TEACHING
QUALITY
University of Sunderland
99
th
NATIONAL
RANK
RANK
54.3%
FIRSTS
2:1s
2:1s
80.3%
COMPLETION
RATE
RATE
Key Stats
n/a
74th
STUDENT
EXPERIENCE
EXPERIENCE
67th=
RESEARCH
QUALITY
QUALITY
115th
GRADUATE
PROSPECTS
PROSPECTS
Contact details
ADDRESS
City Campus,
Chester Road, Sunderland, SR1 3SD View on map >
Telephone
Email
Website
Open days
October 4 and 25
University Profile
Sunderland will be one of only two universities in England to charge less than £9,000 for all its degrees by next September. The present ceiling of £8,500 will be breached, with laboratory-based science degrees costing £8,750 from 2015, but all other degrees will cost £8,250. Foundation degrees will be priced at £7,000.
The savings over 30 years of loan repayments are not large, especially in the sciences, but the university believes that its students are particularly price-sensitive since half of them have a household income of less than £25,000 a year.
Students will also continue to receive £550 towards public transport costs or university rents, as well as a Sunderland Scholarship of £1,000 in their first two years if they are among the 98% whose household income is less than £42,000. Sunderland sees transport costs as a key barrier to study, especially in its local communities, which are the lifeblood of the university.
Almost 30% of the undergraduates come from (often local) areas of low participation – the highest proportion at any university and double the average for this type of university - while 44%
Sunderland slips another three places in our league table this year, after suffering a big fall in 2013, partly because it had not managed to keep pace with improvements in student satisfaction and completion rates elsewhere in the university system. Graduate job prospects is Sunderland’s lowest ranked performance indicator in our league table this year.
The university now has three campuses, two in Sunderland and one in London, near Canary Wharf, which offers business, tourism and nursing degrees, as well as postgraduate programmes.
Within Sunderland, the university has spent £130m on its original campus in the city centre and an award-winning 24-acre site on the banks of the River Wear. The Sir Tom Cowie campus, at St Peter’s, is built around a 7th-century abbey described as one of Britain’s first universities and incorporates a working heritage centre for the glass industry.
It houses the business school and the faculties of applied sciences, law, and arts, design and media. A glass and ceramics design degree maintains a Sunderland tradition, while teaching and research in automotive design and manufacture serve the region’s modern industrial base. The large pharmacy department is another strength and the well-equipped Faculty of Applied Sciences is one of the largest in the UK, with over 4,000 students.
The £12m CitySpace has improved the sports and social facilities on the original City Campus and there is a new Sciences Complex and Quad. A new student village is now fully open.
The campus includes the Northern Centre for Photography, as well as a one-stop-shop for student services, an outdoor performance area and a design centre.
Sunderland now has more than 15,000 students, including 2,000 from outside the European Union. Many take work placements with the multinational companies that have been attracted to the Northeast and now have links with the university.
The Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice has a team of 40 researchers and consultants working with local businesses, while nearby Nissan played an important role in designing a course in automotive product development.
The media centre provides students with excellent television and video production facilities, including the former Blue Peter studio, which has been transported from the former BBC Television Centre. The popular media courses now include magazine, fashion and sports journalism. The LLB degree includes space law, the first module of its kind in the UK.
Sunderland had only moderate success in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, although more than half of the 16 subject areas contained at least some world-leading work.
Provision for disabled students is excellent, with award-winning information issued to those with disabilities, trained support staff in the libraries and in every academic school, and special modules to help dyslexics.
The main campus also houses the North East Regional Assessment Centre, which assesses the requirements of students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties. There is special provision at the five halls of residence.
Sunderland itself is fiercely proud of its identity and has the advantage of a coastal location. The leisure facilities are excellent: the city has the region’s only Olympic-sized swimming pool and dry ski slope, as well as Europe’s biggest climbing wall and a theatre showing West End productions.
Sunderland is now connected to Newcastle by the Metro light railway system, opening up a cornucopia of pubs, clubs and cultural delights.
The savings over 30 years of loan repayments are not large, especially in the sciences, but the university believes that its students are particularly price-sensitive since half of them have a household income of less than £25,000 a year.
Students will also continue to receive £550 towards public transport costs or university rents, as well as a Sunderland Scholarship of £1,000 in their first two years if they are among the 98% whose household income is less than £42,000. Sunderland sees transport costs as a key barrier to study, especially in its local communities, which are the lifeblood of the university.
Almost 30% of the undergraduates come from (often local) areas of low participation – the highest proportion at any university and double the average for this type of university - while 44%
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of students are from working-class homes. A pioneering access scheme offers places to mature students without A-levels, as long as they reach the required levels of literacy, numeracy and other basic skills.Sunderland slips another three places in our league table this year, after suffering a big fall in 2013, partly because it had not managed to keep pace with improvements in student satisfaction and completion rates elsewhere in the university system. Graduate job prospects is Sunderland’s lowest ranked performance indicator in our league table this year.
The university now has three campuses, two in Sunderland and one in London, near Canary Wharf, which offers business, tourism and nursing degrees, as well as postgraduate programmes.
It houses the business school and the faculties of applied sciences, law, and arts, design and media. A glass and ceramics design degree maintains a Sunderland tradition, while teaching and research in automotive design and manufacture serve the region’s modern industrial base. The large pharmacy department is another strength and the well-equipped Faculty of Applied Sciences is one of the largest in the UK, with over 4,000 students.
The £12m CitySpace has improved the sports and social facilities on the original City Campus and there is a new Sciences Complex and Quad. A new student village is now fully open.
The campus includes the Northern Centre for Photography, as well as a one-stop-shop for student services, an outdoor performance area and a design centre.
Sunderland now has more than 15,000 students, including 2,000 from outside the European Union. Many take work placements with the multinational companies that have been attracted to the Northeast and now have links with the university.
The Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice has a team of 40 researchers and consultants working with local businesses, while nearby Nissan played an important role in designing a course in automotive product development.
The media centre provides students with excellent television and video production facilities, including the former Blue Peter studio, which has been transported from the former BBC Television Centre. The popular media courses now include magazine, fashion and sports journalism. The LLB degree includes space law, the first module of its kind in the UK.
Sunderland had only moderate success in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, although more than half of the 16 subject areas contained at least some world-leading work.
Provision for disabled students is excellent, with award-winning information issued to those with disabilities, trained support staff in the libraries and in every academic school, and special modules to help dyslexics.
The main campus also houses the North East Regional Assessment Centre, which assesses the requirements of students with disabilities and specific learning difficulties. There is special provision at the five halls of residence.
Sunderland itself is fiercely proud of its identity and has the advantage of a coastal location. The leisure facilities are excellent: the city has the region’s only Olympic-sized swimming pool and dry ski slope, as well as Europe’s biggest climbing wall and a theatre showing West End productions.
Sunderland is now connected to Newcastle by the Metro light railway system, opening up a cornucopia of pubs, clubs and cultural delights.
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Detailed Statistics
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
CATEGORY
SCORE
RANK
Ranking
-
99 (96=)
Student experience
81.4
74th
Research quality
4.7
67th=
Ucas entry points
302
94th=
Graduate prospects
50.9
115th
Firsts and 2:1s
54.3
110th
Completion rate
80.3
103rd
Student-staff ratio
17.9:1
67th
Services/facilities spend (£)
1,359
86th=
VITAL STATISTICS
Undergraduates
(Full-time)
9,800
Undergraduates
(Part-time)
1,940
Postgraduates
(Full-time)
2,375
Postgraduates
(Part-time)
840
Applications/places
12,705/2,810
Applications/places ratio
4.5:1
STUDENT CITIES
Chloe Jackson, students’ union president
Very genuine people both in halls and around the city; everyone always has a smile on their faces.
We’re a split campus, divided by a river, meaning it is segregated but the union works hard to build bridges.
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Cost of living
Nightlife
Transport
Culture
ACCOMMODATION
Places in accommodation
2,038
Accommodation costs
£76-£92
Accommodation contact
FEES
UK/EU fees
£8,250-£8,750
Fees (international)
£9,500
Finance website
Graduate salaries
£18,846
BURSARIES/SCHOLARSHIPS
>
Household income below £42.6K, a bursary of £1,000 in years 1 and 2. For those with ABB at A level or equivalent, £1,000 fee waiver in years 1 and 2. Up to 100 scholarships of £1,000 in years 1 and 2 in science and technology subjects.
>
For all first-year students, £550 towards local transport costs or campus accommodation; discounted travel pass in years 2 and 3. Fee waiver of £1,200 a year for students on Foundation degrees at partner colleges.
SPORT
Sports points/rank
230.5, 81st
Sport website
Student satisfaction
89.0%
89.0%
88.2%
88.1%
86.8%
83.8%
82.3%
79.8%
78.5%
77.6%
77.4%
76.4%
75.6%