University of Surrey
2014.10.20
Overview
The University of Surrey is a public research university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey, in the South Eastof England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology before gaining university status. Its roots however go back to the Battersea Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1891 to provide further and higher education for London's poorer inhabitants.
The university conducts extensive research on small satellites and has a high number of staff who are members of learned societies. The Research Assessment Exercise 2001 awarded nine departments at the university 5 or 5 ratings The university has recently expanded into China by launching the Surrey International Institute with Dongbei University of Finance and Economics.
The university's main campus is located on Stag Hill close to the centre of Guildford and adjacent to Guildford Cathedral. A second campus, at Manor Park, is located a short distance away and has been developed to expand upon existing accommodation, academic buildings and sporting facilities.
The University of Surrey is a truly international university, with students and staff from 140 countries. It has had the best employment rate of any UK university for the last 15 years.
Established year: 1891
Location
The university campus is located in on the edge of Guildford town centre, amongst landscaped grounds which feature two lakes and a sports field. This designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty features country pubs and classic attractions such as Box Hill, as well as acres of countryside for walking or cycling.
The main line station is just ten minutes walk and there are frequent bus services late into the night between the University of Surrey campus and the town centre and rail station. Alongside good internal transport links, Surrey has good access to the M25 and is only half an hour from London by train, with Heathrow and Gatwick airports similarly close at hand.
From London by train: 52 minutes
Address: University of Surrey,Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
Highlights/Advantages
- An international University (more than 3,000 international students) with an international reputation
- First-class learning resources and facilities that include the new Surrey Sports Park - the best sporting facilities in the South of England
- A modern campus with abundant green space
- An unrivalled location within easy reach of London
- "Internationally excellent" research
Rankings
University of Surrey is a leading institution in southeast England and is ranked highly nationally.
- For the most recent domestic university league tables, the university is ranked 8th overall by The Guardian
- 13th overall by the Complete University Guide,
- 12th overall by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014.
- Subjects ranked in the top 10 include Hospitality & Tourism, Electronic Engineering, Food Science, Sociology, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Economics and Psychology.
- In world rankings, Times Higher Education ranked the university 190th in 2007.
- 11th in the Times University Guide 2015
- 6th in the Guardian University Guide 2015
- 12th in the Complete University Guide 2015
- 314th in the QS World University Rankings 2015
Accommodation
There is guaranteed accommodation for all first-year students and continuing overseas full-time research postgraduates. Flats and houses are available on campus, with two thirds on the main Stag Hill campus and the other third split between the Manor Park and Hazel Farm sites. Over 50 per cent of rooms have en suite facilities, and all University of Surrey student bedrooms have unlimited, free broadband. Options are also available if you wish to study in the UK and bring your family along, while limited single-sex accommodation can be requested.
Off campus, there is a variety of housing in the Guildford area let privately or through the University of Surrey's own Property Management Scheme.