The Park Campus
Cheltenham
GL50 2RH
Tel 0844 801 1100
Admissions@glos.ac.uk
www.glos.ac.uk
Open days: contact the university

PERFORMANCE

Sunday Times ranking 88 (66=)

Student satisfaction 74.6%
Head teacher ranking 92= (38)
Peer ranking 103= (95)
Research quality 42.9%
A-level/Higher points 230
Unemployment 7.9%
Firsts and 2:1s 56.2%
Student/staff ratio 16.5:1
Dropout rate 10.3% (15.9%)

Multimedia

• The Times University Guide table

VITAL STATISTICS

Undergraduates 5,579 (1,119)
Postgraduates 528 (1,290)
Teaching staff 364
Applications/places 8,521/2,363; 3.6:1 (+18.6%)
Clearing entry 8.3%
Live in 25% (85%) £69-£102
Bursaries £319-£1,319
Scholarships 360 Ucas pts: £500

SOCIAL MIX

EU/overseas 1.1%/4.1%
Mature 23.1%
State school 94.5%
Lowest social classes 31.2%
Low-participation areas 8.4%

Environmental sustainability is the watchword of the University of Gloucestershire. The opening page of its prospectus is dedicated to outlining its commitment to sustainable development by preparing graduates to incorporate it in whatever path they follow. Clearly, Gloucestershire is committed to going green in more than just a piecemeal fashion.

Students are eschewing the traditionally favoured menu of Pot Noodle and late-night takeaways for home-grown vegetables (well, some of them are), farmed by their own fair hands on university allotments in one of the first initiatives of its kind.

In a league of green universities sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature last year, Gloucestershire was ranked first.

It has also attracted praise from higher education minister David Lammy for its work in supporting sustainability: “Increasingly in the future, passion and knowledge for sustainability will set you apart,” he said.

Founded nearly 200 years ago on Christian traditions, the university now spans five campuses, four of them located across its home county and one in London. The original building, Francis Close Hall in Cheltenham, houses the faculty of education, humanities and sciences, while the business school is at the Park campus, a former botanical garden, and Oxstalls, the newest site, built in 2002, is home to the faculty of sport, health and social care. The faculty of media, art and communications has industry-standard equipment.

The range of degrees offered swelled for 2009 entry and fashion, journalism, performing arts and forensic computing are now on the curriculum.

Pastoral care at Gloucester has recently been given a higher profile thanks to the newly established Helpzone system. Staff are available in each faculty to help with queries on any subject be it academic, personal, welfare-related or beyond.

Although the university pays only the statutory minimum bursary of £319 to students on the maximum grant, it does offer a £1,000 award to all students recruited from more than 40 schools and sixth-form colleges which are its compact partners. Students getting AAA at A-level or equivalent are eligible for a one-off £500 scholarship payment.

STUDENT VIEW

Leigh Moore, students’ union president:

First impressions A hive of activity on moving day, but a strong sense of community helps settle those first-day nerves.
Worst feature Five campuses can be bad for some, but good for others.
Facilities There are large events on each campus to get everyone together.
Deal clincher Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and Oxford are all less than an hour away.

Rated excellent (1)
Geography.

Student satisfaction
Biology and related Sciences 90.9; Sociology, Social Policy and Anthropology 79.7; Initial Teacher Training 79.6; History and Archaeology 79.3; Tourism, Transport, Travel and others in Business and Administrative studies 78.5; Physical Geography and Environmental Science 78.2; English-based studies 77.4; Other Creative Arts 77.3; Law 76.7; Architecture, Building and Planning 76.5; Teacher Training 76.4; Computer Science 76.3; Philosophy, Theology and Religious studies 76.1; Finance and Accounting 74.8; Sports Science 74.1; Psychology 72.7; Business 72.3; Management 67.8; Social Work 66.7; Art and Design 64.4; Media studies 64.2; Communications and Information studies 60

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