Warwick, University of

University of Warwick

Age: 46

History: A sixties university built on a green-field site. Scorned by the left for its close links with industry, now lauded to the skies for its success in every sphere.

Address: Not actually in Warwick, the campus is about ten miles away from the town, sitting on the outskirts of Coventry, next to the town of Kenilworth.

Ambience: Very modern, and sometimes impersonal, campus; more than 720 acres of sixties-to-noughties architecture, man-made lakes and sculptures. Recently spent £25m on new accommodation buildings and £15m on a new mathematics building.

Vital statistics: Now one of Britain's top universities; a member of the unofficial Ivy League. Highly rated for research and teaching with a thriving science park and innovation centre. Includes a swanky business school and sees itself as a research university: a quarter of the 21,500 students are postgrads. Established a medical school in conjunction with Leicester University in 2000, before Warwick Medical School was awarded independent degree-awarding status in 2007. Its arts centre is the one of the largest in the UK.

Added value: Hard-headed approach and links with industry have brought rewards. More than 64 per cent of its income comes from commercial activities. Research is done with industry - the Warwick Manufacturing Group alone has a turnover of £80m and works with more than 500 companies worldwide. But it's not just work work work: a huge student union organises loads of social activities. In 2007, Warwick students won University Challenge for the first time - but also held the world record for having the largest number of people dressed as Smurfs. Beat that, Oxbridge.

Easy to get into? No. For maths you'll need an A*s in maths and further maths as well as an A in one other subject. For law you need three As at A-level, for history and theatre studies AAB, and for biological sciences ABB.

Glittering alumni: Simon Mayo, radio presenter; Stephen Merchant, actor; Frank Skinner, comedian; David Davis, Conservative MP; Rosemary Thorne, finance director of Sainsbury's; Baroness Morris, former education minister; Baroness Amos, former leader of the House of Lords; Tim Mason, marketing director of Tesco; A.L Kennedy and Anne Fine, authors.

Transport links: Close to the intersection of several motorways - the M6, M40, and M42. Two airports are nearby - Birmingham International and Coventry. Rapid train service from Coventry to London.

Who's the boss? Professor Nigel Thrift, one of the world's leading human geographers and still an active researcher.

Teaching: 25th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Research: 7th out of 115 in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Overall ranking: 8th out of 116 in the Complete University Guide.

Nightlife: Big extension to the students' union has released more space for relaxation. The South Central bar doubles as a deli counter during the day. Seven days' a week entertainment.

How green is it? Not great – came 100th out of 142 universities graded by People and Planet for its 'Green League 2011', an assessment of environmental performance.

Any accommodation? Yes – 5,578 bedrooms on campus. Rents range between £76 and £130 per week.

Cheap to live there? Very much so, with private rents a snip from £55 to £65 per week.

Sports ranking: 21st in the BUCS league table.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time undergrads starting in 2011. This fee will rise to £9,000 for 2012 entrants.

Bursaries: The Warwick Undergraduate Aid Programme will offer a scholarship of £1,500 per year to students with an annual household income of up to £36,001. For full details of financial assitance available in 2012, including grants available through the National Scholarship Programme, see the university's website.

Prospectus: 02476 523 648; www.warwick.ac.uk

UCAS code: W20