Oxford and Cherwell Valley College

Age: Eight in its latest incarnation

History: Oxford College of Further Education, Rycotewood College, North Oxfordshire College and Oxfordshire School of Art and Design merged on 1 August 2003 to form OCVC.

Address: Two campuses in Oxford, one in the centre of the city (now host to the Rycotewood Furniture Centre) and one in Blackbird Leys. Also a campus at Banbury and a new campus at Bicester, which specialises in motorsports and performance engineering.

Ambience: A further and higher education college with campuses in the ancient university city of Oxford and on the edge of a picturesque Cotswolds market town. The specialist centre in Bicester is based in the heart of the not-so-famous “Motorsport Valley”. Small class sizes in a creative and diverse environment make it a good choice for students eschewing university to achieve their HE qualification.

Vital statistics: Around 13,000 students enrol each year, around 33 per cent of which study full-time. More than 125 full-time courses and 1,000 part-time. Higher education courses are offered in art, design, furniture and other vocational areas. Degrees are validated by Oxford Brookes University and Bucks New University.

Added value: Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in a number of curriculum areas and first Oxfordshire college to achieve prestigious Training Quality Standard (TQS) accreditation. Drop-in language centres at the Oxford and Banbury campuses. A partner of several professional organisations: Design and Art Directors, Association of Illustrators, Royal Television Society, Crafts Council and British Film Institute.

Easy to get into? Entry requirements vary from course to course, but they ensure students enter courses at the correct level, and offer progression routes right through to postgraduate study.

Glittering alumni: Gordon Ramsay, one of Britain's most famous chefs, learnt his onions on a catering course at Banbury.

Transport links: The Oxford campus sits plum in the centre between the Oxford's excellent train and bus stations from which buses run every 12 minutes to London; and the Banbury campus operates a subsidised transport scheme providing college buses and travel costs for those who live more than three miles away.

Who's the boss? Sally Dicketts, who has been principal and chief executive since 2003.

Teaching: Teaching and learning at OCVC was judged to be ‘Good’ by Ofsted in its most recent inspection. Success rates for students 16-18 are above national average at all levels.

Foundation Degrees: Motorsports - performance and automotive technology; creative arts and design practice; business and enterprise; furniture design and make. It also offers a PGCE.

Nightlife: Oxford is only minutes away, with countless pubs, clubs and cafés.

Any accommodation? None offered by the college, but it recommends homestays or renting from private letting agencies.

Cheap to live there? If you go for the homestay option, expect to pay around £140 per week for dinner, bed and breakfast, or around £90 for self-catering. The cost of shared student houses in Banbury or private rental accommodation varies, but usually starts at around £80 per week.

Fees: HE fees are set by the validating institutions. For Bucks New University courses, full-time undergrads will pay £3,375 per year from 2011 entry, and for Oxford Brookes courses, full-time undergrads will pay £2,000. Bucks New is yet to confirm what it plans to charge for HE courses at the college as of 2012, but Oxford Brookes fees are set to go up to £6,000 per year.

Bursaries: May be offered through partnership universities.

Prospectus: 01865 550 550; www.ocvc.ac.uk

UCAS code: O25