Sussex, University of

University of Sussex

Age: 50

History: The first of the universities created in the 60s.

Address: Set on the edge of the South Downs National Park, four miles from the centre of Brighton & Hove

Ambience: Laid-back, modern; 200 acres of rolling green land. Campus a little isolated but self-sufficient. Sublime countryside nearby for ramblers or Brighton clubs for socialising. Once famous for student protest, students still maintain more of a reputation for radicalism than many.

Vital statistics: Over 10,000 students, with just under 8,000 full-time undergraduates, grouped into twelve schools of study, including one of the largest psychology departments in the country.

Added value: Now has a medical school, a joint venture with Brighton University. Lots of opportunities to study abroad. Formidable research reputation, having numbered three Nobel Prize winners, 13 Fellows of the Royal Society, and 6 Fellows of the British Academy among their staff.

Easy to get into? Competitive. Offers are made in A-level grades instead of UCAS points, with most courses asking for between AAA and BBC.

Glittering alumni: A long list, including the writer Ian McEwan, former president of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, Jeremy Deller, Turner Prize winner 2004, and, most impressively of all, platinum blond 80s pop heart-throb Billy Idol.

Transport links: Local trains and buses to Brighton take minutes. Trains to London take 50 minutes. Gatwick airport 30 minutes by train.

Who's the boss? Professor Michael Farthing, a medic and enthusiastic photographer who is also president of the British Society of Gastroenterology.

Teaching: 10th out of 116 for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 28th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: 19th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: Bopping in students' union building, Falmer House. Or go to Brighton's numerous clubs, trendy pubs and veggie cafés.

How green is it? Not great – came joint 89th out of 142 universities graded by People and Planet for its ‘Green League 2011’.

Any accommodation? Yes, and it's guaranteed to all undergrads who make Sussex their firm choice and apply for housing by 1 August, 2011. It's around £81 to £125 per week for a self-catering university room.

Cheap to live there? Not very. You'll pay around £85 per week for a rented room in the private sector.

Sports ranking: Joint 43rd in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 for full-time home udnergrads starting in 2011. Sussex plans on charging £9,000 per year as of 2012.

Bursaries: In 2011, a Sussex Bursary of £1,000 per year is available to all students whose assessed family income is £25,000 or less, and the Chancellor's Scholarship offers £1,000 per year to students with a family income of £30,000 or less.In 2012, Sussex will offer scholarships to students who are the first in their family to go into higher education, as well as to those from low-income families.

Prospectus: 01273 876 787; www.sussex.ac.uk

UCAS code: S90