This 30-year-old varsity with an enrolment of 50,000 students has consistently been ranked among Britain’s Top 15 for five years (2016- 2020) by the Guardian University Guide

Sited in the West Midlands, Coventry University (CU, estb.1992) is a nationally respected public research higher ed institution providing undergrad and postgrad study programmes to 50,000 students including 20,000 from abroad. This 30-year-old varsity has consistently been ranked among Britain’s Top 15 for five years (2016-2020) by the Guardian University Guide. Moreover, in the UK’s latest Teaching Excellence Framework which assesses 134 higher education institutions under parameters of teaching quality, student satisfaction, student retention rates and placements, CU was awarded Gold rating.

The history of CU harks back to 1843 with the establishment of Coventry College of Design which merged with the Lanchester College of Technology and Rugby College of Engineering Technology to morph into Lanchester Polytechnic in 1970. Subsequently in 1987, it was christened Coventry Polytechnic followed by grant of university status. Currently, the university’s four faculties — arts and humanities; engineering, environment and computing; health and life sciences and law and business schools — offer over 130 undergrad and 100 postgraduate study programmes.

Despite the new Omicron variant of the novel Coronavirus causing a huge upsurge of Covid infections in the UK, the university is committed to offering “full-time students on most courses at least 10 hours of on-campus timetabled teaching and learning each week. On-campus sessions will be complemented by additional timetabled online teaching and learning”.

Coventry. England’s ninth largest urban habitat, Coventry (pop.430,000) is reputed for its heritage and historic buildings. Prominent among them is the medieval Cathedral Church of St. Michael, aka Coventry Cathedral; Lunt Fort and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum which hosts a rich collection of paintings, including of local heroine Lady Godiva.

Sited on the banks of the River Sherbourne, Coventry boasts an award-winning indoor waterpark, the Coventry City Football Club, Coventry Blaze (hockey team), and semi-pro rugby league clubs. The city will host some events of the Commonwealth Games 2022.

A popular shopping destination with retail parks in and around the city, Coventry is well-connected by road, rail and air with all major cities of the UK. London and Oxford are an hour and Birmingham 30 minutes away by train.

Summer in Coventry is short and warm. Winters long, cold and windy. Temperatures range between 9°C-21°C in summer and 1°C-8°C in winter.

Campus facilities. CU’s main campus sprawls over 33 acres in Coventry City Centre adjacent to Coventry Cathedral and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. The centrepiece of the campus is The Hub, which hosts the Coventry University Students’ Union, student support services, a bar/nightclub, and food outlets. Other campus landmarks include the Lanchester Library, Coventry University Technology Park, sports centre, Tank studio furbished with modern multimedia production equipment, spiritual, health and well-being centres, and a High Performance Engineering Centre.

Its main city centre campus apart, the university has four other campuses — Coventry University London, CU Coventry, CU London and CU Scarborough. The Coventry University London campus is centrally located within walking distance of the Liverpool Street train station and hosts fashion studios, onsite trading floor equipped with Bloomberg terminals, a Standard & Poor’s computer suite, library and students lounge. The CU Coventry campus provides full-time and part-time professional courses in vocational subjects such as accounting, legal studies and marketing.

The university’s second London campus — CU London — is 14 miles from city centre and hosts science and engineering labs, café, library, and IT suites. Inaugurated in 2016, the CU Scarborough in North Yorkshire offers law, science & engineering study programmes.

Admission. Minimum eligibility criteria for admission into CU’s undergraduate programmes are successful completion of class XII averaging 60-65 percent-plus, and English language proficiency (IELTS/ Pearson test scores or 60 percent-plus in English in the qualifying class XII exam). International students have the choice to apply directly to the university or through the UK’s centralised Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Admission applications must be supported with latest academic transcripts, an academic reference, English language test score, personal statement and passport copy. The UCAS admission deadline is June 30, 2022 for term beginning in September.

The requirement for admission into postgraduate programmes is successful completion of a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university and English language proficiency.

For further information, contact Tel: +44 (0) 24 77 654 700; E-mail: ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk; Website: www.coventry.ac.uk.

Accommodation. Student housing options range from university-owned halls of residence, studios, ensuite bedrooms and halls with shared bathrooms. Most accommodation is self-catered. Other facilities include shared kitchens, launderette, and Internet connectivity. For more information, email unihalls@futurelets.co.uk.

Degree programmes. The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes across four faculties (see box).

Scholastic options at Coventry

Coventry University’s four faculties offer a wide range of programmes. They include:

Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Schools of art and design, humanities, media and performing arts

Faculty of Business and Law. Coventry Business School, Coventry Law School

Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing. Computing; civil engineering, architecture and building; geography, environment and disaster management; mathematics and physics; mechanical, automotive and manufacturing engineering; aerospace, electrical and electronic engineering

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. Biomolecular and sport sciences, food science and nutrition, health professions, nursing and health studies, psychology and behavioural sciences and social, therapeutic and community studies

Tuition fees (annual): £9,250-20,100

Room and board: £6,347

(NB: £=Rs.101)

Reshma Ravishanker

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