Keele ST5 5BG

Tel 01782 584 005

undergraduate@keele.ac.uk

www.keele.ac.uk

Sunday Times ranking 48 (41)

Teaching excellence 70.6%

Student satisfaction 73.1%

Head teacher ranking 64= (57=)

Peer ranking 60= (46)

Research quality 57.5%

A/AS-level points 320

A-levels for entry 92%

Unemployment 6.4%

Firsts and 2:1s 49.1%

Student/staff ratio 17.6:1

Dropout rate 15% (12%)

Undergraduates 6,417 (3,044)

Postgraduates 1,235 (2,025)

Teaching staff 413

Applications/places 12,583/1,785; 7:1 (-9.9%)

Clearing entry 9%

Bursaries 30%: £305

Scholarships Variable: £2,000-£4,000

EU/overseas 2.2%/5.3%

Mature 12.7%

State school 92%

Lowest social classes 27%

Low-participation areas 15%

Live in 40% (95%) £58-£90

Keele continues to plough its own furrow academically, with the vast majority of students following dual honours programmes, studying two subjects equally for three years. For a small university of fewer than 7,000 full-time undergraduates, the choice of 700 degrees is staggering, but Keele pioneered this approach and has resisted the temptation to conform.

The argument goes that most challenges in today’s world require an interdisciplinary approach in order to find a solution. By adopting such an approach, Keele graduates ought to be able to work more effectively. Regardless of the academic merits, it allows for some unusual combinations (forensic science and music, astrophysics and politics) as well as complementary ones (criminology and psychology, history and politics). Of course, single honours study is possible too. For instance, the first intake to the new Keele medical school arrives this month.

Not content with the diversity generated by its dual honours system, Keele also has a complementary studies programme, which offers first-year students a range of modules in addition to their principal subjects. These fall into three broad categories: IT and numeracy, understanding and communication, and “breadth”.

There is no shortage of breadth in the physical environment at Keele. It is set in 617 acres of wooded parkland and has just acquired a further 70 acres on which it is expanding its science park and adding further academic buildings. The aim is to create “the ultimate campus university for the 21st century”.

Accommodation is in plentiful supply, too, meaning most students can live in for two of their three years here. About one-third of of them receive financial support through bursaries and scholarships ranging in value from £305 to £4,000 a year. Some are means-tested, but many are also awarded on academic merit.

Open days October 13 and 14.

Student view Nadeem Patel, students’ union president:

USP One of the largest campuses in the country with a small student population.

Worst feature We’re not near the city but that can be an advantage.

Location Grand features include woodland, a lake and a stately home.

Social scene The university has invested more than £1m in nonalcoholic social spaces.

Rated excellent (14) Allied health professions (physiotherapy); American studies; applied social work; economics; education; maths, statistics and operational research; music; nursing and midwifery; organismal biosciences (biology and neuroscience); philosophy; physics and astronomy; politics; psychology; sociology.

Degree of student satisfaction 73.1%

Education studies 84.4; Physical Science 80.3; Biology and related Sciences 79.1; Human and Social Geography 77.3; Politics 74.4; History and Archeology 74.4; Law 74.0; English-based studies 72.7; Philosophy, Theology and Religious studies 72.5; Management 71.9; Media studies 68.3; Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology 67.8; Psychology 66.0

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