Leeds City College

Age: 2

History: On April 1, 2009, Leeds City College became a reality as Leeds College of Technology, Leeds Thomas Danby and Park Lane College Leeds (three very established colleges in the region) merged to form what is now one of the largest and most influential colleges in the country, offering entry level to higher education courses.

Address: The college now boasts more than 25 teaching sites across the city, including five main campuses - Horsforth, Keighley, Park Lane and Technology.

Ambience: Claims to be the fourth largest foundation education college in the UK, Leeds City College is diverse, friendly, and busy. The college supports the promotion of equal opportunities and is committed to ensuring that all students achieve their potential. The college makes all reasonable adjustments to ensure all students, including those with disabilities and learning difficulties, are treated fairly and get the most out of college life. Leeds City College has Matrix-award winning advice and guidance staff on hand to help with any extra support you may need.

Vital statistics: Leeds City College now has more than 55,000 learners studying the massive range of courses on offer, including 27 higher education qualifications such as foundation degrees and BA top-up degrees. HE courses are validated by Leeds Metropolitan University, University of Bradford, University of Huddersfield, University of Teesside, and Edexcel.

Added value: Before the merger, Park Lane College Leeds was one of the first 10 colleges in the country to be awarded Beacon status in 1999, and made the decision not to charge top-up fees in 2007. The new college has links with more than 2,500 companies and strong relationships with major Leeds employers.

Easy to get into? Not hard at all. Generally for higher education courses, candidates under the age of 21 must have at least one E grade at A2-level or equivalent, and three GCSEs at grade C, one being in English. Mature students will be interviewed to assess their suitability for the course. See individual courses for specific requirements.

Glittering alumni: None as yet, but the following all studied one of the colleges that formed Leeds City: Spice Girl Melanie 'Mel B' Brown; Kay Mellor, screenwriter, Fat Friends; Brian Deane, former footballer, England and Leeds United; Angela Griffin, actress, Holby City and Cutting It; Brian Turner, celebrity chef; Adil Rashid, cricketer, Yorkshire Country Cricket Club and England; Jamie Jones-Buchanan, rugby player, Leeds Rhinos.

Transport links: Leeds city centre has excellent road, rail and bus links servicing the main Leeds campuses and a direct train service to Keighley. There is also a free city bus in operation which loops around the city, passing the train station, bus station and several college sites every 10 minutes. Leeds Bradford international airport is also nearby.

Who's the boss? Peter Roberts took over as the new Leeds City College Principal in July 2009, joining from Stockport College. In his seven years at Stockport, Peter Roberts turned the college’s fortunes around to achieve “beacon status”, winning a number of national accolades. Ofsted inspectors praised his “inspiring” and “outstanding” leadership. Peter was deputy principal at York College before this.

Teaching: Good, according to the Ofsted reports for the three colleges pre-merger. Adult and community learning was among the areas rated as outstanding. Many teachers at Leeds City College have worked in industry before becoming qualified lecturers. It has National Skills Academy status for community sport enterprise, creative and cultural skills, food and drink manufacture, hospitality, retail, financial services, and sports and fitness, as well as accolades for printing and computer technology.

Foundation degrees: Animal health and welfare; applied computing; applied networking; business management; children's care, learning and development; complementary therapies; electrical and electronic engineering; financial services; health and social care; human resourcemanagement; legal services; managing for social care; photography; security management and consultancy; sport coaching and development; wildlife management and conservation.

Nightlife: Leeds has repeatedly been voted the most popular city for students outside London. Leeds is a cosmopolitan city with an excellent variety of shops, bars, clubs and restaurants, and has everything for the music fan (Leeds Festival) through to the sports buff (Headingley and Elland Road stadiums).

Any accommodation? HE students are offered rooms in halls of residence via Leeds Metropolitan University's accommodation service. Rents range between £85 an £145 per week.

Cheap to live there? Not bad. Rents in student houses range from £65 to £85 per week.

Fees: £2,500 per year for full-time HE students starting in 2011/2012.

Burasaries: A bursary of £1000 is awarded to students with an annual household income of less than £25,000 and £500 for students with a household income of more than £25,000, but less than £50,000 per year.

Prospectus: 0845 045 7275; www.leedscitycollege.ac.uk

UCAS code: L21