Greenwich, University of

University of Greenwich (Paul Hudson)

Overall ranking: Came 107th out of 126 in the Complete University Guide.

History: Founded 121 years ago as Woolwich Poly. Became Thames Poly in 1970 and 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; it's worth checking where you'd be based as they are largely self-contained.

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 once HMS Pembroke, a former naval base.

Who's the boss? Professor David J Maguire is vice-chancellor, an acknowledged expert in computer mapping and geographic information systems.

Prospectus: 020 8331 8000 or create a personalised one here.

UCAS code: G70

What you need to know

Easy to get into? Prides itself on its access courses. The general tariff requirement is 300 UCAS points, but it varies depending on the programme.

Vital statistics: Over 23,000 students including over 14,000 studying wholly overseas. 15 per cent are international students.

Added value: Located in a World Heritage site next to Greenwich Park, the National Maritime Museum, the 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. Work on a new School of Architecture and Construction together with a library at Stockwell Street in Greenwich's town centre is expected in September 2014. The university is also investing £76m in a new building to house the campus library, TV studios and academic facilities for disciplines including architecture, landscape, digital arts and creative professions. Greenwich recently became the new shirt sponsor for Charlton Athletic. Good for part-time work with the o2 Arena, Docklands and Greenwich all close.

Teaching: 54th out of 126 for student satisfaction with teaching quality.

Graduate prospects: 125th out of 126 with 48.6 per cent finding graduate level employment.

Any accommodation? Offers around 2,500 rooms on (or close to) all three of its campuses. At Avery Hill, students will pay between £107.38 and £133.42 per week in 2014/15, between £96.46 and £232.47 at Greenwich and either £117.39 or £127.68 for a standard en-suite at Medway.

Cheap to live there? Only by central London standards. A room in a shared house is about £150 a week in Greenwich.

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.

Fees: £9,000 for full-time home and EU undergrads for 2014/15, with sandwich years costing £1,000.

Bursaries: A wide range of financial support based on both household income and excellence. Takes part in the National Scholarship Programme. See here for more details and to check your eligibility.

The fun stuff

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

Price of a pint: £3.65 across London, eek, but fear not as there are plenty of drinks deals on offers in the three SU bars.

Sporting reputation: 122nd in the BUCS league, so not great in the sporting stakes.

Notable societies: Latitude Lookout is the student magazine and recommended for media types. Strong RAG fundraising group, or give Brazil's Capoeira Angola a go. Never heard of it? Even more reason to try.

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

Alternative prospectus: Read more about Greenwich on The Student Room here, and join in discussions with former, current and prospective students.