TEACHING
QUALITY
Brunel University London
47
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
63.4%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
86%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
20th
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
42nd=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
85th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
University Profile
Brunel was voted the university offering the best student experience in London in Times Higher Education magazine’s annual survey, 16 places above the next institution from the capital and in the top 30 nationally. Students liked the high-quality, convenient facilities at one of London’s few campus universities, and were particularly complimentary about the sports facilities and the library, which recently moved to 24-hour opening. Partly to capitalise on this success, there has been a name change - to Brunel University London - in the past year to emphasise its location in the capital.
Brunel has spent more than £350m on its Uxbridge campus – just inside the M25 on the fringes of Greater London – over recent years, with the library and now world-class sports facilities attracting much of the investment.
The latest major construction project was the £30m Eastern Gateway Building that opened in 2012, providing new teaching and research facilities, a large auditorium, a café and an art gallery. There have been many new and refurbished social, teaching and residential facilities, and more green spaces for students to enjoy.
The programme has transformed
The university is also changing academically. The eight schools are being replaced by three colleges (business, arts and social sciences; engineering, design and physical sciences; and health and life sciences), and there are now three autonomous interdisciplinary research institutes - the Institute of Energy Futures, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, and Institute of Materials and Manufacturing. The aim is to encourage academics from different subjects to work together and produce innovative courses and research projects.
A new Educational Excellence Centre will encourage innovative teaching and the use of technology in the classroom, while another new unit will nurture students’ business skills and exploit the university’s research. A pioneer of sandwich courses in its early days, Brunel tries to enhance graduates’ employment prospects through work placements and the inclusion in degree courses of skills modules, such as oral and written communication, business and computer literacy.
The latest strategic plan sets the goal of confirming the university’s standing in the top third of UK higher education, making stronger connections between teaching and research, and further improving the quality of students’ experience. Brunel scored well in its last audit by the Quality Assurance Agency.
There has been significant growth in courses focusing on new technologies such as multimedia design and broadcast media, as well as health and social care. Other innovations include creative writing, professionally-accredited journalism, sonic arts, aviation engineering and pilot studies, motorsport engineering and games design.
Substantial investment in research centres and academic recruitment produced significant improvements in the last Research Assessment Exercise, when Brunel registered one of the biggest increases in the numbers of staff entered. Almost nine out of ten academics were assessed, compared with barely more than six out of ten in 2001. With 43% of the work submitted judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent, the outcome was a 54% increase in Brunel’s research allocation from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
The extra money was invested in 40 senior academic posts. Benjamin Zephaniah took up his first academic position as Chair of Creative Writing, and Will Self has joined as Professor of Contemporary Thought. Brunel’s Institute for the Environment won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for pioneering research revealing the link between chemicals in rivers and reproductive health.
Enrolments rose in 2013, but remain considerably lower than before £9,000 fees were introduced. Almost 40% of the undergraduates are from working-class homes – a big increase on previous years and well ahead of the national average for Brunel’s courses and entry qualifications. More than half come from the UK’s ethnic minorities and there is also a large contingent of international students.
The International Pathways and Language Centre was named as the top-performing British university language centre under the new British Council accreditation framework. A new international strategy will promote study opportunities abroad.Brunel featured in the top 40 in the Times Higher Education’s latest ranking of the world’s leading universities under 50 years old, scoring particularly highly for its international outlook.
The university will reach its half-century in 2016, although it dates back to the 19th century in other guises. The students’ union, which is in the top 20 in the country for satisfaction levels, has good facilities and the residential stock has been increased so that all new first years continue to be guaranteed accommodation on campus. With a below expected dropout rate of around one in ten students, Brunel is one of few universities in the capital to lose fewer students than would be anticipated given the student and subject mix.
There is a tradition of sporting excellence, and several students competed in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The level of facilities is such that Brunel hosted the South Korean Olympic and Canadian Paralympic teams. The university has won awards for its provision for disabled students, and for its placement and careers service.
Brunel has spent more than £350m on its Uxbridge campus – just inside the M25 on the fringes of Greater London – over recent years, with the library and now world-class sports facilities attracting much of the investment.
The latest major construction project was the £30m Eastern Gateway Building that opened in 2012, providing new teaching and research facilities, a large auditorium, a café and an art gallery. There have been many new and refurbished social, teaching and residential facilities, and more green spaces for students to enjoy.
The programme has transformed
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the campus, which retains its original 1960s architecture (famously used in Stanley Kubrick’s cult movie, A Clockwork Orange) but with the addition of striking new buildings and landscaping. A further £150m spend was approved in September which will yield a new teaching and learning centre, an engineering complex and a sports, health and wellbeing centre. The university is also changing academically. The eight schools are being replaced by three colleges (business, arts and social sciences; engineering, design and physical sciences; and health and life sciences), and there are now three autonomous interdisciplinary research institutes - the Institute of Energy Futures, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, and Institute of Materials and Manufacturing. The aim is to encourage academics from different subjects to work together and produce innovative courses and research projects.
A new Educational Excellence Centre will encourage innovative teaching and the use of technology in the classroom, while another new unit will nurture students’ business skills and exploit the university’s research. A pioneer of sandwich courses in its early days, Brunel tries to enhance graduates’ employment prospects through work placements and the inclusion in degree courses of skills modules, such as oral and written communication, business and computer literacy.
The latest strategic plan sets the goal of confirming the university’s standing in the top third of UK higher education, making stronger connections between teaching and research, and further improving the quality of students’ experience. Brunel scored well in its last audit by the Quality Assurance Agency.
There has been significant growth in courses focusing on new technologies such as multimedia design and broadcast media, as well as health and social care. Other innovations include creative writing, professionally-accredited journalism, sonic arts, aviation engineering and pilot studies, motorsport engineering and games design.
Substantial investment in research centres and academic recruitment produced significant improvements in the last Research Assessment Exercise, when Brunel registered one of the biggest increases in the numbers of staff entered. Almost nine out of ten academics were assessed, compared with barely more than six out of ten in 2001. With 43% of the work submitted judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent, the outcome was a 54% increase in Brunel’s research allocation from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
Enrolments rose in 2013, but remain considerably lower than before £9,000 fees were introduced. Almost 40% of the undergraduates are from working-class homes – a big increase on previous years and well ahead of the national average for Brunel’s courses and entry qualifications. More than half come from the UK’s ethnic minorities and there is also a large contingent of international students.
The International Pathways and Language Centre was named as the top-performing British university language centre under the new British Council accreditation framework. A new international strategy will promote study opportunities abroad.Brunel featured in the top 40 in the Times Higher Education’s latest ranking of the world’s leading universities under 50 years old, scoring particularly highly for its international outlook.
The university will reach its half-century in 2016, although it dates back to the 19th century in other guises. The students’ union, which is in the top 20 in the country for satisfaction levels, has good facilities and the residential stock has been increased so that all new first years continue to be guaranteed accommodation on campus. With a below expected dropout rate of around one in ten students, Brunel is one of few universities in the capital to lose fewer students than would be anticipated given the student and subject mix.
There is a tradition of sporting excellence, and several students competed in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The level of facilities is such that Brunel hosted the South Korean Olympic and Canadian Paralympic teams. The university has won awards for its provision for disabled students, and for its placement and careers service.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
47 (46)
Student experience
84.4
20th
Research quality
17
42nd=
Ucas entry points
352
49th
Graduate prospects
60
85th
Firsts and 2:1s
63.4
79th
Completion rate
86
61st
Student-staff ratio
16.9:1
54th=
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,741
45th
World ranking
-
355= (360=)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
9,675
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
365
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
3,840
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
1,435
Applications/places
20,255/2,950
Applications/places ratio
6.9:1
STUDENT CITIES
Martin Zaranyika, students’ union president
A lively and diverse campus, you’ll be spoilt for choice, there is so much to do.
If you don’t budget adequately in your first few weeks it will impact the rest of your semester.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (placement year)
£1,000
Fees (international)
£14,250-£16,000
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£21,604
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
300 bursaries with priority criteria of £1,000 each year.
>
30 Academic Excellence scholarships of £2,000 a year for those with at least AAA at A level or equivalent. 30 Local Borough scholarships, of £6,000 cash or fee waiver each year; 6 Alumni scholarships of £6,000 each year. Other scholarships for care leavers, local students and in some subjects.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
955, 31st
Sport website
Student satisfaction
96.1%
94.7%
94.4%
93.4%
91.7%
90.6%
89.8%
89.1%
87.9%
86.2%
85.6%
85.3%
83.2%
83.1%
83.0%
82.9%
82.6%
81.7%
81.2%
76.9%