Age: 19, as a university
History: Began life as Britain's first post-war technical college (Hatfield). Reincarnated as Hatfield College of Technology and Hatfield Polytechnic. Gained university status in 1992.
Address: Sites in Hatfield, St Albans and Bayfordbury (a rural field station and observatory outside Hertford). All are around 20 miles north of London. The state-of-the-art, £120m Hatfield de Havilland campus opened in September 2003. Humanities, education and business are based on this campus.
Ambience: Hatfield HQ is a big, open, green site with modern, hi-tech buildings. The new de Havilland campus lets students sleep, swot and socialise all on one site. It has a glittering 460-seat auditorium for conferencing and arts events, a fabulous £15m new sports complex and a state-of-the-art new learning resources centre, to match the award-winning learning resources centre on the main campus. Bayfordbury boasts a teaching conservatory, a large lake, woods and farmland. St Albans, home to law, is in the city centre.
Vital statistics: The university has grown hugely, now with around 27,500 students. Its excellent reputation in computer science, engineering, business and education has been complemented by new developments in art and design, health, sports science and law. Two learning resources centres are open around the clock.
Added value: Glamorous new facilities including a film, music and media building and new chemistry labs. In 2009 a new facility opened called the Forum on the College Lane Campus in Hatfield. It's a focal point for the University of Hertfordshire community, designed to accommodate the widest possible range of student needs and interests, whether the student is looking for a social scene or a quiet area to study and reflect. It also includes a nursery, a convenience store and a multi-storey car park. The project to build and run the Forum is a joint venture between the University of Hertfordshire and the university’s students’ union. The university also acquired a research and development centre in Welwyn Garden City called BioPark Hertfordshire. The centre aims to provide a focal point for bioscience and healthcare industries in the region, and looks set to do so, with fully equipped laboratories, conference and meeting facilities. The university now offers a range of new foundation degrees and encourages wider participation through links with four local FE colleges. It was a pioneer of internet-assisted learning with its StudyNet system, allowing students to use their learning resources wherever they are in the world, and was one of the first universities to offer a 'sandwich' degree.
Easy to get into? Stiffish for its star subjects. Most full degree courses ask for between 240 and 320 UCAS entry points, with foundation degrees needing less. Encourages applications from those from non-traditional backgrounds and without formal qualifications.
Glittering alumni: Claire Ward MP and government whip; David Kossoff, actor; Helen Lederer, comedienne; Sir Colin Chandler, chief executive and chairman of the industrial giant Vickers; Sanjeev Bhaskar, comedian and TV presenter.
Transport links: University's own bus company trundles between each campus, Hertfordshire and into the north London boroughs.
Who's the boss? Prof. Quentin McKellar, former principal of the Royal Veterinary College, took up the roll of vice-chancellor in January 2011.
Teaching: Came 61st out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.
Research: Came 53rd out of 115 in the Research Assessment Excercise.
Overall ranking: Came 49th out of 114 in the Complete University Guide.
Nightlife: Students' union is the main source of nightlife, nearest clubs are in St Albans' and Watford.
How green is it? Excellent - was ranked 8th out of 138 universities graded by People and Planet for their 'Green League 2011', an assessment of environmental performance.
Accommodation? Yes. Options both on and off campus. Prices vary between £80 and £115 per week for a single room, and £66 to £81 per week for a space in a double.
Cheap to live there? Not horrendous, considering the proximity with London. Private rentals are available for around £70 to £90 per week.
Sports ranking: Came 61st in the BUCS league.
Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time undergrads starting in 2011. The university plans on charging between £6,000 and £9,000 per year as of 2012.
Bursaries: A £500 per year bursary is available to full-time undergrads in receipt of a full maintenance allowance. There are also a number of excellence-based and course-specific scholarships available.
Prospectus: 01707 284 800; www.herts.ac.uk
UCAS code: H36
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