University of Essex, details of Essex university

Essex

University ranking

• 2010  30
• 2009  25
• 2008  34

History

• Granted Royal Charter in 1965.
• One of the UK's leading academic institutions with an international reputation for the quality of its research and teaching, particularly in the social sciences.
• From the outset has been an international university – both through student and staff body and academic programs

Location and Transport

• Colchester Campus is set in 200 acres of parkland on outskirts of Colchester.
• Good road (A12), rail (Colchester main line station, 40 minutes from London) and airport links (Stansted airport), port of Harwich also nearby
• Southend Campus, adjacent to the Southend Central railway station and Southend High Street, is in a new multi-million pound campus.
• Loughton Campus is the home of East 15 Acting School and is a five-minute walk from the nearest London Underground station, Debden, at the east end of the Central Line and 35 minutes by tube, from Liverpool Street.

Accommodation

• Every first year student at the Colchester Campus is offered campus accommodation in single study bedrooms (as long as application received by deadline).
• University-owned accommodation at the Colchester Campus is guaranteed for all international students for duration of study (as long as application received by deadline).
• Essex can provide accommodation for more than 50% of its students at the Colchester Campus.
• The Southend Campus endeavours to offer university administered accommodation to all first year undergraduates and overseas fee status postgraduates.
• Self-catering accommodation on the Colchester Campus from costs £58–91 per week.
•  More information about accommodation at the University of Essex is available here.

Entry standards

League Table 

• General entry requirement are A-Levels, BTEC,etc (specific subjects do identify individual course requirements).
• Essex does accept applicants with non-standard qualifications.
• More information on entry standards at the University of Essex is available here. 

Bursaries and Scholarships

In receipt of full Maintenance Grant  £319

In receipt of partial Maintenance Grant  sliding scale so that HEMG plus bursary equals tuition fee of  £3,225

Shortage subjects Scholarship

Sport Scholarship

• Tuition fees (2009): £3,225.
• Placement year and year abroad tuition fee will be 50% of the relevant tuition fee.
• For students in receipt of partial MG the Essex Bursary is intended to bridge the gap between the MG and the tuition fee with a bursary.
• Maths scholarship.
• Foundation year tuition fee will be £1,225.
• For more information on bursaries and scholarships at Esssex, click here and here.

Student mix

• More than 8,000 students.
• Over 130 nationalities represented.
• Roughly 50/50 men and women.
• Applications to places ratio ranges greatly from course to course.

Course flexibility

• Broad first year with opportunity to try new subjects.
• Opportunity to change degree scheme at end of first year.
• Wide choice of options and modules.

Teaching standards

League Table

• In recent Teaching Quality Assessments those departments tested all demonstrated the high standard of their teaching.
• In the last audit, the university was given "broad confidence", the highest possible outcome.
• This audit replaced the subject specific audits. The most recent included ratings of 24/24 for Economics, Government, Sports Science and Philosophy.

Research standards

League Table

• 99% of research-active staff work in departments rated 4, 5, 5* or 6* in the 2001 RAE.
• Departments of Government and Sociology both 6*, and Economics 5*.
• Essex houses three major Economic and Social Research Council funded projects: The Data Archive (the largest depository of computer retrievable information outside the USA); Institute for Social and Economic Research; Qualidata – the Qualitative Data Service.

Academic strengths

• Leading social science university.
• Only Essex obtained the maximum 5-star grade for its Departments of Sociology, Government and Economics Departments. Government and Sociology have since been given 6* grade.

Student facilities, including Library and Computing

League Table

• More than 586 workstations across the library and open access laboratories at the Colchester Campus, and more than 70 workstations at the Southend Campus.
• The library holds over 1 million volumes and many collections of national and international importance.

Disability Services

• The Disability Team is led by Angela Jones. For more information on disability services telephone 01206 872365 or 01206 87344, email or visit the website. 

Students' Union

• Five-year redevelopment plan of all social facilities culminated in October 2006 when Sub Zero, a new £1.2-million entertainment venue opened with a capacity of 1,200.
• Over 150 different clubs and societies.
• Range of services from academic support to volunteer opportunities, security minibus, newspaper, R:TV.
• More information about the students' union at the University of Essex is available here. 

Sport

• 2007 winner of BUSA Most Improved University award. Now in top 50 rankings.
• More than 40 clubs ranging from mountaineering to volleyball.
• Eight hectares (20 acres) devoted to sport and extensive indoor, including a climbing wall, and outdoor facilities including disc golf course and synthetic pitch.
• More information about sport at the University of Essex is available here. 

Recent/prospective new builds

• £6-million Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall opened at the Colchester Campus in October 2006, capable of seating 1,000.
• Social Sciences Research Centre opened at the Colchester Campus in March 2007.
• Centre for Brain Sciences building completed and opened at the Colchester Campus in May 2008, for use by the Department of Psychology.
• School of Health and Human Sciences building opened at the Colchester Campus in August 2008.
• New multi-million pound Gateway Building at Southend Campus opened in January 2007.
• Work has begun on the Clifftown Studios at the Southend Campus, which will include theatrical space big enough to accommodate work by East 15 Acting School students.

Availability of part-time work

• Student JobShop assist students in finding temporary and part-time employment on and off campus. 

For further information

• www.essex.ac.uk
• admit@essex.ac.uk
• University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ
• +44 (0) 1206 873333
• Travel and maps