University of Bristol, details of Bristol university

Bristol 

University ranking

• 2010  16
• 2009  =16
• 2008  7

History

• Founded in 1876 as University College, Bristol. It was the first higher education institution in England to admit women on an equal basis to men.
• The new University of Bristol opened in October 1909 with 288 undergraduates and some 400 other students. Henry Overton Wills became the first chancellor.
• In 2004 Baroness Hale of Richmond was officially installed as the university's second female chancellor.

Location and Transport

• The university is set in the heart of the city of Bristol.
• Bristol has excellent road links. The M4 and M5 put both London and Birmingham within a two-hour drive.
• Bristol was recently voted one of the UK’s five Centres of Cultural Excellence.

Accommodation

• The university guarantees to provide accommodation for new undergraduate students during their first year of study, provided that they meet the criteria for the accommodation guarantee.
• 2006–7 prices. University: catered £89 (shared), £127 (single occupancy); self-catered £44 (shared), £88 (single occupancy). Private sector: ranges from £64 to around £78.
• More information about accommodation at Bristol may be found here.  

Entry standards

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• Entry requirements vary from course-to-course. Please check www.ucas.com
• The undergraduate prospectus may be found here.

Bursaries and Scholarships

In receipt of full Maintenance Grant: £1,200

In receipt of partial Maintenance Grant: £770-£310 on a sliding scale

Living in region Bursary

Sport Scholarship

Shortage subjects Scholarship

Academic achievement Scholarship

• Tuition fees (2009): £3,225.
• Placement year and year abroad tuition fee: 50% relevant tuition fee.
• Means tested Local Bursary worth £1,075 for students resident in either the BS or BA postal codes at the time of their UCAS application and in receipt of a maintenance grant.
• 12 Vice Chancellors Scholarships valued at £3,000 a year will be awarded to undergraduate students with exceptional musical, dramatic or sporting talent. (The scheme is designed to attract students with exceptional abilities outside their normal field of study.)
• Alumni Academic Achievement Awards valued at up to £1,000 a year will be awarded to the top first year students as identified by each faculty.
• Access to Bristol Bursary valued at £3,225 in 2009 will be awarded to students from particular and colleges defined by the Widening Participation and Undergraduate Recruitment Office and who have successfully completed the Access to Bristol scheme.
• 17% of additional fee income (£987,000 in 2006-07) will be earmarked for bursaries.
• For more information on bursaries and scholarships at the University of Bristol, click here and here.

Student mix

• 52% female, 48% male.
• 90% home students, 10% overseas.
• 63% state, 37% private.
• Applications to places ratio 11:1.

Course flexibility

• All undergraduate programmes have a modular structure, which provides opportunities for student choice.
• Most single honours programmes contain the option of increasing breadth of study by taking units outside the main department.
• Many programmes offer the opportunity to study abroad or in industry for a year.

Teaching standards

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• Excellent teaching and academic standards recognised by external audits and reviews, including those undertaken by professional bodies.
• Completion rates and graduate employment rates are high.
• Staff are encouraged to access development opportunities including the appropriate use of e-learning.

Research standards

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• In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (REA) 78% of the university's departments were judged as world class or internationally excellent, and 76% of all the academic staff work in departments ranked at these levels.
• Fifteen departments achieved the top grade of 5* in the 2001 RAE. The grade is awarded only to world-class departments that are setting the global research agenda in their fields. A further 21 departments were awarded grade 5, which signifies international excellence. Across the sciences, the quality of research at Bristol has emerged as among the very highest in the UK.

Academic strengths

• Awarded two national Centres of Excellence in Learning and Teaching: Bristol Chemical Laboratory Sciences and Applied and Integrated Medical Sciences.
• Research led teaching with students being encouraged to think independently and often undertaking substantial projects/dissertations in their final year.
• Students have access across a range of subjects to academic staff with international reputations in their areas of expertise.

Student facilities, including Library and Computing

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• 2,100 computer workstations are available for student use in either libraries or halls of residence. All student rooms are wired for internet access.
• 13 branch libraries, with over 1.4 million books, printed journal articles and other learning resources for access and loan, are available for student use.
• The university offers a wide range of services and facilities to help make a student’s time at Bristol successful, including the Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students, Student Counselling Service, Student Health Service, Multi-faith Chaplaincy and University Nursery.

Disability services

• For information on the disability services at Bristol: write to Access Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students, University of Bristol, 4th Floor, University Union, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1LN; telephone (0117) 954 5727; textphone (0117) 954 5728; fax (0117) 923 8546; email; or visit the website. 

Students’ Union

• Represents the student body within the university and nationally.
• Offers a variety of shops, entertainment facilities, and many clubs and societies. For more information please visit thewebsite.  
• A full-time Advice Centre is available run by the Vice-President (Welfare) together with a permanent Student Adviser employed by the union. The centre is able to offer information and advice on a variety of student issues.

Sport

• £5-million Indoor Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health in the heart of the university precinct, opened in 2002. The centre comprises of a first-class sports hall, fitness suite of commercial standard (over 100 pieces of equipment and two studios), sports medicine clinic.
• Sports complex – indoor tennis centre, two artificial pitches; extensive playing fields; indoor swimming pool; rowing facilities and boathouses; squash courts. All facilities are accessible.
• The university has an active Athletic Union and is recognised for its sporting achievements through high performing teams, excellent facilities and a large range of clubs. In 2006–7 the university was placed tenth in the BUSA championship.
• More information about sport at Bristol is available here.

Recent/prospective new builds

• £150 million-plus is to be invested between now and 2012 in dramatically improved facilities for the Students’ Union, new library and information services and a range of other core services.
• In 2006–7 the university opened the new Botanic Garden, which enhances the teaching of plant sciences, provides a unique teaching resource for local schools and a new cultural attraction for the city.
• £50 million has been invested to provide the university’s School of Chemistry with excellent facilities.

Availability of part-time work

• The university Careers Service is available to assist current students find part-time work.

For further information

• www.bris.ac.uk
• admissions@bristol.ac.uk
• University of Bristol, Senate House, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TH
• +44 (0)117 928 9000
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