Official performance indicators for higher education have shown Huddersfield living up to its mission to help produce a more diverse student population, and it has opened satellite centres in Barnsley and Oldham to widen participation further. More than four out of ten full-time students are from working-class homes – far in excess than the national average for the university’s courses and entry qualifications - and the numbers coming from areas without a tradition of higher education are among the highest in the country. The dropout rate has also been improving, and the latest projection of 15 per cent is also better than the ‘benchmark’ set for the university.

Development

Imaginative conversions and new buildings have finally allowed the university to come together on one town-centre campus. The university capitalised on Huddersfield’s industrial past to ease the strain on facilities that were struggling to cope with expansion which reached 13 per cent a year at its peak. There are now more than 22,000 students. Canalside, a refurbished mill complex, has provided extra space for mathematics and computing, and education occupies another mill site – this time a £4-million recreation of the original. The university is even creating “pocket parks” and a landscaped area along the reopened Narrow Canal to provide additional green space. Human and health sciences have also acquired new premises, and an additional £4 million has been spent on a new students’ union, allowing drama courses to take over the existing union complex. The new union, opened by Huddersfield’s Chancellor, Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart, includes alcohol-free social areas to encourage participation by those overseas students and ethnic minorities who would otherwise avoid the facilities.

Courses

A tradition of vocational education dates back to 1841, and the university has a long-established reputation in areas such as textile design and engineering. But there are less obvious gems such as music and social work, as well as teacher training, for which Huddersfield was awarded a national centre of excellence. Scores in the National Student Survey dropped sharply after an encouraging start in the initial round, however. History, physiotherapy and teacher training produced by far the most satisfied students in the 2008 survey. The university’s own satisfaction surveys suggest that students value the friendliness and helpfulness of staff.

Research

Most of the areas in which Huddersfield entered the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise contained at least some ‘world-leading’ work. A third of the university’s submission was placed in the top two categories, with music producing by far the best results and social work also doing well. A flourishing relationship with industry produces more private income than is achieved in many larger institutions, as well as influencing courses.

The most popular courses are in human and health sciences. Many arts and social science courses have a vocational slant. Politics, for example, includes a six-week work placement, which often takes students to the House of Commons. A third of the students in all subjects take sandwich courses, one of the highest proportions in Britain, and more than 4,000 have some element of work experience. The approach has been paying off with consistently good graduate employment figures and applications.

Accommodation

Most residential accommodation is now concentrated in the Storthes Hall Park student village, but additional accommodation is available at Ashenhurst, just over a mile from the campus. Recent developments mean the 1,712 residential places are enough to guarantee accommodation to first years, and private housing is cheap and plentiful in Huddersfield. Students are also encouraged to follow a structured fitness programme at the upgraded campus sports centre. Town–gown relations are good and the cost of living low. Most students like the town’s friendly atmosphere, although they tend to base their social life on the students’ union. It is not far to Leeds for those in search of serious clubbing.

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