North Lindsey College

Age: 58

History: North Lindsey College is a registered UCAS college and celebrated its golden jubilee eight years ago.

Address: North Lincolnshire. The main campus is in Scunthorpe.

Ambience: A friendly, welcoming campus with students of all ages and from all backgrounds. Spread over a large area, the campus is made up of a number of separate buildings housing the various curriculum areas.

Vital statistics: The largest provider of post-16 education and training in north Lincolnshire, offering a wide range of courses. Each year more than 1,800 full-time and around 9,000 part-time learners enrol at the College. 850 students study on university-level courses at the dedicated Higher Education Centre. North Lindsey is also an associate college of the University of Lincoln and also offers programmes validated by the Universities of Hull and Huddersfield.

Added value: Considerable investment and refurbishment over the past few years. There's now a state-of-the-art skills centre for 14- to 16-year-olds; a new early years centre, recognised as a centre of excellence in the region; expanded hairdressing and beauty therapy facilities; and better health and social care facilities. North Lindsey was one of the first colleges in the country to be accredited the Matrix Standard by the Guidance Accreditation Board, for delivery of high quality information, advice and guidance. Also one of only a handful of FE colleges in the UK to be awarded the prestigious "Charter Mark" by the Government Cabinet Office, in recognition of outstanding customer service standards. The college has also picked up a Beacon Award for its 14-16 provision. Students in 2011 will be able to combine vocational and academic qualifications through the college's new Science, Technology eEngineering and Maths Academy (STEM).

Easy to get into? Shouldn't be too hard, but entry requirements vary widely: best check their website for more details.

Glittering alumni: None as yet.

Transport links: The M180 motorway provides easy access to Hull, Sheffield, Doncaster and Leeds, and there is a railway station in the town for access to Doncaster, Leeds and London.

Who's the boss? Professor Roger Bennett, principal and chief executive for the past eight years.

Teaching: After a successful recent Ofsted inspection the overall grading profile for the college is 'outsatnding', putting it in the top ten per cent of colleges in the country.

Foundation Degrees: Computer information systems; counselling; sport, performance and exercise development; health and social care; leadership and management; business and human resource management; learning support; children's services.

Nightlife: Scunthorpe offers a lively nightlife with a range of clubs, bars and restaurants. Lincoln and Hull offer even greater choice and are just on the doorstep.

Any accommodation? None provided by the college.

Cheap to live there? Yes, Scunthorpe is very reasonable. You can pay as little as £55 per week for a shared flat, with prices rising for better quality housing.

Fees: Varies between course and qualification. £1,800 per year for full-time home students on HND, BA and foundation degree courses starting in 2011. Part-time courses vary between £670 and £770 per year. Fees for 2012 are yet to be set.

Bursaries: None offered by the college in 2011, but there will be funding available through the National Scholarship Programme in 2012.

Prospectus: 01724 294 030; www.northlindsey.ac.uk

UCAS code: N64