University Profile: Northumbria University

History: Newcastle Poly until 1993, when it gained university status. Known as University of Northumbria at Newcastle until 2003, when it was re-named Northumbria University.

Address: The main campus is located bang in the heart of Newcastle Upon Tyne, with a smaller satellite campus four miles outside the city centre at Coach Lane.

Ambience: The city centre campus is a mish-mash of Victorian municipal and Sixties concrete. Longhirst Hall near Morpeth is a stately home, while business courses are held in some of Carlisle's listed buildings. Some of the most beautiful countryside and coastlines in England are a short bus ride away.

Vital statistics: Last year there were 19,600 undergraduate students - 15,000 of them full-time and the remainder part-time.

Plus points: The Northumbria school of fashion is known to be one of the best in the country, while eco-warriors will be delighted by the massive solar panel powering the Northumberland building on campus. The completion rate for degrees is one the best in the UK, at around 90 per cent, and it prides itself on the wide range of academic, financial and pastoral student support systems available. Six months after graduation, 95 per cent of graduates are employed or have entered study or training.

Glittering alumni: Designer of the Apple iPod, Jonathan Ive, is a graduate of Northumbria's design school. Other graduates include fashion designer Scott Henshall, athlete Steve Cram and, last but definitely not least, Sting.

Transport links: Newcastle Central train station is on the East Coast Mainline, and the city has excellent motorway links. Newcastle is served by Newcastle International Airport, with daily flights to most of the UK's major cities and European destinations as well, including Milan, Paris, Prague, Budapest, Dublin, Rome and Geneva.

Teaching: The Quality Assurance Agency rated Northumbria's teaching (out of 24) as 24 in nursing and education; 23 in modern languages, physics and subjects allied to medicine; 22 in politics and drama, economics, electrical engineering, art and design, business and management and psychology; 21 in history of art, molecular biosciences, sports science, housing studies and maths; 20 for sociology. Ranked fourth in the country for nursing and sixth for librarianship and information management. The OFSTED report on primary teacher training gave it a rating of "very good" in all categories.

Research: Came 92nd out of 106 in 2001 research assessment exercise.

Nightlife: Newcastle is a world-renowned party city with more than enough bars and clubs to suit the most hedonistic students. The university has four dance nights a week and live music is a big attraction. Budget entertainment is plentiful in a city where one in six people is a student.

Cheap to live in? Yes. Self-catered halls of residence cost an average of £50 - £67 a week; catered halls cost £80, depending on size and location.

Clearing: A Clearing Open Day will be held in the Ellison Building, City Campus, on 20 August from 10am - 2pm. Prospective students will be able to discuss their needs with staff, discover more about the options available and find out about the range of support services, including the accommodation which the university has to offer.

For more information: The Clearing hotline (0191 243 7243) will be open at the following times: 18 August (results day) and 19 August: 8.30am-6.30pm; 20 August: 10am-2pm; 22-26 August: 9am-5pm. For a prospectus call 0191 232 6002; or you can visit the website at www.northumbria.ac.uk/clearing

UCAS code: N77