A-Z Universities & Colleges

Updated for 2007 - including all UCAS institutions, as well as profiles of every further education college offering higher education courses

Click HERE for full A-Z index.

Another year, another A-Z of Universities and Colleges. The index that began more than 10 years ago, first as a weekly entry in the Education supplement and then as a printed guide, to give people a feel for the UK’s higher education institutions is now online only, and bigger than ever - whoever said education doesn’t move with the times?

As usual, each institution’s profile has been updated to show any recent changes, from multi-million renovation projects to new principals and degrees. Ancient universities appear alongside brand new institutions: the higher education landscape in this country has never been more varied than it is today.

The aim of this guide has always been to tell it like it is. Where possible we have avoided jargon and concentrated on the soul of the place, to help prospective students and their parents get a better idea about what makes each place tick.

As ever, the profiles describe the history and ambience of each centre of learning, how many students they attract, and how tough - or easy - they are to get into. We also describe where they are and how to get there, and any interesting characteristics worthy of a mention.

This year, we’ve added a new section on each institution’s environmental performance, based on a recent league table drawn up by People & Planet. We’ve also updated the teaching section to show the results of the 2006 National Student Survey, replacing the outdated QAA scoring system.

Each entry ends with a brief appraisal of the nightlife (important to any student) and information about accommodation, either within the institution or without.

We hope you find it useful.

Chris Green
Editor, A-Z of Universities and Colleges, The Independent
July 2007