Newcastle University

Age: 178

History: Originally founded as an institution of HE in 1834 and was part of Durham University from 1852. Awarded university charter as the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1963. Following a rebranding exercise in 2006, the university's official trading name is now 'Newcastle University'.

Address: 45-acre campus in Newcastle city centre. There's also a newly-opened medical campus in Malaysia offering medicine and biomedical science degrees and a campus in Singapore offers degrees in naval architecture.

Ambience: Classic red-brick campus. Victorian buildings arranged in blocks around paved squares are attractive. The university is currently undergoing a multi-million programme of investment., The latest developments include a £35m building which houses many of the main student services under one roof and an £8-million renovation of the Grade II listed students’ union .

Vital statistics: Around 14,700 undergraduates and 5,700 postgraduates. A university increasingly sought after by the cognoscenti because of its nightlife and academic reputation. There is an £11m cancer research centre and an £18m environment and e-science institute.

Added value: Wired up: there are 1,400 networked PCs in 44 clusters across campus, and blanket wireless access over most of it. 100 per cent of student bedrooms are internet-ready, with almost all having a cable connection to the campus network. The Robinson Library is the only university library to have been awarded the government's Charter Mark for excellent customer services five times in a row and is home to over one million books and over 500,000 ebooks. Newcastle is big on sport and has over 55 established sports clubs. The sports centre incorporates a large sports hall with a 125-station health and fitness suite, three large activity halls, four squash courts and a dance studio. There are also five main sports sites located in and around the city, including pitches and courts, a floodlit all-weather pitch for hockey and football and an 18-hole golf course 10 miles west of the city. There's a boat house located on the river Tyne, the home of University rowing. Newcastle is also hot on student employability, establishing extensive links with over 1,300 local, national and international graduate employers to ensure students develop relevant skills and experience which are of real benefit after graduation.

Easy to get into? No - entry standards are high, with most courses asking for BBB or higher at A-level, or equivalent.

Glittering alumni: Richard Adams, founder of Traidcraft; Kate Adie, television journalist; Rowan Atkinson, comedian; Ed Coode, Olympic rower; Tom May, Newcastle Falcons and England rugby player; Sir Terry Farrell, leading architect; Bryan Ferry, singer; Debbie Horsfield, writer of 'Cutting It' and 'True Dare Kiss'; Ross Millard, lead singer of The Futureheads; Paul Smith, Maximo Park frontman; John Yorke, head of drama at the BBC.

Transport links: The Metro, Newcastle's underground train system, has a station right next the university. Newcastle Central train station is 15 minutes' walk away, or five minutes by Metro. It takes three hours to get to London by train, or an hour and a half to Edinburgh. Newcastle International Airport is 30 minutes journey by Metro. A good road network provides fast motorway links with all major cities in the UK.

Who's the boss? Professor Chris Brink, vice-chancellor, whose previous career was divided between academic and management positions in South Africa and Australia.

Teaching: 22nd out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 25th out of 115 in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 24th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: Buzzing seven nights a week with bars, clubs and restaurants, which spill out on to the Quayside from the city centre. Popular night time venues include the Tyneside Cinema, Hyena Comedy Club and the Carling Academy Newcastle.

How green is it? So, so - came joint 63rd out of 138 universities graded by People and Planet for their 'Green League 2011'. This is an improvement on their 104th place in last year's league.

Any accommodation? Yes. More than 4,300 rooms, ranging from catered halls of residence to self-catered flats or houses. Single rooms range between around £71 and £125 per week.

Cheap to live there? Yes – students living and studying in Newcastle can generally expect a lower cost of living than in many other parts of the UK; the average cost for private rented accommodation is £75 per week. A night out doesn't have to break the bank, as many venues offer student discounts and run special student nights.

Sports ranking: 12th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £9,000 per year (2012 entry) for new undergraduates. There are a number of degrees for which tuition fees are different for part of the course, and these are outlined on the University website.

Bursaries: Newcastle University offers a range of scholarship schemes to give students financial support through their studies. Eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis. For information on tuition fees, bursaries and scholarships please visit the website for more details.

Prospectus: 0191 208 3333; www.ncl.ac.uk

UCAS code: N21