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Top specialist land-based & agricultural university college

Student Population

Total Students:	1,025
Undergraduates:	80%
Postgraduates:	20%
FE Students:	0%

Undergraduates

Total undergraduates:	815
Male:	54%
Female:	46%
Full Time:	93%
Mature on Entry:	16%
UK Students:	91%
State school entry:	44%

Teaching Staff

42 full-time, 7 part-time.

Broad study areas

Agriculture, business management, rural land & estate management, equine business, property management, international agribusiness management, food supply & production management, conservation management.

Freshers

Admission Information:	AS-levels accepted in combination with 2+ A-levels or equivalent.
Points on Entry (Mean):	291
Drop Out Rate:	7%
Accommodation:	Most first years housed.

Institution

Founded:	1845
Site:	30-acre campus, 1 mile from Cirencester.
How to get there:	By road on A419 (from M4, Swindon or Gloucester) or A417 (from M5); train to Kemble via Swindon, 3 miles away; coach to Cirencester from London and Heathrow.

Student services & facilities

Student advice & services:	Doctor, counselling service, dyslexia specialist, disability officer, student welfare officer, chaplain, personal tutors.
Amenities:	Common rooms with sofas and TV, students' union bar, snack bar, students' union shop.
Sporting facilities:	Sports pitches including floodlit all-weather hockey and tennis, facilities for squash, rowing, water sports and field sports, own gym, polo and clay pigeon shooting facilities nearby. Sports scholarships available.
Accommodation:	90% of first years in college accommodation: 350 full-board places, rents (incl 3 meals a day, utilities, daily cleaner) of £3600 pa (shared room) to £7380 pa (large, single ensuite), on 38-week contracts; also 30 self-catering places £4370 pa ensuite, 38-week contracts. Students live in privately-owned accommodation for 2 years: 1-bedroom flats locally for £400−£600 a month (college helps finding local accommodation). Very small numbers live at home.

Study opportunities & careers

Library & information services:	100,000 volumes (print and/or electronic), 4000+ periodicals (print and/or electronic), reference works, statistical publications, etc; 155 study places. Information provision, £192 pa spent for each student (FTE). 70 workstations with access to library and internet (overall ratio 1:8 workstations to students). IT area open 24 hours/day, library 73 hrs/wk in term-time. 3 IT support staff; training for new students in library and information services; lecture-based IT courses.
Other learning resources:	Own commercial farms, with different farming conditions; rural skills centre offers practical, short courses.
Study abroad:	10% of students spend a period in Europe. Formal exchange links with many universities in Europe, US, New Zealand and Canada.
Careers:	Careers adviser; information, advice and placement. Graduates are employed in farm, plantation, nursery and estate management; land agency; leisure management; conservation; rural investment and advisory services; food industry; retailing; marketing; journalism. 97% of graduates in employment or further study within 6 months.

Money

Living expenses budget:	Minimum budget of £5500 pa recommended (excluding tuition fees).
Term-time work:	College allows term-time work for full-time students. Some work available on campus in bar, waiting at dinners and farm work (holidays only); some other holiday jobs displayed on noticeboards.
Financial help:	13 scholarships of £3000 pa for students resident in England with a family income of £25k pa; bursaries of £1000−£3000 pa for all students resident in England with a family income of up to £42.6k pa who have not been awarded a scholarship. Also bursaries of £250 and £1000 to allow students to develop skills; 4 salaries paid annually to allow internships. Also college and industry-funded scholarships (up to £2000) awarded annually, including sports scholarships.
University tuition fees:	All students pay £9000 pa for first degree courses.

Courses

Academic features:

Some courses lead to membership of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Awarding body:

Royal Agricultural College.

Main undergraduate awards:

BSc, FdSc.

Length of courses:

3 years, 4 years (sandwich or with foundation year), 2 years (FdSc), 1 year (BSc top-up).

Main subjects offered:

Agricultural Economics
Agriculture
Animal Science
Building Studies
Building Surveying
Business Administration
Business Studies
Conservation
Countryside Management
Crop Science/Technology
Environmental Management
Equine Studies
Estate Management
European Business Studies
Food Science
Forestry
International Business
Land Economy
Management
Marketing
Rural Environment Studies
Soil Science
Surveying
Town/Country Planning
Wildlife Management

Student view

Stuart Homewood, Student Union Chairman (2nd year, Agricultural Land Management)

Living

What's it like as a place to live? The RAC is a unique place to live. Set in the Gloucestershire countryside, it offers a fantastic environment for work and play. Must have the best views of any uni!!.

How's the student accommodation? Accommodation at the college is warm and very comfortable. For second and third years there are lots of houses available in Cirencester, all lovely.

What's the student population like? Rural, friendly. Great community spirit and largely English, some foreigners from over 31 countries!

How do students and locals get on? Very well on the whole.

Studying

What's it like as a place to study? Traditional buildings but very modern within them. At the forefront of Agriculture & Business.

What are the teaching staff like? Very good, international, highly regarded in their fields.

Socialising

What are student societies like? The finest Student Union in the country! Balls second to none - people come from all over the country to attend them!

What's a typical night out? Infamous college bar then town.

And how much does it cost? Quite a lot (bar is good value though).

How can you get home safely? On the buses provided (just for the college).

Money

Is it an expensive place to live? It is relatively expensive - but worth it.

Average price of a pint? £1.80.

And the price of a takeaway? £10-£15 (eat what you shoot!).

What's the part-time work situation? Some jobs for college and local pubs - most students work in the holidays to pay for an enjoyable term ahead.

Summary

What's the best feature about the place? The people - and setting - cannot be matched.

And the worst? Leaving.

And to sum it all up? Oxbridge in the countryside - the finest socialising in the land.