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 held them at £2,000 this year, it is the cheapest at which to take a full-time degree.

Professor Simon Lee, the Vice-Chancellor, admitted that some of his colleagues considered him “crazy” because students might think the university’s degrees were of lower quality than its competitors’, but the move made a mark in a crowded market.

Both applications and enrolments hit record levels and there was another 12 per cent rise in the demand for places this year. The rate inevitably limited the scope for bursaries for students from poor backgrounds, but was bound to attract middle-class students, who would not qualify for bursaries.

Participation

The university already had a reputation for widening participation in higher education: it is one of the largest providers of foundation degrees and has more than 41,000 students since the incorporation of a large further education college in Harrogate.

Four students out of ten 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 a third come from working-class homes.

Partnerships with 15 colleges from Newcastle to Nottinghamshire are designed to produce the equivalent of an American state university system, enabling students to take Leeds Met courses locally.

More than 3,500 students come from 120 countries outside the UK. Just over half are taking conventional full-time degrees, such is the popularity of sandwich and part-time courses. The projected dropout rate of 15 per cent is significantly below the official benchmark. As part of its efforts to widen access, LMU 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 campuses in Leeds: one close to the city centre; and Beckett Park, a former teacher training college three miles away in 100 acres of park and woodlands.

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. More than 7,000 students take part in some form of sporting activity and there is a range of £1,000 sports scholarships.

The city campus is the subject of a £100 million development programme, beginning with the opening in 2005 of a new film school. A futuristic lecture theatre complex is planned next to Leeds Civic Hall, with a new headquarters for the business school wrapped around it.

The former BBC building has reopened as Old Broadcasting House, described as a meeting place for the arts, enterprise and students. 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

Business, management and economics achieved the best scores for teaching quality. Education and the large School of Health Sciences, with its 1,200 students, were close behind.

Only 12 subjects were entered for the last research assessment exercise, with librarianship and information management the only one to reach the top three categories of seven. However, an institutional audit by the Quality Assurance Agency in 2004 praised the university for “placing the student experience at the heart of the enterprise”.

Students are included on the committees that design and manage courses, although the impact has not been obvious in the first two national student satisfaction surveys, which have produced relatively disappointing results.

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

Nightlife

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. A 1,000-bed private residential development, which opened in 2006, has ensured that those who accept places before clearing are guaranteed university accommodation.

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