In the last five years, Salford has begun to slip below some of the new universities in The Times League Table.

But consistently good graduate employment rates, carefully targeted courses and an emphasis on the university’s location close to the centre of Manchester appeal to students.

Applications were up by almost 9 per cent in 2007 and remained healthy the following year, in spite of the reduction in the number of choices allowed for each applicant.

The university is investing £150 million in new buildings and facilities, including upgraded libraries and new catering facilities in the students’ union.

Salford Law School opened in 2007 in a £10-million building featuring a Law Society-approved library.

New acoustic laboratories opened in the same year, with a reverberation room capable of transforming the quality of sound and an anechoic chamber, which is said to be the quietest place in the world. Also new is the £22-million Mary Seacole building, which houses the Faculty of Health and Social Care.

Business

Salford stresses its business links and modern portfolio of courses, including two-year Foundation degrees. The university does well on the Government’s access measures: more than a third of the undergraduates come from working-class homes and almost a quarter are from areas sending few students to higher education.

But the projected dropout rate has slipped again, to more than a quarter, in the latest statistics – well above the national average for the subjects and students’ qualifications. A new Student Services Division has been charged with improving every aspect of student life, even planning events for students staying at Salford over the Christmas holiday closure.

Teaching quality grades improved ratings in the latter years of the cycle, with perfect scores for politics and biological sciences. Business and health subjects are now big recruiters.

Health

The university’s growing involvement in health has seen the establishment of a national centre for prosthetics and orthotics, and a high reputation for the treatment of sports injuries. Another innovation was the launch of Europe’s first nursing course for deaf students.

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