University Name:
See all universitiesKingston University
UCAS Code: K84
Location: South-west of London, within M25 Show on Map
Site: Four campuses in and around Kingston; many partner colleges
A modern university; a member of the million+ group of universities.
Student Population
| Total Students: | 25,430 |
| Undergraduates: | 80% |
| Postgraduates: | 20% |
| FE Students: | 0% |
Undergraduates
| Total undergraduates: | 20,354 |
| Male: | 48% |
| Female: | 52% |
| Full Time: | 90% |
| Mature on Entry: | 42% |
| UK Students: | 88% |
| State school entry: | 97% |
Teaching Staff
750 full and part-time
Broad study areas
Architecture & landscape; art & design; business; chemistry & pharmaceutical sciences; computing; economics; education; engineering; environment; geography & geographical information systems; geology & earth sciences; health & social care sciences; humanities; languages; law; life sciences; mathematics & statistics; performance, film, media & music; social sciences; sports sciences; surveying & planning.
Freshers
| Admission Information: | UCAS tariff used; most offers expressed in terms of units to be passed, at what level and points to be attained. All applications considered on individual basis. |
| Points on Entry (Mean): | 243 |
| Drop Out Rate: | 9% |
| Accommodation: | Many first years housed. |
Institution
| Founded: | 1970 as Kingston Poly, from colleges of technology, art and education; university status 1992. |
| Site: | 4 campuses: Penrhyn Road, Knights Park, Kingston Hill and Roehampton Vale – all in 3 mile radius and linked by free university bus service. |
| How to get there: | Kingston or Surbiton railway stations, buses. |
| Special features: | Strong links with St George’s University of London for courses in health and social care sciences. |
Student services & facilities
| Student advice & services: | Holistic health and counselling centre on main site (GPs, dentists, nurses, counsellors, hypnotherapist, osteopath, chiropodist, aromatherapists, reflexologists, homeopathy, acupuncture, nutritionist, massage therapists); ecumenical chaplain and contacts in all faiths. |
| Amenities: | SU facilities on each campus; wide range of clubs and societies; bars, shops, catering outlets. |
| Sporting facilities: | State-of-the-art fitness centre and aerobics studio, gym, playing fields for all major sports, tennis/netball courts; wide range of sporting activities and sports clubs. |
| Accommodation: | 45+% of first years in university accommodation: self-catering places at £96–£120 per week, most on 40-week contracts. Also head tenancy management schemes. Students live in privately-owned accommodation for 2+ years: £85–£100 pw for lodgings. |
Study opportunities & careers
| Library & information services: | Libraries on each campus, total of 420,000 books, 6000 electronic books, 1800 printed periodicals, 48,000 electronic journals; loan service for course books; slide library at Knights Park (250,000+ slides), music library at Kingston Hill. Information provision, £86 pa spent for each student (FTE). 2200 networked workstations and wireless access on all campuses; open 24 hours in term time on main campuses. Learning resources centres split into zones (so students can choose an area to suit the way they study and not disturb others). |
| Other learning resources: | Online learning resource, StudySpace, provides access to course materials (eg lecture notes, backup materials, presentations and previous exam papers), online chatrooms and bulletin boards (to interact with staff and other students) and multimedia features (eg audio-visual instrument tutorials for music students and video tutorials for science students); can be accessed from any internet-enabled computer at any time. |
| Study abroad: | Formal links with a number of universities and colleges in Europe, the US and beyond. |
| Careers: | Information, advice and guidance; JobShop and faculty placement officers; graduate business employment service. |
Money
| Living expenses budget: | Budget of approximately £11,000 pa (excluding tuition fees) recommended by university, depending on lifestyle. |
| Term-time work: | Some work available on campus and help finding work off campus; plenty of part-time work in town centre. |
| Financial help: | Various scholarships open to students whose family income is up to £25k pa and who are the first generation in their family to go into higher education: scholarships of £1000−£1500 open to UK students; 528 scholarships of £3000 open to English or EU students (plus some course and other conditions). 10 pa scholarships of £3300 for international students. Bursary of £1500 pa care leavers. |
| University tuition fees: | Home students pay £9000 pa for first degree courses; less for 4-year undergraduate masters (£8500 for 3 years, £5000 for final year) and for foundation year and foundation degrees (£3000-£3500 pa). International students paid £10,250−£11,350 pa. |
Courses
Academic features:
Courses include aerospace engineering, geographical information systems, landscape architecture, product & furniture design, forensic science. Extended degree scheme in technology and science for mature students or those without traditional qualifications.
Awarding body:
Kingston University
Main undergraduate awards:
BA, BSc, LLB, BEng, MEng, FdSc, FdA.
Length of courses:
3 years; 4–5 years (sandwich, language and extended degree courses); 2 years foundation degree.
Main subjects offered:
- Accountancy
- Acting
- Actuarial Studies
- Aerodynamics
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Air Transport Engineering
- Animation
- Architectural Design
- Architectural Technology
- Architecture
- Art
- Art History
- Arts Management
- Audio
- Automotive Engineering
- Avionics
- Biochemistry
- Biological Chemistry
- Biology
- Biomedical Science
- Biotechnology
- Broadcasting
- Building Studies
- Building Surveying
- Building Technology
- Business Administration
- Business Economics
- Business Studies
- Cell Biology
- Chemistry
- Childhood Studies
- Choreography
- Civil Engineering
- Cognitive Science
- Commerce
- Communication Studies
- Comparative Literature
- Complementary Therapies
- Computer Science
- Computer Technology
- Computing
- Conservation
- Construction
- Consumer Studies
- Creative/Performance Writing
- Criminal Justice
- Criminology
- Cultural Studies
- Dance
- Digital Microelectronics
- Drama
- E-business
- Earth Sciences
- Economics
- Education
- Engineering (General)
- Engineering Mathematics
- English
- Environmental Management
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Studies
- Estate Management
- European Business Studies
- European Studies
- Fashion
- Film Music
- Film Studies
- Finance
- Financial Economics
- Food Science
- Food Technology
- Forensic Science
- French
- Furniture Design
- Furniture Production
- Geography
- Geology
- Geoscience
- Graphic Design
- Health
- History
- Human Biology
- Human Resource Management
- Human Rights
- Human Sciences
- Humanities
- Illustration
- Informatics
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
- Interactive Games Production
- Interior Design
- International Business
- International Relations
- Internet Technology
- Jazz
- Journalism
- Landscape Architecture
- Landscape Studies
- Law
- Linguistics
- Management
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Media Studies
- Media Technology
- Medical Imaging
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Microelectronics
- Midwifery
- Molecular Biology
- Motor Sport Engineering
- Multimedia
- Music
- Music Technology
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Painting
- Performance Arts
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacy
- Photography
- Physiotherapy
- Politics
- Popular Music
- Printing/Typography
- Printmaking
- Product Design
- Production Engineering
- Psychology
- Quantity Surveying
- Radiography
- Sculpture
- Social Science
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Software Engineering
- Space
- Spanish
- Sports Sciences
- Sports Studies
- Statistics
- Surveying
- Sustainable Development
- Systems Analysis
- Teacher Training
- Three-Dimensional Design
- Town/Country Planning
- TV Studies
- Video
- Virtual Design
- Visual Arts
- Web Development/Design
Student view
Leanne Briggs (Fashion Design)
Living
What's it like as a place to live? Kingston is a really nice town with a couple of good clubs and a large shopping centre. It feels like a friendly and safe place to live and its great distance from central London.
How's the student accommodation? The student accommodation had nice big bedrooms and a good layout for meeting new people but also having privacy. The communal space in the flat was only a small kitchen that wasn't great. I thought the price was quite expensive for the condition of the halls and the communal space it offered.
What's the student population like? The student population is very diverse as there are campuses for engineering, the art school and a couple of campuses for all other subjects, so on big nights out you can meet a huge variety of people. When going out within the student union bars, the different schools tend to stay quite separate. Within the art school, students are a variety of ages and there are quite a few mature students.
How do students and locals get on? There aren't any no-go areas at all. The students are welcomed within the town and just tend to blend in with everybody else.
Studying
What's it like as a place to study? In the art school the facilities are good. Fashion design needs many more sewing machines and dress mannequins but the computer facilities and photography rooms have great facilities.
What are the teaching staff like? I found that the staff really varied: some are excellent and others are really awful, not too bothered about everybody in the class just the work of the favourites. Other than that lecturers that have come in from elsewhere to give talks have been great and really interesting.
Socialising
What's a typical night out? Student nights are really good and cheap for it being a London uni. The art school puts on some really good nights with good music and sociable people.
And how much does it cost? A typical night out I'd probably spend up to £20 if staying within Kingston. If I went out in central London I'd probably spend around £30−£40
How can you get home safely? Yes, Kingston feels very safe at night. And there are lots of taxis running if the halls are further out of the town centre
Money
Is it an expensive place to live? Yes I'd say Kingston is very expensive place to live. Housing is extremely expensive (I paid £93 a week plus bills to live in a small house turned into two flats, with no living room and a bedroom just bigger than the size of a double bed). I was constantly skint due to the price of buying materials for my course (fashion design) as well as the expensive housing.
Average price of a pint? A pint in the union costs about £2.50. Elsewhere in Kingston town would be about £3−£3.60, so pretty expensive.
And the price of a takeaway? A takeaway is about £6 or more
What's the part-time work situation? There are loads of clubs, bars and restaurants that offer students part time work. My course strongly advised not to get part time work unless it was absolutely necessary because of the work load.
Summary
And to sum it all up? Fun and friendly place to live and a great university for creative arts.
Past Students
Glenda Bailey (editor of Marie Claire), Lawrence Dallaglio (England rugby).
More info?
Enquiries to SU 020 8547 8868, or visit www.kusu.co.uk.
Open days
16th June 2012
Open day for all courses. Talk to staff and students. Book online.
29th September 2012
Open day for all courses. Talk to staff and students. Book online.
13th October 2012
Open day for all courses. Talk to staff and students. Book online.
Contact
Address:
Kingston University
River House
53-57 High Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1LQ
Tel:
020 8417 9000
Email:
Website:
Student enquiries:
Applicant Services
Application:
UCAS
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