TEACHING
QUALITY
Keele University
40
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
67.5%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
89.2%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
2nd=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
51st
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
41st
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
University Profile
Keele has gone further than most universities to help its graduates in the employment market by formally recognising their achievements both in and out of the classroom.
The distinctive Keele Curriculum, introduced as the university celebrated its 50thanniversary in 2012, covers voluntary and sporting activities as well as the academic core. Completion of a portfolio of workplace-relevant skills can lead to accreditation by the Institute of Leadership and Management, the only such scheme to be recognised in this way in Britain.
The university has been at the forefront of moves to record in more detail what graduates have achieved through a Higher Education Annual Report, a record of both academic and non-academic achievements at university.
The student charter identifies 10 “graduate attributes” that include independent thinking, synthesising information, creative problem solving, communicating clearly, and appreciating the social, environmental and global implications of all studies and activities.
This focus on life after Keele appears to be filtering through to improved graduate prospects, with 72.3% now in professional jobs or postgraduate study six months after leaving. This is one of the main
Keele remains small by modern standards, with little more than 10,000 students at all levels. They share the largest campus in the country – 600 acres of parkland near Stoke – and consistently demonstrate high levels of satisfaction with their experience. Keele ranks joint second, with only Coventry ahead, in our analysis of this year’s National Student Survey, scoring heavily as ever among the final year undergraduates surveyed on the measures of teaching quality.
There are plans for limited growth, especially at the postgraduate level. The proportion of postgraduates has already been growing, and almost a quarter of the students now take higher degrees.
More than £115m has been spent on the campus since the turn of the century. The latest phase has transformed the heart of the campus, reconfiguring the Union Square plaza and providing a social hub for both informal and formal events.
A third of all undergraduates, as well as many postgraduates and even some staff, live on a campus which includes an arboretum and has won a clutch of environmental awards.
The university’s commitment to green issues was underlined with the installation of environmental campaigner Jonathan Porritt as Chancellor in 2012. Keele topped the Environment Agency’s inaugural energy efficiency ranking and its new Sustainability Hub brings together a wide range of organisations and experts in the field. There is a degree in environment and sustainability and all undergraduates can take a module in sustainability or environmental studies.
The academic year is divided into two 15-week semesters, with breaks at Christmas and Easter. Nearly all undergraduates have the option of spending a semester abroad at one of the university’s 50 partner universities.
Nine out of ten undergraduates are state educated and approaching 30% come from working-class homes. The university has been trying to broaden its intake further by offering special projects and masterclasses in local schools and hosting a summer school. The projected dropout rate of 6.4% is only two-thirds of the national average for the university’s subjects and entry qualifications.
Health subjects have been the main focus of development in recent years. First degrees in physiotherapy and nursing and midwifery were added to the well-established postgraduate medical school.
Keele also offers a five-year undergraduate medical course. Some 130 students each year are taught in new facilities on the Keele campus, at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, three miles away, and at the Associate Teaching Hospital at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust in Shropshire. Students take the new Keele undergraduate degree programme, which was approved by the GMC in 2011.
Facilities for pharmacy and the natural sciences have also been improved. The latest development is a £2.8m extension of the Anatomy Skills Facility, which will allow the School of Medicine to attract surgeons from across the UK. The extension will not only improve facilities for students, but will also offer senior surgeons the chance to improve their skills in the most up-to-date teaching environment.
An increased emphasis on research brought some success in the last Research Assessment Exercise. Almost half of the work submitted was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent, but Keele was still towards the bottom of the traditional universities on this measure.
Crime statistics suggest that Keele is the safest university campus in the West Midlands. For those who live off campus, the cost of living in the Potteries and the surrounding area is relatively low. With around one in six students being mature returners to higher education, a new £2.9m nursery catering for more than 100 children aged from three months to school age is a useful addition to campus facilities.
For those without children, the highly rated students’ union, which has undergone a £2.7m renovation, offers entertainment on campus every night of the week. The sports facilities have benefited from a new all-weather pitch, and the leisure centre has a refurbished fitness suite.
The distinctive Keele Curriculum, introduced as the university celebrated its 50thanniversary in 2012, covers voluntary and sporting activities as well as the academic core. Completion of a portfolio of workplace-relevant skills can lead to accreditation by the Institute of Leadership and Management, the only such scheme to be recognised in this way in Britain.
The university has been at the forefront of moves to record in more detail what graduates have achieved through a Higher Education Annual Report, a record of both academic and non-academic achievements at university.
The student charter identifies 10 “graduate attributes” that include independent thinking, synthesising information, creative problem solving, communicating clearly, and appreciating the social, environmental and global implications of all studies and activities.
This focus on life after Keele appears to be filtering through to improved graduate prospects, with 72.3% now in professional jobs or postgraduate study six months after leaving. This is one of the main
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reasons behind Keele’s rise in our overall ranking this year.Keele remains small by modern standards, with little more than 10,000 students at all levels. They share the largest campus in the country – 600 acres of parkland near Stoke – and consistently demonstrate high levels of satisfaction with their experience. Keele ranks joint second, with only Coventry ahead, in our analysis of this year’s National Student Survey, scoring heavily as ever among the final year undergraduates surveyed on the measures of teaching quality.
More than £115m has been spent on the campus since the turn of the century. The latest phase has transformed the heart of the campus, reconfiguring the Union Square plaza and providing a social hub for both informal and formal events.
A third of all undergraduates, as well as many postgraduates and even some staff, live on a campus which includes an arboretum and has won a clutch of environmental awards.
The university’s commitment to green issues was underlined with the installation of environmental campaigner Jonathan Porritt as Chancellor in 2012. Keele topped the Environment Agency’s inaugural energy efficiency ranking and its new Sustainability Hub brings together a wide range of organisations and experts in the field. There is a degree in environment and sustainability and all undergraduates can take a module in sustainability or environmental studies.
The academic year is divided into two 15-week semesters, with breaks at Christmas and Easter. Nearly all undergraduates have the option of spending a semester abroad at one of the university’s 50 partner universities.
Nine out of ten undergraduates are state educated and approaching 30% come from working-class homes. The university has been trying to broaden its intake further by offering special projects and masterclasses in local schools and hosting a summer school. The projected dropout rate of 6.4% is only two-thirds of the national average for the university’s subjects and entry qualifications.
Health subjects have been the main focus of development in recent years. First degrees in physiotherapy and nursing and midwifery were added to the well-established postgraduate medical school.
Keele also offers a five-year undergraduate medical course. Some 130 students each year are taught in new facilities on the Keele campus, at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, three miles away, and at the Associate Teaching Hospital at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust in Shropshire. Students take the new Keele undergraduate degree programme, which was approved by the GMC in 2011.
Facilities for pharmacy and the natural sciences have also been improved. The latest development is a £2.8m extension of the Anatomy Skills Facility, which will allow the School of Medicine to attract surgeons from across the UK. The extension will not only improve facilities for students, but will also offer senior surgeons the chance to improve their skills in the most up-to-date teaching environment.
An increased emphasis on research brought some success in the last Research Assessment Exercise. Almost half of the work submitted was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent, but Keele was still towards the bottom of the traditional universities on this measure.
Crime statistics suggest that Keele is the safest university campus in the West Midlands. For those who live off campus, the cost of living in the Potteries and the surrounding area is relatively low. With around one in six students being mature returners to higher education, a new £2.9m nursery catering for more than 100 children aged from three months to school age is a useful addition to campus facilities.
For those without children, the highly rated students’ union, which has undergone a £2.7m renovation, offers entertainment on campus every night of the week. The sports facilities have benefited from a new all-weather pitch, and the leisure centre has a refurbished fitness suite.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
40 (44)
Student experience
87.1
2nd=
Research quality
12.7
51st
Ucas entry points
384
40th=
Graduate prospects
72.3
41st
Firsts and 2:1s
67.5
56th
Completion rate
89.2
41st=
Student-staff ratio
15.2:1
32nd=
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,131
109th
World ranking
-
501= (501=)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
7,135
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
515
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
995
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
1,590
Applications/places
18,360/2,060
Applications/places ratio
8.9:1
STUDENT CITIES
Bolu Oyewale, students’ union president
The campus is like its own little world a great student bubble with a welcoming atmosphere.
We’re in the country which is beautiful but is a big problem for people with hay fever in the summer.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
3,200
Accommodation costs
£79-£172
Catered costs
£126-£156
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£9,000
Fees (placement year)
£500
Fees (overseas year)
£1,350
Fees (international)
£12,000-£14,500
Fees (international, medical)
£24,100
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£19,486
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
English students with household income below £25K, bursary of £1,000 a year.
>
Scholarships for those with excellent pre-entry qualifications of up to £2,000 a year. Study abroad bursary of £1,000 for those with household income below £25K.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
365, 70th
Sport website
Student satisfaction
94.0%
91.7%
91.7%
89.9%
89.5%
88.9%
88.8%
87.8%
87.5%
87.4%
87.3%
87.1%
87.1%
84.6%
84.1%
82.8%
82.7%
82.6%
81.7%
81.6%
81.1%
80.6%