space and bistro-style café, as well as brand new lecture theatres and teaching rooms.

Easy to get into?Prides itself on its access courses. Minimum of 160 UCAS points is the normal entry requirement, but some of the more competitive courses, such as law, ask for up to 320.

Glittering alumni: Professor Charles Kao, fibre optic pioneer; cricketer Rachel Heyhoe-Flint; singer Natasha Bedingfield; Blur drummer Dave Rowntree.

Transport links: From Avery Hill you take a train or bus to London. Trains from Medway run from Gillingham station and take 45 minutes to Victoria. Greenwich is next to Cutty Sark DLR station and Greenwich Pier.

Who's the boss? Vice-chancellor Baroness Tessa Blackstone, former arts minister and minister of state for education and employment.

Teaching: 19th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 91st out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 110th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: The SU venues of Bar Latitude at Greenwich, and Sparrows Farm sports bar at Avery Hill both provide live music and entertainment evenings. At Medway students have Coopers bar to enjoy, along with Purple, a late-night venue offering themed evenings, club nights and events.

How green is it? Very - came joint fifth out of 138 universities ranked by People & Planet for their 'Green League 2011' - a commendable jump up of 56 places from last year's position.

Any accommodation? Yes – offers rooms on (or nearby) all three of its campuses. At Avery Hill students pay between £90 and £115 per week, at Greenwich it's £83 to £160, and at Medway there are two types of rooms available for £107 or £98 per week.

Cheap to live there? Only by central London standards. Private rents are around £110 per week in Greenwich, and around £65 per week in Medway.

Sports Ranking: 110th in the BUCS league table

Fees: £3,375 for full-time undergrads starting in 2011. The university is yet to reveal fee plans for 2012.

Bursaries: The university offers a mandatory bursary for new full-time students in receipt of a maintenance grant and paying variable fees. There are also merit, sport and London-based awards available. For full details, visit the website.

Prospectus: 0800 005 006; www.greenwich.ac.uk

UCAS code: G70