Hertfordshire, University of

Hertfordshire, University of

Age: 17, 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 and 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 more than 23,000 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 Film, Music and Media Building and New Chemistry Labs. In September 2009, a new facility will open called the Forum on the College Lane Campus in Hatfield. It will be a focal point for the University of Hertfordshire community and enhance the student experience. It is 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 will also include 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. Courses ask for between 80 and 240 UCAS entry points. 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; comedian; 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. Tim Wilson took up the reins as vice-chancellor in September 2003, after 10 years as pro-vice-chancellor.

Teaching: Came 97th out of 113 in the National Student Survey.

Research: Came 53rd out of 113 in the research assessment excercise.

Overall ranking: Came 45th out of 113 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 - came in the top 10 out of 120 universities graded by People & Planet for their 'Green League 2008', an assessment of environmental performance.

Accommodation? It's around £85 per week for catered university accommodation, £70 for self-catering.

Cheap to live there? Private rentals are available for around £62-£92 per week.

Sports ranking: Came 40th out of 144 in the BUCS league.

Prospectus: 01707 284 800; www.herts.ac.uk

UCAS code: H36