University of the Arts London

Age: 25, although some of the colleges date back to the mid-19th Century.

History: Formerly known as the London Institute, formed in 1986, University of the Arts London was formally inaugurated in May 2004.

Address: Six colleges with various sites around London make up the university, from the London College of Fashion on Oxford Street, to the London College of Communication in Elephant and Castle. In autumn 2004 Chelsea College of Art and Design moved to Millbank, next door to Tate Britain. In August 2006 Wimbledon School of Art joined the University as the sixth College. Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design is gearing up to move to a brand new state-of-the-art site in King’s Cross in autumn 2011.

Ambience: The Chelsea site at Millbank is full of cool, art-student types; London College of Fashion is also very hip, though more worldly; ditto Central Saint Martins. London College of Communication has a flash new media school and enterprise centre. Based on an airy, spacious campus, Wimbledon is a close-knit creative community, while Camberwell is the epitome of an urban, artistic hub.

Vital statistics: Around 20,000 students across all of the colleges, studying range of courses at all levels from foundation and undergraduate to postgraduate and research. It's the world's nerve-centre for up-and-coming art and design students. Application is to individual colleges but students have access to cross-college facilities such as libraries and bars. One of these is the new student 'hub', which has a café bar, art gallery complex and learning zone, as well as late night access to computers and a wireless internet network.

Added value: Students are taught by full-time leading academics and visiting lecturers, including fashion designer Giles Deacon and Vogue editor Alexandra Schulman. The university owns several galleries and two theatre spaces, and opened London's largest open air gallery at Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2008. The university is home to the archives of legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick as well as theatre designers Jocelyn Herbert and Richard Negri. The Kubrick Archive is housed in a new purpose-built facility at London College of Communication, contains everything from scripts and photographs to props and costumes as well as original research and set designs.

Easy to get into? Reasonably so – just as long as you're artistic. Recruitment is through one-year foundation courses, National Diploma, or a portfolio of work. A-level and GCSE requirements vary.

Glittering alumni: Gilbert and George; Gavin Turk, Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley, artists; John Galliano; Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane and Phobe Philo, fashion designers; Jimmy Choo, shoe designer; Terence Conran and James Dyson, designers; John Simm and Pierce Brosnan, actors; Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International; Ed Thomas and Sarah Greenwood, TV and film production designers

Transport links: For inner London sites, the tube is on the doorstep. For Camberwell, take the Number 12 bus from Oxford Street. Wimbledon is just 20 minutes train journey from Waterloo, or can be reached by the District Line tube.

Who's the boss? Nigel Carrington is the rector.

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

Research: 40th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: Came 59th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: The Students' union runs six bars and the centrally based student hub boasts a café bar. The students' union puts on a number of big events throughout the year, including a Christmas party, summer and graduation balls. Strong student drama scene.

How green is it? It failed to make it into the People & Planet 'Green League 2010'.

Any accommodation? Yes - The University provides thousands of places in 12 residences in north, south, south-east and east London. Accommodation options include self catering halls and flats, en-suite or shared bathrooms, and shared kitchens or self-contained studio rooms. New build residence Will Wyatt Court opened in September 2008 close to Old Street tube station. Opal 4, a brand new student development in Tuffnell Park, opened in September 2009, close to Camden Town’s famous markets and live music venues. Disabled students and students under 18 at the start of their course are guaranteed accommodation. Priority is given to students who come from outside London. Rents range from £131 to £190 per week.

Cheap to live there? This is London, so it was never going to be cheap. Rents do vary depending on the area, but don't expect to pay much less than £100 per week for a room in a shared flat.

Sports Ranking: 122nd in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time home undergrads starting in 2011. The University of the Arts plans on charging the maximum fee of £9,000 as of 2012.

Bursaries: A £650 Access Bursary is available to students paying full fees and receiving a full maintenance grant.

Prospectus: 020 7514 6000; www.arts.ac.uk

UCAS code: U65