Leeds Met took the bold step of becoming the first university to set fees below the £3,000-a-year maximum allowed in 2006 and, having resisted the temptation to go above £2,000 subsequently, has been by far the cheapest in England at which to take a full-time degree.

Fees are likely to rise for 2010-11, following the departure of Professor Simon Lee, the Vice-Chancellor, who championed the pricing policy.

Both applications and enrolments hit record levels initially and further increases followed, but the university’s finances felt the strain.

The rate also limited the scope for bursaries for students from poor backgrounds, but there had been another 10 per cent rise in the demand for places at the start of 2009.

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Participation

Leeds Met already had a reputation for widening participation in higher education: it is one of the largest providers of Foundation degrees and has more than 27,000 students (17,000 of whom are full-time undergraduates).

Four out of ten students come from the Yorkshire and Humberside region, and more than half are over 21 on entry. More than nine out of ten are state-educated and almost a third come from working-class homes.

Partnerships with 23 colleges from Belfast to Nottinghamshire are designed to produce the equivalent of an American state university system, enabling students to take Leeds Met courses locally.

International students

Some 2,500 students come from 90 countries outside the UK. Only just over half are taking conventional full-time degrees, such is the popularity of sandwich and part-time courses.

The projected dropout rate of nearly 16 per cent is just below the official benchmark based on the university’s courses and entry qualifications.

As part of its efforts to widen access, Leeds Met runs a course for sixth-formers from the region, awarding UCAS points for those who complete successfully. There is also a wide range of summer schools, including one for Asian women and one for Afro-Caribbean boys.

Campuses

There are two bases in Leeds: the Civic Quarter Campus, close to the city centre, and the Headingley Campus, three miles away in the 100 acres of park and woodland of Beckett Park.

The latter boasts outstanding sports facilities, including the £2-million Carnegie Regional Tennis Centre, as well as teaching accommodation for education, informatics, law and business. Over 7,000 students take part in some form of sporting activity, and there is a range of £2,000 sports scholarships. The university has been named a UK Centre for Coaching Excellence.

The Civic Quarter campus is the subject of a £100-million development programme, which began with the opening in 2005 of a new film school. A futuristic lecture theatre complex next to Leeds Civic Hall now houses the business school.

The former BBC building has reopened as Old Broadcasting House, where new facilities are being developed for the Faculty of Arts and Society. And, in the first development of its kind, a new stand has been built at the Headingley rugby ground, with classrooms, coaching facilities and social space for use by the university and the two professional clubs. A media centre along similar lines is planned for the neighbouring Test and county cricket ground.

Teaching quality

Relatively few academics were entered for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, but nearly a third of their work was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent. Communication, cultural and media studies, sport and library and information management produced the best results.

Students are included on the committees that design and manage courses, although the impact has not been obvious in the National Student Survey. Leeds Met was again among the bottom group of universities in the 2008 results.

There is a growing emphasis on educational technology, which was enhanced by a £20-million learning resources centre. More than 400 computers, audiovisual presentation studios and study areas are available all hours. Contacts with small and medium-sized businesses have been carefully fostered as part of the university’s successful attempts to maintain a good record in graduate employment.

Like its older neighbour, Leeds Met is benefiting from the city’s growing reputation for nightlife, but it is making its own contribution with a famously lively entertainments scene. With 3,500 bed spaces, those who accept places before Clearing are guaranteed university accommodation.

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