TEACHING
QUALITY
University of Gloucestershire
83
rd
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
69.9%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
87.6%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
82nd=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
94th=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
96th=
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RH View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
September 27; October 25; November 22
University Profile
Gloucestershire claims to offer undergraduates more time with academics than almost any other UK university. In most subjects, students are said to spend at least a quarter of their time in lectures, seminars or other supervised activities.
With 10,000 students on three campuses – two of them amidst the Regency glory of Cheltenham, the other in historic Gloucester – the university sells itself to applicants as a ‘close-knit, supportive community of staff and students’ with relatively small teaching groups. An emphasis on teaching is reflected in the fact that 14 of the staff have been recognised as National Teaching Fellows by the Higher Education Academy.
Gloucestershire was the first university for more than a century to have formal links with the Church of England when it achieved full university status in 2001. Originally a teacher training college founded in 1847, the university’s primary training courses are still rated as outstanding by Ofsted.
Other strengths are in sport, media, and art and design. There is a good range of work placements for students, which are undertaken by a third of all undergraduates. The Degreeplus initiative combines
The university is investing £4m on new teaching accommodation after a campus reorganisation. A new media hub, with studio areas for fine art, photography and specialist design, has been the main addition.
Park Campus, is on the attractive site of the former College of St Mary, a mile from the centre of Cheltenham, and is the main base for the Faculty of Business, Education and Professional Studies.
Art and design, and the Institute of Education and Public Services, are closer to the town centre, at Francis Close Hall.
The Oxstalls campus, in Gloucester, was purpose-built a year after university status arrived and caters for sport and exercise sciences, leisure, tourism, hospitality and event management. Oxstalls also houses the Countryside and Community Research Institute, the largest rural research centre in the UK.
The three campuses are only seven miles apart, so students are not as isolated as they are in some split-site institutions. The former Pittville teaching campus in Cheltenham, which closed in 2011, is about to undergo a conversion into a student village to house 794 students. Existing residences still on the site will be refurbished and new ones built with the complex due to open in time for 2016’s intake of students.
Gloucestershire has a longstanding focus on green issues, and finished in the top three in the People and Planet Green League of universities’ environmental performance in 2013. Included in its opening pitch to would-be students on its website is the fact the university has run on green electricity since 1993. There are allotments for students, diplomas in environmentalism and an International Research Institute in Sustainability that brings together researchers from around the world, undertaking work for agencies such as Unesco.
The university also plays an active role promoting economic, cultural and social wellbeing in its county. It is launching a Gloucestershire Growth Hub, in association with the Local Enterprise Partnership, to help local businesses and give students more opportunities to work on ‘real life’ business projects.
The main research strengths are in the environment, humanities, and sports sciences. Some world-leading research was found in five of the 12 areas in which the university submitted work in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, but less than 20% of all work reached the top two categories.
The university’s intake is diverse, with 96% of undergraduates from state schools and more than a third from working-class homes. About a third are recruited from Gloucestershire, and around a quarter from elsewhere in the Southwest. There is also a new joint venture with INTO providing preparatory programmes for international students.
The projected dropout rate has improved dramatically over recent years, and the latest projection of less than 7% is well below the national average for the university’s subjects and entry qualifications.
In addition to its conventional degrees, the university is offering 15 two-year “fast track” degrees, in subjects ranging from biology to events management and law. New courses for 2015 will include fashion design and sports journalism.
The university has a strong sporting tradition, with links to around 30 sports governing and coaching bodies. Gloucestershire is the only university to have a professional rugby league team and counts amongst its alumni Lizzy Yarnold, who won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in the skeleton bob.
The facilities include a sports hall, gym and tennis courts. Even before the opening of the new Pittville student village, all first-year applicants in 2015 will be guaranteed accommodation in university halls or university managed accommodation if they accept Gloucestershire as their first choice and apply by the required deadline.
With 10,000 students on three campuses – two of them amidst the Regency glory of Cheltenham, the other in historic Gloucester – the university sells itself to applicants as a ‘close-knit, supportive community of staff and students’ with relatively small teaching groups. An emphasis on teaching is reflected in the fact that 14 of the staff have been recognised as National Teaching Fellows by the Higher Education Academy.
Gloucestershire was the first university for more than a century to have formal links with the Church of England when it achieved full university status in 2001. Originally a teacher training college founded in 1847, the university’s primary training courses are still rated as outstanding by Ofsted.
Other strengths are in sport, media, and art and design. There is a good range of work placements for students, which are undertaken by a third of all undergraduates. The Degreeplus initiative combines
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internships with additional training to improve students’ chances of getting a good job after graduating. There are dedicated ‘helpzones’ on each campus providing advice on academic or personal issues.The university is investing £4m on new teaching accommodation after a campus reorganisation. A new media hub, with studio areas for fine art, photography and specialist design, has been the main addition.
Park Campus, is on the attractive site of the former College of St Mary, a mile from the centre of Cheltenham, and is the main base for the Faculty of Business, Education and Professional Studies.
The Oxstalls campus, in Gloucester, was purpose-built a year after university status arrived and caters for sport and exercise sciences, leisure, tourism, hospitality and event management. Oxstalls also houses the Countryside and Community Research Institute, the largest rural research centre in the UK.
The three campuses are only seven miles apart, so students are not as isolated as they are in some split-site institutions. The former Pittville teaching campus in Cheltenham, which closed in 2011, is about to undergo a conversion into a student village to house 794 students. Existing residences still on the site will be refurbished and new ones built with the complex due to open in time for 2016’s intake of students.
Gloucestershire has a longstanding focus on green issues, and finished in the top three in the People and Planet Green League of universities’ environmental performance in 2013. Included in its opening pitch to would-be students on its website is the fact the university has run on green electricity since 1993. There are allotments for students, diplomas in environmentalism and an International Research Institute in Sustainability that brings together researchers from around the world, undertaking work for agencies such as Unesco.
The university also plays an active role promoting economic, cultural and social wellbeing in its county. It is launching a Gloucestershire Growth Hub, in association with the Local Enterprise Partnership, to help local businesses and give students more opportunities to work on ‘real life’ business projects.
The main research strengths are in the environment, humanities, and sports sciences. Some world-leading research was found in five of the 12 areas in which the university submitted work in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, but less than 20% of all work reached the top two categories.
The university’s intake is diverse, with 96% of undergraduates from state schools and more than a third from working-class homes. About a third are recruited from Gloucestershire, and around a quarter from elsewhere in the Southwest. There is also a new joint venture with INTO providing preparatory programmes for international students.
The projected dropout rate has improved dramatically over recent years, and the latest projection of less than 7% is well below the national average for the university’s subjects and entry qualifications.
In addition to its conventional degrees, the university is offering 15 two-year “fast track” degrees, in subjects ranging from biology to events management and law. New courses for 2015 will include fashion design and sports journalism.
The university has a strong sporting tradition, with links to around 30 sports governing and coaching bodies. Gloucestershire is the only university to have a professional rugby league team and counts amongst its alumni Lizzy Yarnold, who won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in the skeleton bob.
The facilities include a sports hall, gym and tennis courts. Even before the opening of the new Pittville student village, all first-year applicants in 2015 will be guaranteed accommodation in university halls or university managed accommodation if they accept Gloucestershire as their first choice and apply by the required deadline.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
83 (91=)
Student experience
80.6
82nd=
Research quality
2
94th=
Ucas entry points
295
103rd
Graduate prospects
58
96th=
Firsts and 2:1s
69.9
52nd
Completion rate
87.6
48th=
Student-staff ratio
23.6:1
119th=
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,499
64th
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
6,175
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
690
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
610
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
930
Applications/places
9,290/2,105
Applications/places ratio
4.4:1
STUDENT CITIES
Rickesh Patel, students’ union president
You will make lifelong friends and share unforgettable times.
Being a split campus it’s hard for wholescale university involvement, but you develop small, more personal communities.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (placement year)
£1,000
Fees (international)
£10,500
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£17,320
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
Students from Compact schools and Strategic Alliance partners with at least ABB at A level or equivalent, £1,000 scholarship; other students from these institutions, £500.
>
Care leaver's package includes 50% fee waiver and up to £4,500 a year for living and studying costs. Enhanced hardship fund, awarded after individual application.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
789, 40th
Sport website
Student satisfaction
96.2%
88.3%
88.0%
85.2%
84.6%
83.9%
83.7%
83.2%
82.5%
80.9%
79.1%
78.5%
77.2%
77.1%