Solihull College University Centre

History: Founded in 1954. It began offering higher education courses in 1987.

Address: Five minutes' walk from the centre of Solihull, which is seven miles from the centre of Birmingham. The main campus is on Blossomfield Road, with the Woodlands Campus based in Smith's Wood, north Solihull.

Ambience: A ?30 million redevelopment scheme has transformed the Blossomfield Campus. The project has increased HE provision in art, graphics, animal care, sport, photography, hair and beauty, IT and computing. The purpose-built Woodlands Campus has undergone an ?8 redevelopment to incorporate a new state of the art specialist centre for multi-craft, bricklaying, painting and decorating, plastering, carpentry and an expanded motor vehicle training facility.

Who's the boss? Principal Brenda Sheils.

Prospectus: 0121 678 7000, alternatively look at their prospectus here.

UCAS code: S26

Easy to get into? Requirements vary by course, with many requiring previous study in a given area. Most foundation degrees require one pass at A-level.

Vital statistics: Many qualifications are accredited by universities such as Oxford Brookes, Warwick and Coventry.

Added value: On-site facilities include a new sports complex and fitness centre, hair and beauty therapy salon, and dedicated HE Centre at Blossomfield. The IT centre, which the college believes is one of the best-equipped in the region, has been used to train some of the largest companies in the West Midlands.

Teaching: A variety of foundation degrees, top-up degrees, BA degrees and master’s degrees are on offer. Art and design programmes got the thumbs up during a recent QAA review. Many students get first or second class degrees.

Transport links: Ten minutes' walk from Solihull train station. Good road links and bus routes serving Birmingham and beyond.

Any accommodation? Yes - 120 self-catering rooms are available at the Blossomfield campus, all with en suite bathrooms. Rent is ?80-85 per week.

Cheap to live there? Not bad, rents range from ?60 to ?85 per week for a room in a shared house.

Fees: Fees will be around ?6,000 per year for students starting in 2013.

Bursaries: The college offers a bursary of up to ?500.

Honours degrees: BA Fine Art and BA Business and management via final year top-up.

Nightlife: The college is about a mile from Solihull's Touchwood Shopping centre, which has a cinema, restaurants, bars and nightclubs as well as shops. The students' union also sorts out discounts with some entertainment venues.

Glittering alumni: First class fine art graduate Amir Khan, has been hailed one of the ‘UK’s future greats’ by The Salon gallery.