Deane Road
Bolton
BL3 5AB
Tel 01204 903 903
admissions@bolton.ac.uk
www.bolton.ac.uk
Open days: contact the university

PERFORMANCE

Sunday Times ranking 120 (120)

Student satisfaction 71.3%
Head teacher ranking 118= (96=)
Peer ranking 123= (107)
Research quality 43.7%
A-level/Higher points 204
Unemployment 16.3%
Firsts and 2:1s 53.5%
Student/staff ratio 19:1
Dropout rate 28.8% (22.4%)

Multimedia

• The Times University Guide table

VITAL STATISTICS

Undergraduates 3,735 (2,647)
Postgraduates 640 (823)
Teaching staff 260
Applications/places 4,794/712; 6.7:1 (-4.7%)
Clearing entry 28%
Live in 20% (100%) £65
Bursaries 73%: £150-£350
Scholarships £500-£5,000

SOCIAL MIX

EU/overseas 2%/2.5%
Mature 27.2%
State school 98.6%
Lowest social classes 42.2%
Low-participation areas 19.4%

Having achieved university status in 2005, Bolton is now based on a single campus, and has focused its investment strategy on delivering a 21st-century learning environment, which should help reduce the chronic dropout rate of more than 28%, the highest in the UK.

Last year a new £2.5m development was completed incorporating a students’ union bar, computer access centre and social learning zone. It was opened simultaneously (via satellite link) with a new campus in the United Arab Emirates. Work is now under way on a new health and fitness centre, incorporating a pool and sports science laboratories.

Other new facilities include the Innovation Factory, which houses fine art, engineering and textile laboratories and special effects, and offers consultancy services to companies looking for design ideas. Along with academic know-how and student creativity, organisations will be able to have working prototypes of concepts made for testing.

Last year, the university signed a partnership agreement with the BBC, which will open up pathways into employment at the corporation and in the wider industry for students, ahead of the BBC’s relocation to Salford. Projects include radio drama placements and writing workshops with BBC producers and writers.

Bolton has strong links with companies such as Reebok, Alfred McAlpine and Network Rail. Courses are accredited by more than 30 professional bodies including the British Computer Society, the Law Society and the British Psychological Society. However, this does not translate into a low graduate unemployment rate. With 16.3% jobless six months after leaving, just four institutions perform worse.

STUDENT VIEW

Ashley Howell, students’ union president:

First impressions Green and modern, and Bolton is an expanding university and town.
Worst feature Sometimes we get overshadowed by bigger institutions, especially in sport.
Facilities Everything is accessible. The gym is close by and cheap, and we’ve just had a new union built.
Deal clincher It’s small, so you’ll find yourself knowing pretty much everyone in your year.

Rated excellent (7)
Education; materials technology; nursing; organismal biosciences; philosophy; psychology; subjects allied to medicine.

Student satisfaction
Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology 87.3; Mathematical Sciences 86; Architecture, Building and Planning 77.4; English-based studies 77.2; Computer Science 75.4; Other Creative Arts 74.3; Mechanically-based Engineering 73.5; Law 73.2; Finance and Accounting 70; Technology 69.2; Biology and related Sciences 68; Psychology 60.9; Electronic and Electrical Engineering 60.7; Education studies 59.7; Art and Design 54.4

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