St Mary's University College Twickenham

St Mary's University College Twickenham

Age: 161

History: Began as the first Catholic teacher-training college in 1850, at Brook Green, Hammersmith. Moved to its present site in 1925. Now offers a diverse range of courses and welcomes students of all backgrounds.

Address: Leafy Twickenham, south-west London.

Ambience: Based in a Grade I listed Gothic mansion built by the 18th-century writer Horace Walpole, it has spacious grounds. St Mary’s is small by national standards, but has all the advantages of a great London location.

Vital statistics: 4,170 students, with more women than men.

Added value: Big on sport and positioned just down the road from the home of English rugby. The UK Athletics Endurance Performance Centre is based on site. Links with professional and semi-professional clubs, including London Irish Rugby Football Club, Harlequins Rugby League, Middlesex County Cricket Club and Barnet Ladies Football Club. The last five years has seen massive investment in the campus, with the latest addtions including new residential accommodation and the i-learn Café. The new Dol.che Vita coffee bar opened in 2006 and the £4million refectory and conference centre was completed in 2008. Ongoing improvements include an £8.25m sports facility development and the construction of a new lecture theatre.

Easy to get into? Usually need two A-levels or equivalent, with UCAS offers ranging from 220 to 260 points. Some courses, notably teacher training programmes, are very competitive. Applications to St Mary’s have gone up by over 100 per cent in the last few years.

Glittering alumni: Actor Pete Postlethwaite and comedian Tom O'Connor.

Transport links: Trains to Waterloo from Strawberry Hill take 35 minutes. Or take the train or District Line Tube to Richmond. The M3 and M4 are close.

Who's the boss? Professor Philip Esler is principal.

Teaching: A 2011 QAA inspection concluded that confidence can be placed in St Mary's provision of higher education. Rated good to very good by Ofsted for primary teacher-training. Secondary maths, religious education, science and modern foreign languages teacher-training rated good to very good; geography rated good; PE and rated good to adequate.

Research: Excellent results in the recent RAE for Theology. Elements of world class research were reported.

Nightlife: Revolves around the students’ union (which has two bars) plus local pubs and lively Kingston nightclubs. Highlights are the Christmas and Going Down balls.

How green is it? St Mary's did not take part in People and Planet's 'Green League 2011' and therefore received no award.

Any accommodation? Yes – rent for a single catered room ranges from £109 to £153 per week.

Cheap to live there? Not very, as it's London. Expect to pay around £100 per week for a room in a shared flat.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time home undergrads starting in 2011. St Mary's plans on charging £8,000 per year as of 2012.

Bursaries: Students in receipt of a full maintenance allowance in 2011 will be eligible for a bursary of £340 per year.

Prospectus: 020 8240 2314; www.smuc.ac.uk

UCAS code: S64