Lancaster University

Age: 47

History: The first students were accepted to Lancaster in 1964, the same year that Princess Alexandra was inaugurated as chancellor.

Address: Greenfield site two miles from Lancaster, complete with rabbits and ducks.

Ambience: Modelled on a Spanish hill-top village and set in lovely countryside. At the centre is Alexandra Square, which is currently undergoing a makeover, set in 250 acres of landscaped woods and fields. The collegiate system with nine colleges gives the university a friendly feel.

Vital statistics: Around 12,000 students, very popular with international students (from over one hundred countries). As a member of the N8 Group - a research partnership of the top 8 most research intensive universities in the North of England -it focuses on five areas of research: ageing and health; energy; molecular engineering; regenerative medicine and water.

Added value: Many changes and updates to the campus have been completed with students in mind – since 2002 more than £300m has been invested in to the campus creating new halls, academic centres for environment, ICT and management. Student facilities and teaching space have been transformed creating, for example, a 24-hour student learning hub. A £20m new sports centre should be completed in time for freshers in 2011.

Easy to get into? Varies by course, but most honours degrees ask for betwen 320 and 360 UCAS points. Mature students need recent evidence at level 3.

Glittering alumni: Peter Whalley and Marvin Close, Coronation Street writers; Robert Fisk, Middle East correspondent, The Independent; Alan Milburn, former health secretary; Olympic cycling gold medallist Jason Queally; actor Andy Serkis (Gollum and King Kong).

Transport links: Direct trains to London (2.5hrs away), Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. Good bus and coach networks with services from the town to the middle of campus. The M6 is on the doorstep and the Lake District is within easy reach.

Who's the boss? Professor Paul Wellings, a respected expert on population ecology.

Teaching: 29th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 19th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 9th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: On campus entertainment revolves around the individual college bars. The city isn't the UK's biggest party town, but there are plenty of bars, many of which do live music. Clubs in Lancaster have popular dance nights, and the Sugarhouse, owned and run by the students union but situated in town, also manages to attract some fairly big name acts.

How green is it? Not great – came joint 78th out of 138 universities graded by People and Planet for their 'Green League 2011'.

Any accommodation? Yes - over 6,500 rooms in various colleges, around half of which are allocated to freshers. Weekly rents range between £73 and £126, depending on college and facilities. Catered halls are also available starting at £109 per week.

Cheap to live there? Yep. Off-campus rents average £75 per week for a room in a shared house.

Sports Ranking: 47th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 per eyar for home full-time undergrads starting in 2011. Lancaster plans to charge the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 as of 2012.

Bursaries: The unviersity offers a bursary of up to £1,000 per year for students with a residual income of less than £34,000. A scholarship of £1,000 is also offered to new students who make Lancaster their firm choice and achieve three As at A-level.

Prospectus: 01524 592 015; www.lancs.ac.uk

UCAS code: L14