Heriot-Watt University

Age: 190

History: Began as the Edinburgh School of Arts in 1821 for "industrious tradesmen"; then the Watt Institute and the Edinburgh School of Arts in 1852; then Heriot-Watt College; and in 1966 given a Royal Charter, when the university moved to Riccarton in the West of Edinburgh.

Address: The main campus is six miles from Edinburgh centre, with additional Scottish borders campus of Galashiels and a small campus on Orkney. A campus in Dubai opened in 2005.

Ambience: Strikingly modern. Main campus, completed in 1992, is in the West of Edinburgh and has 380 acres of green parkland.

Vital statistics: Approximately 7,500 students studying on its UK campuses, including around 4,500 undergrads and almost 2,000 postgrads. 20,000 students studying globally. The university has a wide variety of vocational programmes, as well as more conventional degrees. Science, engineering, technology, management, languages and textiles are the core study areas. Entrepreneurial skills are built into many of the degree programmes.

Added value: Strong links with business and industry, and flexible, modular courses tailored to commercial needs, especially in physics and engineering. Research in petroleum engineering is rated internationally outstanding.

Easy to get into? Depends on the course, admissions tutors will look for good A-level/Highers grades in relevent subjects. There's a widening participation policy.

Glittering alumni: Irvine Welsh, author; Craig Joiner, Scottish rugby player.

Transport links: About half a mile from the A270 Edinburgh ring road. Local buses run to the city regularly, 24hrs a day.

Who's the boss? Professor Steve Chapman, principal and vice-chancellor.

Teaching: Ranked 40th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: Placed 41st out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 38th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: Good on campus. Centres around a selection of bars and a disco. 24 hr buses to the city centre means that a night out in Scotland's historic and cultural capital is never far away.

How green is it? Not great - came 107th out of 138 universities graded by People and Planet for their 'Green League 2011', an assessment of environmental performance.

Any accommodation? Yes. Rents range between £67 and £103 per week for accommodation on the Edinburgh campus. Work is currently underway on £26m redevelopment to replace the existing accommodation.

Cheap to live there? Not too bad. Private rents locally are around £60 to £80 per month for a room in a shared house.

Fees: Scottish and EU students do not have to pay any fees. Students from England, Northern Ireland and Wales are charged a standard Scottish tuition fee, which for 2011/2012 is £1,820 per year. Fees for 2012/2013 are yet to be decided, but it is expected they will rise by the rate of inflation.

Bursaries: The university has a long list of scholarships available to new students, many of which are course-specific. Visit the website, for more details.

Prospectus: 0131 451 3440; www.hw.ac.uk

UCAS code: H24