Newcastle College

Age: 38

History: In 1894 it was know as Rutherford Memorial College. In 1945 the college was known as Rutherford College Secondary School for Boys. In 1962 the college was divided into two separate divisions, the college of Further Education and the Charles Trevelyan Technical College. In 1972 the two colleges merged and became known as Newcastle College.The college plans to merge with Northumblerland College in January 2012, when it will change its name to NCG.

Address: The main Rye Hill campus is a five-minute walk from central station in the centre of Newcastle. Sixties high rise blocks poke at the sky, but there are also plenty of new developments.

Ambience: Buzzing. Some top class facilities, particularly for music and performing arts, sport, hospitality, travel as well as hair and beauty. With an ongoing £250m investment programme there is much more to come.

Vital statistics: Nearly 30,000 students, including many international students. The new £16m Lifestyle Academy is home to students from hospitality, catering, beauty, sport and travel and tourism courses. The building has state-of-the-art facilities including a gym, spa, hair salons, treatment rooms, flotation tank, bistro and the award winning chefs’ academy. The £21m Performance Academy is one of the UK’s leading further and higher education music, performance and media centre. The Parsons building is dedicated to Sixth Form College students. The Rutherford building houses construction and engineering students. The Trevelyan building takes care of business, healthcare, and childcare students. Mandela building provides the space for art and design, including a gallery where students can exhibit their work. In 2007 the Sandyford building was reopened and with a £8.6m investment it became the new centre for employer engagement. In March 2009 the college successfully launched a £3.3m Aviation Academy at Newcastle International airport.

Added value: A £2m higher education centre with a study and relaxation area downstairs and a bar upstairs opened in 2005. Excellent links with employers - giving students access to live work placements to help improve career prospects. Tuition fees are competitive and non-repayable bursaries are available for higher education students.

Easy to get into? Typical offer to study a foundation degree is 80 to 120 UCAS points. The college also offers a number of honours degrees and a typical offer is 160 UCAS points

Glittering alumni: Michelle Heaton, singer from Liberty X; TV's Ant & Dec and comedian Ross Noble.

Transport links: There is a free college bus service between sites, and both the Sandyford and Rye Hill campuses are roughly 5 minutes' walk from the nearest Metro station in the centre of Newcastle.

Who's the boss? Beverley Robinson, principal of Newcastle College.

Teaching: In 2008 the College was rated as outstanding by Ofsted inspectors. It is the top performing FE College in the North East and amongst the top three in England & Wales. Outstanding QAA results (Quality Assurance Agency) giving the highest quality of teaching and tutor support, particularly in performing arts, beauty, sport, hospitality, tourism and art and design.

Foundation degrees: Over fifty spanning eight subject areas - art and design; beauty, hairdressing and complementary therapies; business, enterprise, care and public services; engineering, construction and automotive; computing and science; music, media and the performing arts; sport and exercise; travel, aviation and hospitality.

Nightlife: Thriving. Quiz nights, concerts and theme nights and DJs in the 500-capacity bar venue on campus. Many clubs on the quayside.

Any accommodation? None provided by the college, but the student services department can help students find somewhere to live.

Cheap to live there? Not too bad. Expect to pay around £60 per week for a room in a shared flat.

Fees: £3,080 per year for first time, full-time undergrads starting in 2011.The college is yet to announce its proposals for tuition fees for 2012 entry.

Bursaries: Up to £1,200 per year is available to eligible students paying the full tuition fee in 2011.

Prospectus: 0191 200 4000; www.ncl-coll.ac.uk

UCAS code: N23