Sheffield Hallam University

Sheffield Hallam University's Owen Building (Mark Walker)

Overall ranking: Came 66th out of 123 in the Complete University Guide for 2015.

History: Can trace its history back to 1843, with the establishment of Sheffield School of Design, which was one of the many educational institutions that came together over 150 years to become Sheffield Hallam University. The college of art merged with college of technology to become a Sheffield Polytechnic in 1969, absorbing sizeable training colleges in the Seventies. Became a university in 1992.

Address: Two campuses, one in the city centre and the other less than two miles away on the vibrant and popular Ecclesall Road. Both campuses are linked by privately-owned student accommodation, while the university boasts an eclectic mix of Grade II listed buildings and brand new facilities.

Ambience: Sheffield is England's fifth largest city, so life here is buzzing. The city centre boasts the Millennium Gallery and winter gardens.

Who's the boss? Professor Philip Jones, who has an academic background in law, is vice-chancellor.

Prospectus: 0114 225 5555 or create your own course-specific one here.

UCAS code: S21

What you need to know

Easy to get into? Students need between 280 and 300 UCAS points on average, or BBC at A-level. Mature students can be assessed on experience rather than certificates. Admission depends on a high standard of creativity and skill for the metalwork and jewellery courses.

Vital statistics: One of the first three polys to be established. Now has around 37,066 students, of which 28,409 are undergrads. Strong links with business and industry. The highest number of sandwich courses in England, thanks to links with major international companies such as Nestle, Rolls Royce and JCB. Many courses are applied rather than theoretical, devised in cooperation with industry. Almost 19,000 placements are taken each year at the university.

Added value: Development of the estate continues, with almost £110m already spent on teaching and learning facilities in the last ten years. Award-winning library at the city campus with more than 1,600 computers. Students' Union is housed in the iconic former National Centre for Popular Music. New health and wellbeing, engineering and IT buildings and an atrium where students and staff socialise have also been constructed. In 2008 the university moved its art and design students to the City Campus and housed them in new, state-of-the-art accommodation in the heart of the Cultural Industries Quarter. A new £27m teaching and learning complex is set for completion in 2015. One of the best performers for sustainability.

Teaching: 99th out of 123 for student satisfaction with teaching in the Complete University Guide.

Graduate Prospects: 89th out of 123, with 57.3 per cent of students finding graduate-level employment.

Any accommodation? Rooms in halls of residence cost between £77 and £200, and are all self-catered. Homestays with local families are also available. For more information, click here.

Cheap to live there? Indeed! Rent in the private sector is between £45 and £80 per week without bills.

Transport links: Next to the city's bus and railway station and close to the airport.

Fees: £9,000 for full-time UK and EU undergrads, and from £11,250 for international students.

Bursaries: Non-repayable financial support is offered to students from households with annual incomes below £42,600. See here for further details.

The fun stuff

Nightlife: An on-campus club venue, Bar Phoenix, with 20-plus clubs in the city. More than 500 pubs and loads of cafés. Good theatre at the Crucible and Lyceum.

Price of a pint: Not too pricey in Sheffield at around £2.70. Even cheaper in the union at £1.50 for a bottle of Carling.

Sporting reputation: Sporty- ranked 19th out of 145 in the current BUCS league.

Notable societies: Plans for Tango and Quidditch societies are in the pipeline. There's Tea Drinking for the caffeine aficionados among you, and RockSoc for live music fans.

Glittering alumni: Nick Park, animator of Wallace and Gromit; Bruce Oldfield, fashion designer; Richard Caborn MP; David Mellor, international designer and cutlery maker; Martin Narey, chief executive of Barnardo's; Howard Wilkinson, former technical director at the Football Association; Leon Taylor, Olympic silver medallist diver; Jacqui Oatley, sports broadcaster for BBC Sport.

Alternative prospectus: See how current Sheffield Hallam students rate their university experience on What Uni? here.