Consistently among the leading new universities in The Times League Table,

as well as 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 boasts one of the UK’s biggest law schools, offering legal practice courses for both solicitors and barristers as well as degrees. A four-year ‘exempting law degree’, launched in 2009, combines both phases with an extended work placement, enabling students to qualify as solicitors without paying postgraduate fees.

Nottingham Trent has among the highest entry grades of any new university and one of the best employment records. It helps that the university has the third highest number of year-long placements in the UK through its working partner-ships with more than 6,000 businesses and private sector organisations. More than 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 of 11 per cent is below the national average for the university’s courses and entry grades.

Research

An ambitious research programme attracted a £7.65 million donation – thought to be the largest to a post-1992 university - to advance the university’s work in cancer diagnosis and therapy. The university held its own in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, although it entered fewer academics than some of the other leading new universities. More than a third of its submission was rated world-leading or internationally excellent, with communication, culture and media studies, social policy, engineering and biomedical sciences producing the best results.

Student Satisfaction

Scores have improved in the National Student Survey, leaving Nottingham Trent in the top half of the table. Chemistry, economics and education produced the best results. The university registered one of the biggest rises in applications at any institution in 2008 and did even better at the start of 2009, with a 13 per cent increase.

There are now nearly 24,000 students, including 5,000 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, devoted to animal, rural and environmental studies, is 14 miles out of Nottingham and includes an equestrian centre with a purpose-built indoor riding area, a well-equipped veterinary nursing building and animal unit. Another 300 residential places were added there in 2006, following a £3-million renewal of the teaching facilities. A new £1.5 million unit houses state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and will be used to provide veterinary nursing courses.

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.

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 another increase in applications early in 2009.

Access and development

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 “university-allocated” accommodation, which may be in the private sector, if they make Nottingham Trent their first choice and book by the end of July. 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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