Keele University

Keele University is a campus university located in the UK county of North Staffordshire.

Midway between Birmingham and Manchester, Keele is situated just a few miles away from the urban centres of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent, and 20 miles from the Peak District, a picturesque national park renowned for its natural beauty.

The university itself sits in the middle of a 630 acre estate surrounded by woods, lakes and parkland.

The estate was previously owned by the Sneyds, a family of successful drapers and merchants, before they fell on hard times. In 1939, it was requisitioned by the military for war, before passing to the newly created University College of North Staffordshire – later to become the University of Keele – in 1949.

The university’s founding ethos ‘the pursuit of truth in the company of friends’ still guides the institution, with teaching conducted in small groups and a reputation for world-leading research undertaken in a thriving campus-based community.

Recent investments amount to over £115 million in the university’s campus and infrastructure, including a £2.7 million transformation of the Student's Union and centre of campus, where a walk-through sculpture installation called the Forest of Light was installed to commemorate Keele’s 50th anniversary

The University boasts a 70 acre development site for its Science and Innovation Park with 40 companies employing over 600 people currently hosted on its existing Science and Business Park.

Keele prides itself on being one of the most environmentally aware universities in the UK, making accent on sustainability and ethical choices in its campus initiatives.

Its location is home to a wealth of biodiversity and resources that allow students and staff to engage with the sustainability agenda. They include a scheme where students can grow their own food on campus, an allotment scheme open to the public, and an arboretum with over 240 varieties of cherry trees, recently awarded National Collection status by the conservation charity, Plant Heritage.

Faculties

• Arts & humanities
• Languages, Literature & Linguistics
• History, Philosophy & Theology
• Art, Performing Arts & Design
• Biological Sciences
• Agriculture & Forestry
• Sport Science
• Computer science
• Psychology
• Social sciences
• Politics & International Studies (incl Development Studies)
• Geography
• Communication & Media Studies
• Sociology
• Education
• Business & Management
• Economics & Econometrics
• Accounting & Finance
• Clinical, pre-clinical & health
• Medicine & Dentistry
• Geology, Environmental, Earth & Marine Sciences
• Physics & Astronomy
• Chemistry
• Mathematics & Statistics
• Law
• Engineering & technology

Rankings

• 46th in the Times University Guide 2020
• 32nd in the Guardian University Guide 2020

In the National Student Survey, Keele regularly excels as one of the ten best universities in the UK, while its Student Union was rated top five in the UK for variety of activities available. The Daily Telegraph ranked Keele’s campus as the 6th most beautiful in the UK. Keele has been placed amongst the world’s top universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Accommodation

All first year students are guaranteed University accommodation if Keele was their first choice. There are four halls of residence. Barnes, Lindsay (including The Oaks and Holly Cross) and Horwood are located on the main campus, while The Hawthorns is just outside the university gates in Keele village itself.

Together, these halls provide accommodation for approximately 70 per cent of the full-time students. Both en suite and standard rooms are available in university accommodation, with catered options also possible. More than 3,000 students live on campus, and accommodation in the surrounding area is known to be well-priced.

Library

When the University was founded in 1948, the Librarian's office was located above a public house in Stoke, near the Town Hall. In 1952, the old Sneyd Library was used with 20,000 items which increased to 70,000 by 1954. By 1955, 155,000 volumes were accounted for and necessitating 12 full-time staff. Later, the Senate Room in Keele Hall was used to house the material. Construction of the new library campus began in 1961 with additional expansion completed in 1966. By the early 1970s, the library was able to accommodate 750 readers and 600,000 books.