university of Birkbeck, details of Birkbeck university

Birkbeck

Scores

• Student satisfaction            16.3
• Research assessment         5.5
• Student/staff ratio                17.9
• Completion                             n/a
• Good honours                      64.1
• Graduate prospects              n/a
• Entry standards                      n/a

Birkbeck does not appear in the League Table because its students are largely part-time and so comparable data are mostly not available.  

History

• Birkbeck founded in 1823 by George Birkbeck as the Mechanics Institution, offering  education for working Londoners.
• Became part of the University of London in 1920 on condition it continued to provide flexible, evening teaching.
• In 2007 Birkbeck took its flexible teaching provision to Stratford, east London, with a selection of courses.

Location and Transport

• In Bloomsbury, central London, served by excellent bus, tube and rail links; Birkbeck Stratford taught at University of East London, 10 minutes from Stratford tube station.
• Surrounded by world-class research sources and specialist library collections, including the British Museum, the British Library and Senate House library.
• London is the economic and cultural capital of the UK.

Accommodation

• Birkbeck doesn't have any student halls as most students work during the day and live in and around London.
• The College has a quota of places in the  University of London Intercollegiate halls of residence.
• Students can also apply to the University of London housing service.

Entry standards

• Students don’t go through UCAS but apply direct to the College.
• Over 21 year olds are assessed individually.
• Under 21 year olds need to meet normal university entry requirements. For Birkbeck, central London email or visit the website; for Birkbeck Stratford, email or visit the website. 

Fees and bursaries

• The Birkbeck Student Opportunity Fund offers a limited number of non-repayable bursaries of £1,500 a year for the full four years of a first degree. These support students in financial need, who are ineligible for government-funded fee and course grants.
• For more information on financial support at Birkbeck College, click here.

Student mix

• A total student population of 18,479, broken down by 15,055 (UG), 3424 PG Taught and Research  (mainly working during the day and studying in the evening).
• Diverse, cosmopolitan, non-traditional student body, 47% men, 53% women, with 99% of undergraduates mature students, average age 35.
• 16% of students achieve firsts, 49% achieve 2:1 and 30% achieve 2:2.

Course flexibility

• 80 undergraduate and 180 postgraduate programmes.

• New courses are also offered in Stratford, east London.
  

Teaching standards 

• With staff/student ratio 1: 17, voted joint first in 2008 National Student Survey for high standard of staff explaining their subject and making it interesting.
• The high level of research contributes directly towards the teaching quality.
• Students earn while they learn and qualify debt free with prestigious University of London qualifications. 

• 
  In the last research assessment exercise, 12 Schools received maximum ‘best 5*' or 5 star ranking.
• College won a 2006 Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education for brain research; 80% of Birkbeck's research is rated of international importance.
• Top in league table of research funding, and in the top 15 of UK research-led institutions as voted by academics.

Academic strengths

• London's only specialist provider of part-time, evening, higher education.
• 90% of academics are research-active – the highest rate for any multi-faculty institution in London.  
• Birkbeck achieved 'broad confidence' in a recent QAA institutional audit, the highest rating. 

Student facilities, including Library and Computing

• New Learning Information Centre and café: library with access to 353,182 books and 19,885 E journals; 43 electronic databases; 355 study places.
• 720 computer workstations for students across College; full range of networked computing services and IT training.
• Number one for past three years for NSS for overall student satisfaction in London; support services include workshops in essay writing, time management, presentation skills.

Disability Services

• For information about disability services at Birkbeck, visit the website.

Students' Union

• Student support includes disability advice, free counselling service and general advice evening drop-in service.
• Twenty societies, ranging from archaeology to football.
• Refurbished bar with Sky tv and pool table.
• For more information on the SU at Birkbeck, click here.

Sport

• Birkbeck is next door to the University of London Union (ULU) which boasts wide range of sports clubs for students.
• ULU's state of the art gym offers 60-stations, 33m swimming pool and two studios, plus 50 fitness classes per week.
• For more information on Sport at Birkbeck, click here.

Recent/prospective new builds

• New cinema, seating 90, recently opened by the School of History of Art, Film and Visual Media.

For further information

• www.bbk.ac.uk
• info@bbk.ac.uk
• Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX        
• +44 (0)20 7631 6270; 0845 601 0174 (from UK only)
• Travel and maps