university of Aston , details of Aston university

Aston 

University ranking

• 2010  =13
• 2009  23
• 2008  12

History

• Founded in 1895.
• Received Royal Charter as Aston University in 1966.

Location and Transport

• A green campus in the centre of Birmingham, with all academic, accommodation and social facilities are on one site.
• Ten minutes walk from the main shopping and social areas of the city and fifteen minutes walk from Birmingham New Street station (a national rail hub).
• A 20-minute journey by rail to Birmingham International Airport.

Accommodation

• University on-campus accommodation –  2,117 places.
• Standard accommodation (self-catering) costs per week £65 (£2,500 per year).
• Ensuite accommodation (self-catering) costs per week £101 (£3,900 per year).
• Catered meal plan options available.
• Private rents (average per week) £65
• Students’ Guild support in finding private sector accommodation after first year, including website and Student Advice Centre.
• First year guarantee scheme.
• A major re-development of the campus accommodation begins in 2008 – 1,300 new ensuite places on campus by September 2010.
• For more information on accommodation at Aston, click here.

Bursaries and Scholarships

Family income below £18,000: £800 min

Family incomes of between £18–38,000:  £0–640 

• Undergraduate tuition fees (2009): £3,225
• Tuition fee for placement year and year abroad: £1,610. However, placement bursaries of £1,000 are available to all Aston students on their placement year and allowances and awards worth a total of £1,500 are available to all Aston students on their year abroad or during unpaid placement years. (Around 95% of placements are paid – average £14,000. 70% of Aston University students take placement year/sandwich programmes or a year abroad.)
• Information applies to UK/EU students.
• Eligibility for bursaries to be assessed using UUK/SLC model bursary scheme (HEBSS).
• For information on bursaries and scholarships at Aston University, click here.

Entry standards

League Table 

• Most programmes require BBC–ABB at A level (280-320 UCAS points from 18 units). Average entry grades in 2007 around 360 UCAS points.
• For more detail on entry standards at Aston, visit the website.

Student mix

• Total undergraduates (approximate) 7,100
• Overseas students 15%
• Male/female ratio 51:49
• Applications to places ratio 7.5:1
• From state-sector schools 89%

Course flexibility

• The vast majority of programmes have an optional or compulsory sandwich placement year in Business/Industry, in the UK or abroad. Seventy% of Aston students take the opportunity for this experience.
• Many courses have a common first year (e.g. Business, Biological Sciences, some Engineering courses).
• Combined and Joint Honours options are available, as well as single honours programmes and major/minor programmes.

Teaching standards

League Table

• In the 2008 National Student Survey, Aston’s overall satisfaction score was 89%, well above the UK average of 82%, and ranked 11th out of all UK universities according to HEFCE.

• More than 70% of students are on degree programmes with Teaching Quality Assessment scores of 22/24 and higher.

Research standards

League Table 

• In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, 85% of research undertaken was described as ‘internationally outstanding’.
• Grade 5 subjects include Business and Management, Engineering, Subjects Allied to Medicine (Optometry and Psychology), Languages and European Studies.

Academic strengths

• Strengths include Business and Management, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Life and Health Sciences, Languages and Social Sciences.

• Aston has a consistently excellent graduate employment record – around 80% of our graduates enter graduate-level jobs (83% in 2007–8 the 8th highest percentage of all UK universities according to the 2007 DLHE survey).
• There is a low drop-out rate of 4% (HEFCE performance indicators 2008) . 

Student facilities, including library and computing

League Table 

• All accommodation and most common rooms, cafes and lecture theatres are equipped with wireless internet access.
• There are 1,100 computer workstations on campus, some of which are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The library is now open 24 hours a day at key times of the year.
• The library contains over 300,000 volumes and a new learning development centre

Disability service

• Visit the website for information on the disability service at Aston.

Students’ Union

• The Students Guild offers a bank, hairdresser, shops, eating and social spaces, events, three bars and club-nights/events four nights a week.
• The Guild also operates a Student Advice centre and Jobshop.
• There are more than 80 clubs and societies.
• Over 80% of students are regularly involved in activities supported by the Guild – an extremely high proportion.
• The Guild organises ‘Astonbury’, a festival of events held on campus in June, after end of exams.

• For more details visit the website. 

Sport

• The two on-campus sports centres include a 25m swimming pool, two large sports halls, squash courts, a 75-station gym, climbing wall, all weather pitch, fitness studio and Dojo area. Facilities are just 200m or less away from all teaching rooms and student accommodation.
• Off-campus there is an 18-hectare (45-acre) sports ground (9 pitches), floodlighting, all weather facilities and pavilion. Over 30 sports clubs are run by the Guild Athletic Union and the emphasis is on sport for all – so all students have the chance to get involved, compete and use our facilities, not just the elite athletes. Aston achieved its highest ever BUSA ranking in 2007, beating many universities twice its size.

Recent/prospective new builds

• The university has received planning permission for a residences project which will provide 2,400 new student rooms on campus. Phase one (1,300 ensuite rooms) will be completed in September 2010). Details are available here.
•  At this time 80% of rooms will be ensuite and all will be on campus.
• Between 2005 and 2008 there has been a £9-million investment in new and refurbished laboratories, public areas, seminar rooms and lecture theatres.
• A £22-million extension to Aston Business School was opened in 2006. 

 Availability of part-time work

• The Jobshop is run by the Students’ Guild. Visit the website for more details.

• There are lots of opportunities for part-time work. Birmingham city centre and the massive Bull Ring shopping centre are ten minutes walk. The financial and legal quarter of Birmingham is 5–10 minutes walk.
• Sandwich and summer placements schemes are available for more career-oriented paid work. The average placement year salary for Aston students is currently £14,000 per year.

For further information

• www.aston.ac.uk
• ugenquiries@aston.ac.uk
• Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET
• +44 (0)121 204 3000 
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