St George's, University of London

St George's, University of London

Age: 277

History: St George's shares a site and a history with St George's Hospital, which was opened at Hyde Park Corner in 1733, and has been training medical and healthcare professionals ever since.

Address: The main site is in Tooting in south-west London, although some healthcare students are based in Kingston. Labs, accommodation and student support facilities are all a few minutes' walk from each other.

Ambience: The Tooting site is small and friendly, located in urban London. Kingston is balanced just above the southern commuter belt, officially one of the furthest tentacles of Greater London but actually more like a separate town.

Vital statistics: Nearly 3,000 students attend each year to study a range of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma level. St George's has a joint faculty of health and social care sciences with Kingston University, so some courses offered by the faculty are validated by Kingston and others by the University of London. Excellent graduate employment rate (99 per cent), perhaps unsurprisingly.

Added value: Because it shares its site with St George's Hospital NHS Trust, students benefit from studying within a hospital environment offering excellent clinical resources and expertise. It pioneered the graduate entry programme for medics and a common foundation programme for all students. As well as the four and five-year MBBS in medicine, St George's offers a foundation for medicine and undergraduate degrees in healthcare sciences (diagnostic or therapeutic radiography, and physiotherapy), biomedical science, nursing, midwifery, social work, and a four or five-year masters in pharmacy

Easy to get into? Depends on the course. Medics need AAA at A-level at their first attempt (both chemistry and biology must be taken to AS, and at least one of these to A2), but the entry criteria may be adjusted for candidates who are achieving 60 per cent higher than their peer group at their school. All courses also have specific, non-academic requirements.

Glittering alumni: St George's can boast some pretty useful individuals amongst its former students - Edward Jenner, who introduced the first vaccine for smallpox, the anatomist Henry Gray, John Hunter - credited as the father of modern surgery - and, of course, the comedian Harry Hill. Nice to see someone make good use of their medical training.

Transport links: You can hop on to the Northern Line at Tooting Broadway tube, a short walk from the college, which will whisk you into central London in 20 minutes. Earlsfield, Tooting and Wimbledon mainline station are also close by and there are plenty of bus routes. The journey between central London and Kingston takes roughly the same time via the overground railway.

Who's the boss? The principal is Professor Peter Kopelman, who is also an alumnus of St George's. He is a qualified doctor with a long-standing interest in diabetes care, nutrition and obesity with a major research interest in obesity. He is a member of a number of national and international committees on nutrition and academic affairs including the UK Department of Health and Food Standards Agency Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.

Teaching: 81 per cent of students said they were satisfied with teaching in the most recent National Student Survey.

Research: St George's is active in clinical research in areas including cardiovascular sciences, basic medical sciences, infection and disease prevention, epidemiology and human genetics. Amongst the cutting-edge work being done in the labs are world-leading developments in anti-HIV treatment, such as innovative microbicide gels.

Nightlife: The students' union organises themed discos, sightseeing trips and comedy nights, but if you prefer to make your own fun there is the usual quotient of pubs and some excellent Indian restaurants around Tooting. A whole host of distractions are on offer nearer the centre of town.

Any accommodation? Yes. It's £110 per week (self-catered, including bills). Purpose-built halls of residence were opened in 2007.

Cheap to live there? Considering it's in London, yes: accommodation in Tooting is cheaper than most other areas. A privately rented room in a shared house or flat will set you back around £90-£95 per week.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time home undergrads starting in 2011. St George's plans on charging £9,000 per eyar as of 2012.

Bursaries: A means-tested bursary of up to £1295 per year is available to students in receipt of a maintenance grant. Students in years two, three and four of a medicine degree may also apply for an NHS bursary.

Prospectus: 020 8725 2333; www.sgul.ac.uk

UCAS code: S49