York St John University

York St John was founded in 1841 as the Church College for Teacher Training. In 1975 the Separate colleges of Ripon and York merged to form the college of Ripon & York St John, with degrees awarded through the University of Leeds. The University was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers in 2005 and became York St John University in October 2006. Today over 6,000 students from more than 60 countries study at the university. 

With around 20,000 students and seven million tourists visiting the city all year round York really is a lively place to be - so much so that it was recently voted Europe's top international tourist destination. York’s nightlife caters for all, from traditional and quirky pubs, to ghost walks, cinemas and theatre, to the lively, modern and vibrant bars, clubs and live venues. The city is also a paradise for shopaholics with everything from famous high-street names to intriguing specialist, designer and curiosity shops. Shopping and socialising aside, you can’t fail to notice York’s history and culture. It’s hard not to find history fascinating when it lives and breathes around you.

York St John is literally minutes away from the city centre, so is perfectly placed for nights out and retail therapy jaunts. York Railway station is on the East Coast mainline, meaning that you can be in London in two hours, Manchester in 1 ½ and Edinburgh in 2½. There is the option to study part-time on most of our courses (check the website for details) and we have flexible entry requirements for mature students.

We offer a variety of opportunities to spend a semester or year abroad as part of your undergraduate degree, without adding any extra time! We have partners all around the world with compatible programmes so that you can study abroad whilst working towards your York St John degree, at no extra tuition fee. This applies to almost all undergraduate programmes, you do not need to be studying a Language!

Foundation degrees are available in Supporting Learning, Working with Children & Young People and Theology & Ministry, all of which can lead to a place on a BA or BsC course after completion. We are highly rated for student satisfaction scores for teaching quality. We care about the quality of our teaching and we listen to our students' feedback. Much of your learning will be done in lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops but you will also experience group work, learning via Moodle, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), work placements, client-projects, practical and studio work. 

The mix and number of contact hours will depend on which course you are studying. Our students consistently tell us that our staff (both academic and support staff) are approachable, friendly and supportive and our Academic tutor system ensures that you have all the support you need, when you need it. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework rated thirty per cent of York St John University's research as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. York St John University houses several research centres which offer services and valuable resources to our postgraduate and post experience students, as well as to the local, national and international community.

The Open University

The University was given its Royal Charter in 1969. Since then, it has become the UK's largest university, and the only UK university dedicated to distance learning. More than two million people have studied with the OU since its opening. Today more than 30% of all part-time undergraduate students in the UK study with the OU.  OU students study in their own homes and workplaces, taking courses whose materials and methods are specifically designed for this type of distance learning. All have tutors, and most also have the opportunity to meet tutors and other students at local tutorials. The University's methods allow for study anywhere in the UK and in many other parts of the world.

The Open University was established to be 'open', with no entry requirements. Nearly all of its courses continue to have no entry requirements. Some courses aimed at postgraduates or people who are working in specific jobs do have entry requirements. For further information on entry to Open University courses, visit the website. The 150,840 students enrolled in the academic year 2013/14 comprise. The Open University offers more flexibility than most other universities. Although the start and end dates of most courses are fixed (and there are recommended study timetables and fixed days for tutorials), it is for the student to decide when and where they study day-to-day. Some study in the evenings; others work shifts that allow them to work during the day, for example.

Flexibility also extends to allowing students to take breaks in study between courses on most programmes - to allow them to stop studying after the end of a particular course if they wish and resume at a later date. While the University offers a comprehensive range of named degrees, it also offers Open degrees, which allow students to combine courses from a range of different academic disciplines. Of the 24 subjects assessed by the Quality Assurance Agency, 17 were placed in the top 'Excellent' category. The Open University has been highly ranked for overall satisfaction in all three of the National  Student Surveys to date. The OU is one of only two universities in England to have been awarded the leadership of four Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The OU supports a vibrant research and enterprise portfolio which focuses upon key issues affecting the social, political and physical well-being of individuals, communities, cultures and nations. The Open University has always been a world leader in the use of new technologies to improve the quality of education for students and to broaden their access to it. Students on two-thirds of all courses undertake e-learning activities to achieve defined learning outcomes. All courses include optional online activities.

The University's "open" mission allows for those people whose previous qualifications would be unlikely to allow them access to university education elsewhere to enter higher education. In 2005-06, 34% of the OU's undergraduate level students had qualifications equivalent to one A-level or lower.

University of Salford

The University’s past is rooted in the great Industrial Revolution of the 19th century which changed the world. The original University of Salford, then called the Salford Technical Institute, was founded in 1896 to meet the demands of the thriving industries in the region at that time. In 1921 the Institute was renamed the Royal Technical College, later splitting into two separate organisations which became the University of Salford in 1967, and the University College Salford in 1992 respectively.

The two universities finally merged into a single institution in 1996 – exactly 100 years after the formation of the original Royal Technical Institute.

The University is located just 1.5 miles from Manchester city centre, set predominantly on one large campus in 60 acres of parkland with the River Irwell running through it. Our new state-of-the-art facility, focused on media and digital teaching and learning, is based at MediaCityUK which is located 2 miles from the campus and 4 miles from Manchester city centre. A free bus service runs between the University and MediaCityUK; another free service runs between the main campus, car parks and accommodation. Salford Crescent railway station is on our doorstep, offering frequent direct trains to Manchester and Manchester Airport with excellent links to destinations across the UK. There are also frequent bus services into Manchester.

Entry requirements are between 220 and 320 UCAS tariff points for degree entry; slightly lower for foundation degrees. Full details of the entry requirements for individual courses can be found in the University prospectus and on the website Salford is committed to widening access to higher education for all parts of the community and is proud to be in the top 10 HE institutions for widening participation for all applicants. For those without formal qualifications, we offer an assessment service to assess individual potential to succeed at university: support is provided pre-test to ensure candidates are appropriately prepared. Achieving employability is an important part of the student experience. We have a long–established track record of successful relations with business and industry, leading to work placements for our students with a raft of partners from major companies to local businesses.

Close collaboration with business and industry is at the heart of our course development, to ensure your learning is relevant to the real world. Many of our tutors are industry consultants and practitioners – for example, our Trauma and Orthopedics course is delivered by practicing orthopedic consultants, radiologists, sports physicians and specialist physiotherapists.

High profile visiting lecturers provide an insight in to potential career pathways, and you'll have the opportunity to learn from successful practitioners in your subject area, such as former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, and David Threlfall, who plays Frank Gallagher in Shameless.

Our courses are accredited by external professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, the British Psychological Society, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Many of our courses are accredited by a professional body – when you graduate, you’ll receive a recognised qualification and membership of the professional organisation in your chosen field. Accrediting bodies include RICS, CIM, NUJ, AMBA, CIPS, EPAS, CIPD, IME, CIOB and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The University of Salford is the north west’s largest provider of health and social care education and training with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities including an on-site podiatry clinic, human performance laboratory and a digital imaging suite.

We are the only university with a campus at MediaCityUK – the centre of the media, digital and creative industry in the UK. Our neighbours there include the BBC and ITV. We have one of the UK's most eminent schools for the built environment, and the UK's largest research institute in this sector. We consistently achieve top scores in research league tables, putting us at the forefront of teaching and research in one of the largest industries in the UK. This offers excellent employment prospects for our students.

Our School of Arts and Media is one of the largest of its kind in the country with lecturers who are experienced professionals, practitioners and researchers, many of whom are active in the fields in which they teach, providing contemporary and practical teaching.  

Science and engineering is a traditional strength of the University, with particular highlights including acoustics and aeronautical engineering.

We provide a dedicated website, where students can find information on every aspect of their university life, plus help and support on a wide range of student issues, including finances, visas, wellbeing and disability. Extensive library facilities and resources are located across the wi-fi enabled campus, including a state-of-the-art facility at MediaCityUK, with more than 600,000 printed books, 400,000 e-books and 35,000 e-journals. Our cutting-edge resource discovery tool allows access to all our academic resources from a single online search programme. The Library has a subject-specialist member of staff for each School, providing training and helping our students to make the most of thigh-quality resources available. More than 800 open access student PCs and printing facilities are provided across the campus, with an easy-to-use online system located on the student pages of our website that reveals where available PCs are located; 240 laptops are also available for loan within libraries.

We offer 24-hour access to our largest library all year round; all libraries offer both silent areas and spaces for working with others. The main library has received the Customer Service Excellence Award for its high standards of service.

University of Huddersfield

Established in 1825 as the Huddersfield Scientific and Mechanic Institute. The university has a long and proud tradition of providing education. A  town centre campus, a few minutes walk from one of the largest towns in the UK, with all of the sporting, cultural and social amenities you would expect from a major regional centre. In the 2008 RAE, most of the areas in which Huddersfield entered contained world-leading work.

A third of the university’s submission was placed in the top two categories, with music and social work being among the exceptional performers. Result of the 2008 RAE was a 45 per cent increase in research funding. The university's learning resources (computing and library support for students, and the quality of the estate) continue to be highly rated. The university met or exceeded the national average in every case (NSS). 3M Buckley Innovation Centre, completed in 2012. Newly acquired and remodelled Queens Street Studio for Architecture, Interior and Product Design students opened in September 2011.

Design and construction of a £21.5-million Learning and Leisure Centre to be opened in spring 2014, to fully integrate with the recently remodelled Library and Central Computing Facility. £17-million Business School opened September 2010. Innovative and environmentally friendly Creative Arts Building including rehearsal spaces and a recital hall, opened in 2008.