Teesside University

Teesside University (James West)

Overall ranking: 96th out of 123 in the Complete University Guide.

History: Founded by shipping magnate Joseph Constantine in 1930, the original technology college was the first to pioneer computer science and forensic science degrees.

Address: Buzzing town centre campus in Middlesbrough, north east England, with a new £13m campus in Darlington.

Ambience: Easy access to local surfing beaches and water sports from Middlesbrough, which is also next to the stunning North York Moors National Park. Arty and cultural- you won't be bored.

Who's the boss? Professor Graham Henderson CBE, a mathematician and rugby coach, is vice-chancellor.

Prospectus: 01642 218 121 or request one here.

UCAS code: T20

What you need to know

Easy to get into? Not really. The average tariff is around 300 UCAS points. You'll need at least two A Levels, one A Level double award, a BTEC National Certificate, OCR National Diploma or equivalent. Also at least three GCSE passes of Grade C or above, including English and Maths.

Vital statistics: Around 22,000 students, with approximately 11,500 studying on full-time undergrad courses and 10,500 part-time students. Selected as the country’s University of the Year in 2010 and Business Incubation Champion of the Year in 2008 for its scheme which helps graduates set up their own businesses on the campus. 430 new businesses have been created through the university’s graduate enterprise and DigitalCity initiatives. Teesside also won the Queen's Anniversary Price for Excellence in Higher Education last year, partly as a result of the initiatives.

Added value: A whopping £200m invested in recent years. This has included a state-of-the-art library, a £12m Institute of Digital Technology and a £10m Centre for Creative Technologies. The buildings just keep on coming; a new £17m campus showpiece- the dental care training facility and sports therapy complex- opened in 2010. The £6.5m sports science Olympia building has a super high-tech, temperature-controlled environmental chamber where researchers can test athletes' performance in very cold and very hot climates and Teesside’s 30-room Crime Scene House Laboratory is the most comprehensive university facility of its kind in the UK. Excellent student experience according to both UK and international student surveys. Close ties with local schools, FE colleges and employers- attracts a wide social mix. Hosts the international animation and computer games conference, Animex. £12m Phoenix Building provides top facilities for new and established business ventures. A £20m teaching and conference centre, the Campus Heart development, in the heart of the Middlesbrough campus is expected to be completed in Summer 2015. The building is expected to transform the centre of the university and offer state-of-the-art teaching facilities, along with learning spaces for students and a 200 seat lecture theatre

Teaching: 32nd out of 123 in the Complete University Guide.

Graduate prospects: 103rd out of 123 with 53.6 per cent finding graduate level employment.

Any accommodation? Rents for a single room range between £84 and £98 per week, with shared rooms going for less.

Cheap to live there? Middlesbrough has some of the most affordable private accommodation in the UK, rents start at around £50 a week.

Transport links: Direct train links to Newcastle, York, Leeds and Manchester. For London, Edinburgh and Birmingham, change at Darlington or York. Good for coaches. Durham-Tees Valley Airport just 20 minutes away.

Fees: Full-time home and EU undergraduates pay between £7.950 and £8,450 per year, depending on whether the course is classroom or laboratory-based. NHS students pay no fees as their courses are funded by the NHS.

Bursaries: Teesside University offer a range of very generous scholarships for new full-time undergraduates in 2014. See here and find out what you could be entitled to.

The fun stuff

Nightlife: Won the Students' Union of the Year Club Mirror awards in 2002 and 2004, and the Best Bar None awards in 2008/9 which recognises outstanding standards of customer service, staff training and good practice in licensed premises. There is a graduation ball and plenty of pubs, cafes and restaurants on or around the campus. Final Fling is the big end of year party, not to be missed.

Price of a pint: Less pricey up north- averaging £2.10 in Darlington and often even less in Middlesbrough.

Sporting reputation: 91st in the BUCS league at the moment, so not great. An FA-accredited centre of excellence for women's football, however.

Notable societies: Not a huge range but World and Outside Cinema is a popular, slightly quirky choice. The Mind, Body and Spirit Society covers everything from meditation to tarot cards and crystals- intriguing if you fancy trying something different. Plenty of sports clubs.

Glittering alumni: Graeme Burnett, former CEO of TOTAL energy and now Senior Vice-President of Delta Airlines, Marek Reichman, Aston Martin design director who created the James Bond DBS for Casino Royale; Andy Ireland, world-renowned physiotherapist to grand-slam winning tennis star Andy Murray, Suzannah Clarke, opera singer; ; Steve Penrose, former Senior Vice-President of ADP, international animator Andy Lomas, Mark Gouldthorpe, MD of Raleigh (UK) and concept artists Norman Walshe (Stardust) and Dan Walker (Batman Returns, Dr Who).

Alternative prospectus: Find out more and chat to current, recent and prospective students on The Student Room here.