Royal Holloway, University of London

Royal Holloway, University of London

Age: 126

History: Royal Holloway was founded by the Victorian entrepreneur and philanthropist Thomas Holloway in 1886, and affiliated to London University in 1900. It merged with Bedford College, formerly at Regent's Park, London, in 1985.

Address: 135-acre landscaped campus in Surrey, close to Windsor and seven miles from London Heathrow. There is also a central London base at Bedford Square.

Ambience: Friendly and cosmopolitan. Near London but green. Famous for its spectacular Grade I Founder's Building, modelled on the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley, which contains 500 much sought-after student bedrooms. The new plate glass Windsor Building was completed in 2007, with a state-of-the-art auditorium and lecture rooms. A major new student amenity called the Hub has created a student village environment in the residential part of the campus. There is a range of sporting facilities.

Vital statistics: 8,500 undergraduates, of whom around 20 per cent are overseas students. There are also 1,700 postgraduates, some studying by distance learning.

Added value: University of London degree; excellent for sport; good opportunities for students to work on campus and a fabulous location. The Founder's Building houses a Picture Gallery with over 70 paintings from the High Victorian period collected by Thomas Holloway. Renowned for its friendly and supportive environment - reflected in excellent student retention and successful completion levels. Good careers service dedicated to supporting students and graduates.

Easy to get into? Not really – you'll need 280 to 360 UCAS entry points, depending on the course.

Glittering alumni: George Eliot; Richmal Crompton, author of Just William; David Bellamy; newsreader Mary Nightingale; actor Jeremy Northam; Simon Nye, screenwriter on Men Behaving Badly; Janice Hadlow, Head of BBC4; Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage; KT Tunstall, singer/songwriter and Brit award winner.

Transport links: Good road, rail and air links. London is 19 miles away, about 35 minutes by rail.

Who's the boss? Professor Layzell, a distinguished software engineering researcher, took up the role of principal in August 2010.

Teaching: 41st out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 23rd out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 26th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: Several bars and cafes on site, and a new games area, entertainments are run seven days a week. It has a reputation as one of the best unions in the London area, attracting big-name acts such as Trevor Nelson, Tim Westwood, Girls Aloud, Lemar, Karl Kennedy and the Vengaboys. Plus an impressive array of DJs, comedians and cabaret. The college runs a lively cultural programme of events including public lectures, plays and concerts throughout the year.

How green is it? Not great – came joint 104th out of 142 universities graded by People and Planet for their 'Green League 2012'.

Any accommodation? Yes. Something to suit all tastes and budgets. A single room in college halls ranges between £95 and £134 per week including food, or £77 to £143 per week for self-catered. A small number of University of London intercollegiate halls are also available for postgrads.

Cheap to live there? Not bad – the average monthly rent for most private sector properties in the area varies between £300 – 400 per person per month.

Sports ranking? 57th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: Under an agreement with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), Royal Holloway will charge the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 to all Home/EU students on full-time undergraduate degrees in 2012-13.

Bursaries: £750 per year is available for eligible students with a household income of less than £39,333 per year. There are also various scholarships on offer.

Prospectus: 01784 443 957; www.rhul.ac.uk