Consistently among the leading new universities in The Times League Table, as well as being one of the biggest, Nottingham Trent has demonstrated high quality in an unusually wide range of disciplines.

Best known for fashion and other creative arts, which have the largest number of students, it also recorded maximum scores in teaching assessments for physics and biosciences.

The law school is one of Britain’s largest, offering legal practice courses for both solicitors and barristers, and there is even a commercial farm and equestrian centre on a campus devoted to animal, rural and environmental studies.

Nottingham Trent has the highest entry grades of any new university and an employment record which regularly sees more than 95 per cent of graduates in work or further study within six months.

Placements

It helps that the university has the third highest number of year-long placements in the UK through its working partnerships with more than 6,000 businesses and private sector organisations.

Almost a third of the undergraduates come from working-class homes and over nine out of ten attended state schools or colleges, while the projected dropout rate had dropped below 10 per cent in the latest official statistics – significantly less than the national average for the university’s courses and entry grades.

An ambitious research programme was amply rewarded in the last assessments, when Nottingham Trent had four subjects judged nationally outstanding, with much of their work considered internationally excellent. Only two other new universities matched the achievements of drama, dance and the performing arts, English, media studies and health subjects.

Satisfaction

An annual opinion survey shows that most of the students are satisfied, although the university could have done better in the first three National Student Surveys. Nottingham Trent registered one of the biggest increases in applications at any university at the beginning of 2008, when others were hit by the cut in choices per candidates from six to five.

It was the second successive 10 per cent increase, following a blip in 2006 following publicity over gun crime earlier in the decade. There are now nearly 25,000 undergraduates, including a large contingent of part-timers. The extensive main city site boasts a mixture of Victorian and modern buildings.

The schools of science and technology, education, and arts and humanities are five miles away on the Clifton campus. The Brackenhurst campus is 14 miles out and includes an equestrian centre with a purpose-built indoor riding area, a wellequipped veterinary nursing building and animal unit.

Accommodation

Another 300 residential places were added there in 2006, following a £3- million renewal of the teaching facilities. Art and design facilities on the city campus have been upgraded and both the Boots Library and the students’ union refurbished. Computing and informatics have a new building on the Clifton campus and the university has launched a bus service linking Clifton and the city.

A total of £130 million has been earmarked for building projects over the next six years starting with a £70-million regeneration of the Newton and Arkwright buildings to produce a first-class working environment and student support facilities by the autumn of 2009.

Teaching ratings were variable, but showed improvement towards the end of the cycle of assessment, with politics achieving the best score. The university was responsible for the largest programme of Foundation degrees when the two-year qualification was launched.

Subjects ranging from forensic science to wildlife conservation saw a big increase in applications in 2008. The student body is diverse, with large numbers of mature and overseas students. The university’s residential stock has been increasing, with a £10-million development with 446 beds opening on the City campus in 2004.

It still is not sufficient to house all first years, but new students are guaranteed “universityallocated” accommodation, which may be in the private sector. Social life varies between campuses, but all have access to the city’s lively cultural and clubbing scene. A late-night bus service links the main campuses and the city’s new tram system serves the university.

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