TEACHING
QUALITY
University of Cumbria
95
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
66.9%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
84.9%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
59th=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
117th=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
77th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
Fusehill Street, Carlisle, CA1 2HH View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
October 4 and November 1 (Carlisle and London); October 11 and November 8 (Ambleside and Lancaster)
University Profile
Cumbria mixes the extremes of town and country across its campuses like no other university. One of Britain’s most attractive campuses, at Ambleside in the Lake District, has been reopened, operating mainly as the base for the largest programme of outdoor education degrees anywhere. The former college site had been mothballed as a result of financial difficulties that have now been overcome.
Juxtapose the rural idyll of Ambleside with Cumbria’s London metropolitan outpost on the doorstep of Canary Wharf. The university moved here in 2013 but has been operating in London’s East End since 1999. It trains 250 student teachers annually, working with the local Tower Hamlets council to address the issue of too few school staff reflecting the make-up of the borough’s large ethnic population. Today, 70% of the borough’s schools employ at least one University of Cumbria-trained teacher; some employ as many as eight.
Despite having only 10,500 students, Cumbria is one of the largest teacher training providers in England – active in both London and Cumbria.
The university now operates on five sites in Cumbria itself, although the largest campus is in
The university is the only higher education institution based in the historically underprovided county. It was finally established in 2007, after a series of false starts, formed by the amalgamation of a former teacher training college (St Martin’s in Lancaster) and an arts institute (in Carlisle), with the addition of two campuses acquired from the University of Central Lancashire (Carlisle and Newton Rigg, near Penrith – the latter’s higher education provision now moved to Ambleside).
While teacher education remains the largest recruiter of students, Cumbria has adopted a new business focus. The business school was relaunched in 2013 with an emphasis on programmes in areas of particular strength, such as small and medium-sized enterprises, ethics and leadership and sustainability.
Business interaction centres in Carlisle and Ambleside support business development and student entrepreneurship. A number of institutes have been established in areas such as forestry, wildlife conservation, healthcare and international security.
The university’s headquarters are in Carlisle, where there are about 3,500 students. The larger of the two main sites in the city is in a parkland setting close to the River Eden. The second campus, closer to the city centre, boasts a new Learning Gateway, an innovative multimedia learning resource centre, and a sports centre with a four-court sports hall and well-equipped fitness room.
The former Cumbria Institute of the Arts can trace its history in Carlisle back to 1822, eventually becoming the only specialist institute of the arts in the Northwest, and one of only a small number of such institutions in the country. The creative arts are one of the main areas for development in the university’s planning. Policing will also move to Carlisle as part of the reorganisation.
There are more than 4,500 students in Lancaster, at the former St Martin’s College, which was founded by the Church of England in 1964. It is a 10-minute walk from Lancaster town centre. The centrepiece is the Gateway, a £9.2m development which provides a range of student services. There is also a modern library and excellent sports facilities, including a £2.5m sports complex, gymnastics centre and fitness centre.
The Ambleside campus has been refurbished and new amenities provided in conjunction with the Lake District National Park Authority. Research has restarted there and the campus will host more business and enterprise activity, as well as some new courses. There are plans for around 150 new student rooms to be built at different sites around the rural campus.
The Institute of Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS), which is part of the business school, is developing a portfolio of activities that make the best use of its unique setting. One novel development has seen Cumbria become the first public university in the world to accept Bitcoin as payment for fees. The online currency is being accepted for theIFLAS’s Certificate of Achievement in Sustainable Exchange, which is being introduced at the London campus, and the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Leadership, which is based in Ambleside.
Cumbria was bottom of the initial rankings from the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, recording only a small amount of world-leading research in theology, divinity and religious studies. But the focus of the university has been on attracting more students from a region of low participation in higher education, as well as on serving the social and economic needs of the county.
Almost all the students are from state schools and colleges and four in ten are from working-class homes. The proportion from areas without a tradition of higher education (around one in six) is also well above the national average for the university’s subjects and entry grades. And with the number dropping out now down to under one in 10 students, Cumbria has a wastage rate somewhat below the level expected given the subject and student mix.
Juxtapose the rural idyll of Ambleside with Cumbria’s London metropolitan outpost on the doorstep of Canary Wharf. The university moved here in 2013 but has been operating in London’s East End since 1999. It trains 250 student teachers annually, working with the local Tower Hamlets council to address the issue of too few school staff reflecting the make-up of the borough’s large ethnic population. Today, 70% of the borough’s schools employ at least one University of Cumbria-trained teacher; some employ as many as eight.
Despite having only 10,500 students, Cumbria is one of the largest teacher training providers in England – active in both London and Cumbria.
The university now operates on five sites in Cumbria itself, although the largest campus is in
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Lancaster. There are two campuses in Carlisle and one in Workington, as well as a university centre at Furness College, in Barrow. More than a quarter of first years are 21 or over, and only a quarter come from Cumbria itself. There are also partnerships with the four further education colleges in the county to provide higher education locally.The university is the only higher education institution based in the historically underprovided county. It was finally established in 2007, after a series of false starts, formed by the amalgamation of a former teacher training college (St Martin’s in Lancaster) and an arts institute (in Carlisle), with the addition of two campuses acquired from the University of Central Lancashire (Carlisle and Newton Rigg, near Penrith – the latter’s higher education provision now moved to Ambleside).
While teacher education remains the largest recruiter of students, Cumbria has adopted a new business focus. The business school was relaunched in 2013 with an emphasis on programmes in areas of particular strength, such as small and medium-sized enterprises, ethics and leadership and sustainability.
The university’s headquarters are in Carlisle, where there are about 3,500 students. The larger of the two main sites in the city is in a parkland setting close to the River Eden. The second campus, closer to the city centre, boasts a new Learning Gateway, an innovative multimedia learning resource centre, and a sports centre with a four-court sports hall and well-equipped fitness room.
The former Cumbria Institute of the Arts can trace its history in Carlisle back to 1822, eventually becoming the only specialist institute of the arts in the Northwest, and one of only a small number of such institutions in the country. The creative arts are one of the main areas for development in the university’s planning. Policing will also move to Carlisle as part of the reorganisation.
There are more than 4,500 students in Lancaster, at the former St Martin’s College, which was founded by the Church of England in 1964. It is a 10-minute walk from Lancaster town centre. The centrepiece is the Gateway, a £9.2m development which provides a range of student services. There is also a modern library and excellent sports facilities, including a £2.5m sports complex, gymnastics centre and fitness centre.
The Ambleside campus has been refurbished and new amenities provided in conjunction with the Lake District National Park Authority. Research has restarted there and the campus will host more business and enterprise activity, as well as some new courses. There are plans for around 150 new student rooms to be built at different sites around the rural campus.
The Institute of Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS), which is part of the business school, is developing a portfolio of activities that make the best use of its unique setting. One novel development has seen Cumbria become the first public university in the world to accept Bitcoin as payment for fees. The online currency is being accepted for theIFLAS’s Certificate of Achievement in Sustainable Exchange, which is being introduced at the London campus, and the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Leadership, which is based in Ambleside.
Cumbria was bottom of the initial rankings from the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, recording only a small amount of world-leading research in theology, divinity and religious studies. But the focus of the university has been on attracting more students from a region of low participation in higher education, as well as on serving the social and economic needs of the county.
Almost all the students are from state schools and colleges and four in ten are from working-class homes. The proportion from areas without a tradition of higher education (around one in six) is also well above the national average for the university’s subjects and entry grades. And with the number dropping out now down to under one in 10 students, Cumbria has a wastage rate somewhat below the level expected given the subject and student mix.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
95 (95)
Student experience
82.3
59th=
Research quality
0.3
117th=
Ucas entry points
288
106th
Graduate prospects
62.1
77th
Firsts and 2:1s
66.9
59th
Completion rate
84.9
69th
Student-staff ratio
20.8:1
102nd
Services/facilities spend (£)
816
118th
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
6,020
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
1,905
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
800
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
870
Applications/places
7,760/1,915
Applications/places ratio
4.1:1
STUDENT CITIES
Amie Godward, students’ union officer
Our campuses are small and homely.
If you buy a supermarket’s finest every week you’re going to be skint, there’s no shame in buying basics.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
1,000
Accommodation costs
£63-£105
Catered costs
£63-£86
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (international)
£10,500-£14,965
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£18,812
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
For household income below £25K, up to 139 bursaries of £1,000 each year; up to 21 part-time bursaries of £500 each year.
>
Up to 8 progression scholarships for students from partner colleges of £500 each year.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
56, 106th=
Sport website
Student satisfaction
95.2%
93.1%
92.5%
91.9%
87.0%
86.1%
84.8%
84.2%
83.3%
83.1%
81.9%
79.9%
79.7%
77.9%