Trinity Saint David, University of Wales

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Age: One, in its present guise, but its roots go back 189 years.

History: St David's College was born in 1822 before coming University of Wales Lampeter in 1995. Trinity University College Carmarthen formed in 1848 to train teachers for church schools in England and Wales, and received University College status in 2009. The two were merged in 2010 to create the newly formed University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

Address: Two campuses. One in Carmarthen, a busy town in south-west Wales and, according to Arthurian legend, the birthplace of Merlin. The other is 25 miles up the road in Lampeter, a little market town so remote it doesn't have a train station.

Ambience: Close to lovely countryside and coastline, rolling hills, Pembrokeshire, Brecon Beacons, sandy beaches, rivers, and medieval castles. Small and friendly campuses. Swansea and Cardiff close by.

Vital statistics: Over 2,000 full and part-time undergraduates, and around 400 postgraduates. Offers courses from certificates of higher education right up to PhDs. Has an excellent reputation in education, the creative, cultural and performing arts, as well as courses related to business, tourism, outdoors and community development. The Lampeter site is the oldest university college in England and Wales, after Oxbridge and specialises in arts and humanities.

Added value: This being Wales, it's big on sport and singing. Notably good at rugby. Sports facilities at Carmarthen include an indoor climbing wall and swimming pool. Great natural resources for outdoor pursuits in the area. University is proud of its performing arts and its links with the media and arts industries in Wales. And it's bilingual: there are lots of Welsh speakers and most courses can be followed in English or Welsh, or in both languages. Most students get the opportunity to spend three months in Europe of an Erasmus programme.

Easy to get into? It's hard to say. There are no formal entry requirements from honours' degrees. Each applicant is invited to the university to discuss their suitability and judged on individual merit.

Glittering alumni: None as yet, but there's a host of big names that went to the two constituent universities. Rugby stars Barry John and Carwyn James, and world famous tenor Stuart Burrows world famous tenor went to Trinity University College Carmarthen. As for Lampeter, its graduates include: Christopher Herbert, former Bishop of St Albans; opera guru and former BBC producer; writer Jack Higgins and Sulak Sivaraska, Thai human rights campaigner.

Transport links: At the end of the M4, so you can whiz back and forth to London. Carmarthen is 40 minutes down the dual carriageway to Fishguard and a ferry to Ireland. Regular trains to Carmarthen, but Lampeter is a little more difficult to get to via public transport.

Who's the boss? Professor Medwin Hughes, keen supporter of the education and arts in Wales.

Teaching: Came 43rd out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: Wasn't around in 2008 for the Research Assessment Exercise, but Trinity and Lampeter's comined scores place Trinity Saint Daivd at 76th out of the 115 universities in the RAE.

Overall ranking: 92nd out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: The students' union at Carmarthen has a nightclub called Unity and an Attic Bar. Trinity has its own theatre, used regularly by touring companies as well as for student productions. Try one of the 60 pubs or four nightclubs in Carmarthen too. Things in Lampeter are a bit more low-key, and students make their own entertainment. Aberystwyth is the nearest nightspot. The Old Bar is the main students' union drinking spot and puts on a eclectic mix of students nights, there is another nightclub in Lampeter, called Oxygen.

Any accommodation? Yes – around 60 per cent of students in Lampeter live in university halls, which ranges from £62 to £76 per week for a self-catering room. At Carmarthen, catered students pay £104 per week, and those choosing self-catered, en-suite rooms pay £83 per week.

Cheap to live there? Yes – privately rented rooms can be bagged for as little as £55 per week.

Sports ranking: 143rd in the BUCS league.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time undergraduates starting in 2011. Trinity plans on charging an average fee of £8,557 per year as of 2012, although the Welsh government will subsidise Welsh and EU students, meaning degrees will remain at £3,375 a year for them.

Bursaries: A number of scholarships of £500 are available for students studying specific subjects. There are also means-tested bursaries available for students from low-income families and Welsh language scholarships. For more information, visit the website.

Prospectus: 01267 676 767 (Carmarthen campus); 01570 422 351 (Lampeter Campus) www.trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk

UCAS code: T80