TEACHING
QUALITY
Oxford Brookes University
49
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
69.6%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
89.1%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
36th=
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
60th
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
53rd=
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
Gipsy Lane, Oxford, OX3 0BP View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
October 4; November 8
University Profile
Oxford Brookes is the first British university to introduce the Grade Point Average (GPA) system to give its students a more accurate assessment of their work than the traditional British honours degree classification.
Students will still be classified traditionally as well, but marks for every module taken from the first year onwards now count towards their GPA – a figure calculated to two decimal places with a maximum score of 4.00 – which has strong recognition internationally and takes the pressure out of finals.
The change follows a tradition of innovation at Brookes that dates back to its time as a polytechnic, when it pioneered the modular degree system that has swept British higher education.
After more than 20 years’ experience, the university has now trimmed the 2,000 modules it once offered, but undergraduates can still pair subjects as diverse as history and biology. Each subject has compulsory modules in the first year and a list of others that are acceptable later.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of a range of placement and exchange opportunities and to take subjects
The university is always among the highest-placed in our league table of those established since 1992, ranking second this year. Brookes is particularly popular with independent schools, which provide more than a quarter of the undergraduates – by far the highest proportion among the new universities and two and a half times the national average for the university’s subjects and entry grades.
However, the proportion from working-class homes, at 45%, is also considerably ahead of the official benchmark. Brookes has been trying to attract more students from state schools and has targeted areas in Oxfordshire and the wider region, as well as offering a range of bursaries for those from low-income families.
The university’s location – “I go to university in Oxford” has a certain cachet – is an advantage in student recruitment, but the quality of provision is the real draw.
Ofsted rates the primary teacher training as outstanding and the university’s departments feature near the top of our rankings for several subjects.
Brookes is celebrating the 150thanniversary of the original institution, the Oxford School of Art, but its main campus at Headington is almost unrecognisable even from four years ago. The £132m John Henry Brookes Building opened in February 2014 and has been rated among the top 15 new buildings in the UK.
It brings together the library and teaching space with the students’ union and support services. Wheatley Campus, seven miles from the city centre is the base for business engineering and technology students. A new engineering building supports the university’s status as a Government-designated regional centre for motorsport and high performance engineering: graduates now work in all F1 teams.
The Harcourt Hill campus, at Botley, is the home of the School of Education. There is also a small site in Swindon, which focuses mainly on nursing and has its own osteopathic training clinic. Brookes sponsors a university technical college for 14-19 year-olds in the town.
The undergraduate intake grew by almost 1,000 students in 2013, reaching record levels. The demand for places had fallen a little, but there were still about six applications for every place.
Once here, few students drop out: the 8% projected dropout rate is now well below the 10.9% average for institutions with Brookes’ course profile and student mix.
The university has an integrated e-learning network, which is designed to give students greater flexibility over when, where and how they learn. There is a personal information portal for tasks such as choosing study modules and checking grades.
Grades in the last Research Assessment Exercise showed improvement, with more than a third of the work judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent.
Oxford Brookes was one of 11 UK universities to win a Green Flag award in 2014 and the only one to be given three, one for each campus. It also featured in the top ten in the People and Planet Green league of 2013, the sixth successive year that has featured in the top category of the environmental assessments.
A 25-metre swimming pool and 9-hole golf course have been added to the already impressive sports facilities. Brookes is home to the top university squad for young rowers aiming to get into Team GB and hoping to match the successes of previous alumni who won medals at three consecutive Olympic games. A new £600,000 boathouse opened in 2013. Their cricketers combine with Oxford University to take on county teams.
The students’ union runs one of the biggest entertainment venues in Oxford, a city that can be expensive, but which offers enough to satisfy most students.
Students will still be classified traditionally as well, but marks for every module taken from the first year onwards now count towards their GPA – a figure calculated to two decimal places with a maximum score of 4.00 – which has strong recognition internationally and takes the pressure out of finals.
The change follows a tradition of innovation at Brookes that dates back to its time as a polytechnic, when it pioneered the modular degree system that has swept British higher education.
After more than 20 years’ experience, the university has now trimmed the 2,000 modules it once offered, but undergraduates can still pair subjects as diverse as history and biology. Each subject has compulsory modules in the first year and a list of others that are acceptable later.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of a range of placement and exchange opportunities and to take subjects
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outside their main area of study. Another innovative feature is a global partnership with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which means that Brookes has far more students than any other UK university - over 200,000 - taking its qualifications in other countries.The university is always among the highest-placed in our league table of those established since 1992, ranking second this year. Brookes is particularly popular with independent schools, which provide more than a quarter of the undergraduates – by far the highest proportion among the new universities and two and a half times the national average for the university’s subjects and entry grades.
The university’s location – “I go to university in Oxford” has a certain cachet – is an advantage in student recruitment, but the quality of provision is the real draw.
Ofsted rates the primary teacher training as outstanding and the university’s departments feature near the top of our rankings for several subjects.
Brookes is celebrating the 150thanniversary of the original institution, the Oxford School of Art, but its main campus at Headington is almost unrecognisable even from four years ago. The £132m John Henry Brookes Building opened in February 2014 and has been rated among the top 15 new buildings in the UK.
It brings together the library and teaching space with the students’ union and support services. Wheatley Campus, seven miles from the city centre is the base for business engineering and technology students. A new engineering building supports the university’s status as a Government-designated regional centre for motorsport and high performance engineering: graduates now work in all F1 teams.
The Harcourt Hill campus, at Botley, is the home of the School of Education. There is also a small site in Swindon, which focuses mainly on nursing and has its own osteopathic training clinic. Brookes sponsors a university technical college for 14-19 year-olds in the town.
The undergraduate intake grew by almost 1,000 students in 2013, reaching record levels. The demand for places had fallen a little, but there were still about six applications for every place.
Once here, few students drop out: the 8% projected dropout rate is now well below the 10.9% average for institutions with Brookes’ course profile and student mix.
The university has an integrated e-learning network, which is designed to give students greater flexibility over when, where and how they learn. There is a personal information portal for tasks such as choosing study modules and checking grades.
Grades in the last Research Assessment Exercise showed improvement, with more than a third of the work judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent.
Oxford Brookes was one of 11 UK universities to win a Green Flag award in 2014 and the only one to be given three, one for each campus. It also featured in the top ten in the People and Planet Green league of 2013, the sixth successive year that has featured in the top category of the environmental assessments.
A 25-metre swimming pool and 9-hole golf course have been added to the already impressive sports facilities. Brookes is home to the top university squad for young rowers aiming to get into Team GB and hoping to match the successes of previous alumni who won medals at three consecutive Olympic games. A new £600,000 boathouse opened in 2013. Their cricketers combine with Oxford University to take on county teams.
The students’ union runs one of the biggest entertainment venues in Oxford, a city that can be expensive, but which offers enough to satisfy most students.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
49 (50)
Student experience
83.3
36th=
Research quality
5.7
60th
Ucas entry points
369
47th
Graduate prospects
67.9
53rd=
Firsts and 2:1s
69.6
53rd=
Completion rate
89.1
43rd
Student-staff ratio
16.9:1
54th=
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,416
77th=
World ranking
-
379= (374=)
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
11,295
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
2,330
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
1,775
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
2,465
Applications/places
27,190/4,655
Applications/places ratio
5.8:1
STUDENT CITIES
Andy Pedersen, students’ union president
The brand new, award-winning JHB building which is the heart and soul of campus housing the library, students’ union and lecture theatres.
For what you pay the houses here are dirty and small, but we are running a “rate your landlord” campaign which we will present to the council.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
4,600
Accommodation costs
£102-£188
Catered costs
£143
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£7,000 (partner colleges)-£9,000
Fees (placement year)
£1,350
Fees (overseas year)
£1,350
Fees (international)
£11,900-£13,670
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£20,751
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
Household income below £10K: a bursary of £2,000 in year 1, £3,000 in years 2 and 3; £10K–£15K, £1,500 in year 1, £2,500 in years 2 and 3; £15K–£25K, £1,000 in year 1, £1,750 in years 2 and 3.
>
Community scholarships of £1,000 in year 1 for local students.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
619.25, 51st
Sport website
Student satisfaction
90.5%
89.9%
88.3%
88.2%
88.2%
88.1%
88.0%
88.0%
86.1%
84.6%
84.2%
83.6%
83.4%
83.3%
82.7%
82.5%
81.5%
81.2%
80.6%
80.3%
79.5%
78.7%
76.7%
71.2%