Southampton celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002, but it has really taken off in the course of the last decade.

During that time, student numbers have shot up, and the university has expanded onto new sites and invested heavily in its infrastructure.

A five-year, £250-million programme to further develop teaching and research facilities is now under way.

The university’s 2001 research grades were among the top ten in Britain, while the last five teaching assessments all produced perfect scores.

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Southampton receives over six applications for every place and has been in the top ten in the National Student Survey for the last two years.

Access

Although the percentages of students from working-class homes and areas with little tradition of university education are lower than the national average for the subjects offered, the statistics agency concluded that this was largely a matter of location. Students act as ambassadors, associates and mentors in local schools and colleges, as part of the university’s effort to broaden its intake. A range of Foundation degrees carefully tailored to industry needs offers students flexible ways of learning. The proportion of income derived from research at Southampton is among the highest in Britain.

Subjects

The 2001 assessments saw the number of subjects rated internationally outstanding shoot up from two to eight, including all branches of engineering. Physics, computer science, European studies, law and music were the other top-scorers. Economics, education and politics, philosophy and archaeology all scored maximum points for teaching quality.

The medical school, too, enhanced its reputation with a maximum score for teaching quality in a set of assessments that saw more variation than most. The school features an innovative common core curriculum for the pre-registration programmes of over 3,000 medical, nursing and other health students from entry to internship. Twice Southampton’s medics have come out as the most satisfied in the country, according to the National Student Survey. Law, English and European languages also did well in the results published in 2007, which saw the university finish ahead of the other noncollegiate members of the Russell Group of leading research universities.

Campuses

The main Highfield campus, in an attractive location two miles from the city centre, adjoining Southampton Common, has been the focus of recent development to cater for the expansion in numbers. Education, engineering, nursing, chemistry, electronics and computer science have all benefited. The library has been greatly extended and the campus now has is an e-science centre, as well as a commercial services hub. A new student services centre provides learning support and other advisory facilities – all of which are backed up online for students in other areas of the university.

The Waterside Campus, in the city’s revitalised dock area, houses the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. A £49-million joint project with the Natural Environment Research Council, it is considered Europe’s finest, encompassing teaching, research and knowledge transfer facilities. The Avenue campus, near the main site, is home to most of the arts departments. Clinical medicine is based at Southampton General Hospital, where a new research centre opened in 2007. Winchester School of Art, which has been part of the university since 1996, has also enjoyed significant recent investment in new facilities. New programmes include degrees in graphic arts and heritage studies for museums and galleries.

Student scene

The arts are well represented in Southampton, too, with three nationally renowned arts centres: the Turner Sims Concert Hall, the Nuffield Theatre and the John Hansard Gallery all based at Highfield. Social facilities for students have been expanded and refurbished, with the addition of a popular new nightclub. Sports facilities were upgraded, with the opening in 2004 of an £8.4-million indoor sports complex and swimming pool next to the students’ union and a £4.5-million development of the outdoor facilities, with grass and synthetic pitches, a new pavilion, bar and meeting rooms. Student accommodation is plentiful and was improved in 2006 with the £20-million renovation of three halls of residence.

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