Teesside University

Teesside University

Age: 83 if you count from the birth of Constantine Technical College, 41 from the creation of Teesside Poly, or 20 as a university.

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

Address: Single town-centre campus in Middlesbrough.

Ambience: An attractive modern town-centre campus feel, thanks to a whopping £120m investment in the past decade. This has included a state-of-the-art library, a £12m Institute of Digital Technology and a £10m Centre for Creative Technologies. And 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.

Vital statistics: Around 29,200 students, with approximately 8,200 studying on full-time undergrad courses. Offers full and part-time courses from HND/Cs and foundation degrees, through to first and masters' degrees, plus PhDs. Most courses are developed in partnership with employers and professions. Large portfolio in forensic science and crime scene investigation and a huge School of Health and Social Care. Selected as the country’s Business Incubation Champion of the Year in 2008 for its scheme which helps graduates set up their own businesses on the campus. Over 175 companies have been launched since the scheme started in 2001, many are self-employed but some employ five or more staff.

Added value: Excellent student experience according to 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. The university has a higher education centre in Darlington and is expanding its Darlington provision with a new campus opening in the town in 2012. The SU won a Sport England VIP Recognition Award for supporting volunteering in sport and has twice been awarded 'UK Students' Union of the Year'.

Easy to get into? Experience counts as well as qualifications. Popular courses require 340 UCAS entry points.

Glittering alumni: Marek Reichman, Aston Martin design director who created the James Bond DBS for Casino Royale; Suzannah Clarke, opera singer; Stephen Uppal, who plays Ravi in Hollyoaks; international animator Andy Lomas, Mark Gouldthorpe, MD of Raleigh (UK) and concept artists Norman Walshe (Stardust) and Dan Walker (Batman Returns).

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.

Who's the boss? Professor Graham Henderson, a mathematician and rugby coach.

Teaching: 34th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide in 2011.

Research: 86th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: 97th out of 114 in the Complete University Guide.

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.

How green is it? Improving – came joint 64th out of 145 universities graded by People and Planet for its 'Green League 2012', after coming in at 98th in 2010.

Any accommodation? Yep – rents for a single room range between around £80 and £93 per week, with shared rooms going for less.

Cheap to live there? Yes - Middlesbrough has some of the most affordable private accommodation in the UK.

Sports ranking: 78th in the BUCS league table.

Fees: Starting 2012, between £7,450 and £8,450 a year – these tuition fee prices depend on how classroom or laboratory based your course is.

Bursaries: A means-tested bursary of up to £500 per year is available to full-time undergrads in receipt of a maintenance allowance and with an annual household income of less than £31,000 in 2011.

Prospectus: 01642 218 121; www.tees.ac.uk

UCAS code: T20