Although it was granted university status as recently as 1992, this new university has earned an enviable reputation for academic excellence
Sited in Britain’s picturesque midlands region and granted university status as recently as 1992, the University of Wolverhampton (UoW) has quickly earned an enviable reputation in the international higher education market for its contemporary hi-tech learning facilities, teaching innovations and academic excellence. Spread across four campuses, this new university, which recently inaugurated its South Asia regional office in Delhi, boasts an enrollment of 23,000 including 3,000 international students. It was the first varsity in the UK to be awarded the Charter Mark for excellence in customer service. 

Although UoW was designated a university in 1992, its origin can be traced back to the promotion of the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Technical College in 1931. In 1969 this technical college was merged with the local College of Art to form Wolverhampton Polytechnic, which in 1992 became the University of Wolverhampton. Since grant of university status, UoW has invested millions of pounds in providing some of the most state-of-the-art learning and student facilities in Britain. In 1994 it inaugurated a multi-million pound campus in Telford and two years later the Wolverhampton Science Park in partnership with the Wolverhampton Council. In 1997, two hi-tech learning centres in Telford and Wolverhampton offering the most advanced facilities to students and staff were promoted. And in 2000 the university management announced its most ambitious plan — a £60 million (Rs.4,560 crore) seven-year building programme “to create some of the most modern facilities in UK higher education”.

Comments Prof. Caroline Gipps, vice chancellor of UoW: “Wolverhampton is a first-class regional university with a strong widening access agenda, high-quality teaching and learning provision, well-established links with key players in the regional economy and wonderful new buildings. I look forward to leading the university into the next stage of development and helping it gain the national recognition it so richly deserves.”

Adds Pragyat Singh, the Delhi-based South Asia representative of UoW: “Wolverhampton offers several advantages over London University. Among them: 20-25 percent lower tuition fee and 40-50 percent savings in terms of residential accommodation.”

Wolverhampton. A 20-minute rail journey from Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, Wolverhampton or ‘the high town on the hill’ as it’s historically known, is a well-developed city of 250,000 people (including a large south Asian population). Sited in the scenic west midlands, Wolverhampton is surrounded by the picturesque Shropshire and Staffordshire country-side, historic houses and an extensive leisure canal network. Strategically located at the heart of the motorway and rail networks, Wolverhampton is within easy reach of London and boasts an excellent public transportation network, ranging from the Midland Metro to city centre cycle lanes.

Campus facilities. UoW is spread across four campuses (City, Crompton, Telford and Walsall) in the west midlands. The main City campus is sited in the heart of Wolverhampton and is home to the Millennium City Building, which contains state-of-the-art psychology laboratories, a hi-tech 300-seat lecture theatre, food court and social learning spaces. The largest of UoW’s four campuses, City also features a nightclub, a shopping arcade, advice and support centre, and art and design studios. A few miles west of Wolverhampton is the Crompton Park campus home of the university’s business school (marketing and human resource management faculties).

The Telford campus houses a multi-million pound Innovative Product Development Centre (IPDC) featuring perhaps the most advanced campus production facilities in the UK and includes rapid prototyping, multi-axis CNC and co-ordinate measuring facilities. The Walsall campus situated in a leafy suburb boasts fully-equipped physiology, psychology and biomechanics laboratories. Although all four campuses are easily accessible by public transport, UoW operates its own shuttle service for students and faculty.

Moreover learning centres on each campus offer collections of books, journals, DVDs, CDs and audio-visual materials. Sports facilities are centred in the City and Walsall campuses. The City Sports Centre features a fitness suite/ gym; swimming pool; two squash courts and a sports hall featuring football, badminton and basketball facilities. The recently refurbished Walsall Sports Centre offers a 12-court sports hall (basketball, tennis, cricket, volleyball etc); fitness and conditioning suite; synthetic athletics track; swimming pool and football pitches. The centre also houses a National Judo Centre of Excellence which will be used as a training venue of judo hopefuls for the London 2012 Olympics. Other on-campus facilities include bookshops, cafes, pubs, and student counselling centres.

Admission. The minimum eligibility requirement for admission into UoW’s undergrad degree programmes is successful completion of Plus Two, and for postgrad courses a first class bachelor’s degree. Foreign students also have to display proof of proficiency in the English language. An IELTS score of 6.0 or a TOEFL score of 550 is acceptable. Foreign students can apply direct to the university using the international application form which can be downloaded from www.wlv.ac.uk. Students can also request an application form by e-mailing cduint@wlv.ac.uk.

This apart, applicants seeking admission into full-time undergraduate courses have the option of applying through the UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) system. Request information on app.req@ucas.ac.uk.

For further information contact University of Wolverhampton’s regional office in Delhi (18-F Basant Lok, Second Floor, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi 110 057, Ph: 11 41683500; e-mail: r.aggarwal@ wlv.ac.uk or internationaladmissions @wlv.ac.uk).

Accommodation. The University of Wolverhampton offers over 2,000 places in halls of residence across its four campuses. All rooms have internet access and are furnished while over 900 have en-suite bathrooms. Communal kitchens are equipped with conventional and microwave ovens, fridge and freezer, individual lockable cupboards, sink, table and chairs. Each campus has laundrettes, the cost of which is included in the weekly rent (£50-109).

For students who wish to live off-campus, the university’s accommodation office offers free assistance on available private rentals.

Degree programmes. The university’s ten academic schools offer over 340 undergraduate and postgraduate courses and further choice through its joint honours scheme (see box). The Graduate School also offers M.Phil and doctorate programmes. To help students derive full advantage of their chosen degree programme and faculty to teach better, UoW has established a one-of-its-kind Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT). The role of CELT is to advise the university’s senior committees on matters pertaining to learning and teaching. 

Scholastic options at UoW

Spread over four campuses, the University of Wolverhampton has ten academic schools which offer over 340 undergrad and postgrad courses plus a large choice of subject combinations. They include: applied sciences; art and design; computing and information technology; education; engineering and the built environment; health; humanities, languages and social sciences; legal studies; sports, performing arts and leisure; business school; centre for excellence in learning and teaching. For a detailed list of programmes offered by each of these schools visit www.wlv.ac.uk.

Tuition fee (annual)

Undergrad and postgrad courses: £7,570
Postgrad courses in business and computing: £8,070
Living expenses (incl. accommodation): £5,000

NB £=Rs.76

Summiya Yasmeen