Dubbed the “campus of cool”, Goldsmiths is best known for excellence in the arts, but it stresses that it brings the same creative approach to a wider range of subjects, spanning humanities, social sciences and teacher training.

The nickname, which does no harm in recruiting students, came from the inclusion of Goldsmiths alongside MTV, Apple and the Tate among 50 “cool brandleaders” identified by the Brand Council.

Alumni include Mary Quant and Damien Hirst among many other famous names, such as Malcolm McLaren and Linton Kwesi Johnson. Graduates of the college have won the Turner Prize no fewer than six times.

There is another side to Goldsmiths, however, in its tradition of community-based courses, which predates membership of the University of London.

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Evening and other part-time classes are still as popular as conventional degree courses and many subjects can be studied from basic to postgraduate levels. A history of providing educational opportunities for women is reflected in one of the largest proportions of female students in the British university system – nearly two thirds at the last count.

Integrated

Determinedly integrated into its southeast London locality, the campus has a cosmopolitan atmosphere. A third of all undergraduates are over 21 on entry (a large proportion of these over 30), many coming from the area’s ethnic minorities, and there is a growing proportion of overseas students. The age profile helped Goldsmiths to a rise in applications of more than 10 per cent at the start of 2009.

The older premises have been likened to a grammar school, with their long corridors of classrooms. But the Rutherford Building, containing library and IT services, won an award from the Royal Institute of British Architects, and a Grade II listed former baths building has been converted to provide more space for research and art studios. The new Ben Pimlott Building, which features a dramatic metal “scribble” by the acclaimed architect Will Alsop, contains state-of-the-art studio facilities and two multi-disciplinary centres for interaction between the arts and social sciences.

Although dominated by the arts, Goldsmiths’ portfolio of subjects stretches through the humanities and social sciences as far as computing and psychology. More than half of the work submitted for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise was considered ‘world-leading’ or internationally excellent. Communication, cultural and media studies led the way, but there were good results, too, in music, sociology and art and design.

Undergraduates have shown themselves generally been satisfied in the National Student Survey although, in common with other London universities, really high scores have been hard to come by. Media studies and psychology produced the best results in 2008.

Employment prospects are good, especially for an institution with such a high proportion of students taking performing arts subjects, where a period of unemployment after graduation is commonplace. Indeed, on postgraduate courses, recent success rates have been among the best in Britain.

Students

Student politics has survived at Goldsmiths to an extent not seen at many universities – the union building was given the name Tiananmen – while a college in which Alex James and Graham Coxon, from Blur, are just two of a number of successful rock alumni cannot fail to have a thriving music scene. The union has a strong tradition in volunteering and an award-winning newspaper, and recently won a gold Sound Impact Award recognising work on ethical and environmental issues.

The surrounding area enjoyed a mini-boom before the recession as a prime location for loft apartments. Although sky-high prices put them way beyond the reach of the student housing market, there are plenty of more reasonably priced options in the vicinity. Most first years are allocated one of the 971 residential places within walking distance of the campus and overseas students can be housed throughout their course. Sports enthusiasts have been less well provided for, although there is a well-equipped and affordable gym on campus. There is also a swimming pool and indoor complex in Deptford, but the main pitches are eight miles away.

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