Nottingham Trent University

Arkwright Building (Nottingham Trent University)

Overall ranking: Came 52nd out of 123 in the Complete University Guide for 2015.

History: Goes back to 1843, to Nottingham Government School of Design. Trent Polytechnic was established in 1970 and renamed as Nottingham Polytechnic in 1989. It finally acquired university status in 1992.

Address: The City site is in the throbbing heart of Nottingham; the green field Clifton campus is six miles away; animal, rural and environmental sciences are based at Brackenhurst campus, Southwell, north Nottinghamshire.

Ambience: The City site is a lively mix of Victorian gothic, Art Deco and tower blocks. Nottingham is steeped in history, from being home to the legendary Robin Hood to the modern city's foundations as the centre of England's lace industry. Why not have a pint in England's (allegedly) oldest pub 'Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem', located in the cliffs below Nottingham Castle?

Who's the boss? Professor Neil T. Gorman, a vet who specialises in comparative immunology and oncology, is vice chancellor.

Prospectus: 0115 848 6868 or order one online here.

UCAS code: N91

What you need to know

Easy to get into? Harder than it used to be. Law asks for a minimum of 280 UCAS entry points, although various combined degrees start at 220 UCAS points.

Vital statistics: Big and popular university with over 26,000 students, of which 4,500 are postgrads and the same number part-time. Around a third of courses involve a sandwich year. Installed its first chancellor, the distinguished journalist and broadcaster Sir Michael Parkinson, in 2008.

Added value: Sporty, rising to 17th in the inter-university BUCS league. A sport and lifestyles department opened in 2005 and a relatively high proportion of students have been awarded government sports scholarships. The Clifton campus has an environmental chamber to acclimatise athletes by simulating different climate conditions. Heaps of recent investment as part of a major multi-million pound estate regeneration programme.

Significant investments already achieved are the construction of a major new building for science and technology; refurbishment and extension of the Bonington building for art and design; construction of new student accommodation on the Brackenhurst campus; a new building for the Centre for Effective Learning in Science and the Natural Science Research Centre; and the construction of a new veterinary nursing and animal care centre. A £7.65m donation, thought to be the largest ever to a post-'92 university, was given by the John and Lucille van Geest Foundation and has been used to establish the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre. The centre conducts an extensive research programme on several types of cancer, especially prostate and breast cancer.

An accommodation redevelopment opened last year, with facilities including a sports hall, 20ft climbing wall, fitness studio and health centre. A new SU building on the city campus also opened, which includes a 2,400 capacity gig venue, a retail unit, a 100-station fitness suite and 559 en-suite rooms.

The Centre for Broadcasting and Journalism has seen a recent upgrade in its facilities as it is now home to the studios for the news arm Notts TV, giving journalism students a chance to work in a professional environment during their study.

Teaching: 65th out of 123 in the Complete University Guide for student satisfaction with teaching quality.

Graduate prospects: 72nd out of 123 with 61.1 per cent finding graduate level employment.

Any accommodation? Yes. Yes. All of new students are guaranteed a place in university-allocated accommodation. Prices vary between £80.71 and £155.05 per week, including all utility bills and internet.

Cheap to live there? Not bad. Private rents tend to range between £45-90 per week for a room in a shared house, exclusive of bills.

Transport links: Good. Nottingham Station is one mile from the City site, with a direct link using the new Tram system, and a bus service transports passengers between the City and Clifton campus. And there's East Midlands Airport.

Fees: Full-time UK/EU undergraduate degrees: £9,000. Foundation degrees are £6,750 per year for full-time undergrads starting in 2014.

Bursaries: NTU Scholarships of £1,600 will be awarded to those students on the lowest household incomes, who receive the maximum maintenance grant and who are paying the full-time fee. Most of this scholarship will be paid in the form of a fee reduction. The NTU Scholarship is available for each year of study.

The fun stuff

Nightlife: A bar on each site, they transform into nightclubs. Loads of student nights throughout the week in the city, such as those at student-only Ocean. You'll be part of the famous 'Trent Army' in no time.

Price of a pint: The Nottingham average lies at just shy of £3 for a pint of lager.

Sporting reputation: Pretty sporty, in at 17th in the current BUCS league of 145.

Notable societies: Appreciate a good pint with the Real Ale and Cider society, or grab your pen to scribble something for student magazine Platform.

Glittering alumni: Hazel Blears, Labour minister; BAFTA-nominated film director Jonathan Glazer; Paul Kaye, star of Match Point, Blackball, Two Thousand Acres of Sky; Lucy Orta, Rootstein Hopkins chair of fashion at the London College of Fashion and acclaimed visual artist; Steve Trapmore, Olympic gold medallist in rowing; Dame Laura Knight, artist; Paul Ratcliffe, Olympic silver medallist, canoeing; Alan Simpson MP; Simon Taylor-Davis from Klaxons and Ed McFarlane from Friendly Fires; Turner Prize-winning artist Simon Starling.

Alternative prospectus: See how Nottingham Trent students rate various aspects of their university experience on What Uni? here.