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Keele University
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Keele University is a research-intensive campus university located near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain. The University occupies a 617 acre (2.5 km²) rural campus close to the village of Keele and houses a Science Park and a conference centre. Keele is the UK’s largest integrated campus university and occupies a 617 acre estate. Its central feature, 19th century Keele Hall, has Grade II registration with English Heritage. Our central location within the UK means that we are easily accessible from anywhere in the country. With our Science Park, conference facilities and academic activities, we make a major contribution to our local Staffordshire economy. With a turnover in excess of £114million, and a total staff of some 1,600, the University contributes £196 million to the regional economy. The University's School of Medicine and School of Nursing and Midwifery operate clinical courses from a separate campus at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent.
Social
Bars, Pubs and Clubs
Each Halls of Residence has its own bar apart from Holly Cross and The Oaks. Barnes has the Pig and Rat, Lindsay has Lindsay Bar, Hawthorns has Templar, Horwood Hall has the Horwood Bar (famous for it's alcoholic milkshakes) and in the Students’ Union there are various bars hidden away in the corners.
Horwood Bar is known to host many socials each week. Most known to the University are the KRAP socials (Keele Rock Appreciation Posse) which are held on Tuesday nights. This consists of live DJ slots from 8pm-1/2am. The DJs are members of the University and they change every week due to demand etc. All the pubs cycle through a routine of events. E.g. The Pig and Rats 'Pound a pint' nights on Thursday.
Events
Most events happen at the Students’ Union, these mostly include regular club nights called Manic Mondays (bit of everything music wise with cheap drinks), Retro Rooms (70s/80s Disco and Cheese in the Ballroom with rock and indie in K2) and Get Funked on Fridays (Modern Dance and Chart with either techno or RnB in K2). Often with special events come special guests for instance Labrinth at the Keele Winterfest 2011 and Ed Sheeran doing a one off gig in October 2011, but we have had some huge names.
The University also gets quite a lot of external gig for the size of the university. Recently, Keele has had CSS, The Twang, Chicane, The Enemy, The Darkness, The Pigeon Detectives, Funeral for a Friend, Reel Big Fish and so many more! If you like live music and are into indie music, this is the place for you!
Other notable events of the year include the AU Christmas Ball, which is a formal event where sports teams dress up in their favourite tuxedo and get very drunk! Other events such as the Xmas party, Summer Party and Graduation Ball all held down the Students’ Union. The Summer Party in particular always draws in huge crowds and is an amazing end to the year!
Keele is never quiet when it comes to nights out or events going on at Keele or in the surrounding area. Although it is in the middle of nowhere, it gets some of the best bands in Staffordshire.
www.kusu.net Keele Student Union Website - for information about the Union and forthcoming events.
Clubs and societies
The University has lots of clubs and societies which you can join, some with a small joining fee. They usually have a place in the Freshers Fair and advertise across the University. More information can be found at http://www.kusu.net/societies it’s a great way to meet new friends and find those with similar interests.
Accommodation
There is a variety of bedroom types on campus in our 5 halls of residence, from traditional student blocks to en-suite rooms. Living on campus is a key part of the Keele student experience. Everything is close at hand and you will be surrounded with others in the same position – new to Keele and living away from home.
Keele Campus is a fantastic place to live with a choice of accommodation, acres of gardens and woodland and just about everything you need is right here on campus. Our bedrooms are comfortable, convenient and competitively priced. If you accept an offer of accommodation you are responsible for the condition and care of the room. Responsibility for the careful use of communal areas is shared by all residents in the block
Accommodation policy
The accommodation is currently under review.
Residences
There are five halls of residence on the Keele campus; Barnes, Hawthorns, Horwood, Lindsay, Holly Cross and The Oaks.
Barnes Barnes is located close to the main campus entrance. It has flats, en-suite rooms and single study bedrooms. There is a laundrette on site and a halls bar called the Pig and Rat.
Lindsay Lindsay is located to west of the campus with views across the countryside. It is made up of single study bedrooms and en-suite rooms. The Lindsay bar doubles up as a cafe and has a shop too and also has a laundrette on site.
Horwood Horwood is located quite close to the Library and also houses the Health Centre. It is made up of single study bedrooms. There is a laundrette, a student bar and also a postgraduate bar (The KPA). There are 29 blocks in total, ranging through out the alphabet. There are also the blocks known as the Z sheds.
Hawthorns Hawthorns is the furthest of the halls from the main campus. It’s located in Keele village and is made up of flats and single study bedrooms. There is a laundrette, large general block, shop, restaurant and student pub.
It can take approximately take 20-25 minutes to walk onto campus, depending on how fast you walk.
Holly Cross and The Oaks These two blocks are located close to Lindsay, all rooms are en-suite. En-suite consists of toilet, shower and washbasin.
They are the most expensive out of the Halls of residence.
Holly Cross is also known as Holly Posh - given its nice atmosphere and being generally the best presented halls of residences on campus.
It is about a 10 minute walk to the Students' Union.
Types of Room
There are five types of accommodation on campus:
Standard rooms – shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and numbers sharing these are variable. Cost of room is £69* per week.
Standard rooms plus washbasin – shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and number sharing are variable. Cost of room is £79* per week.
En-Suite rooms – shared kitchen facilities, generally between 4-6 students. Cost of room is £108* per week.
Premier En-Suite rooms - shared kitchen facilities between 8 students. Cost of room is £115* per week.
Flats - Usually only allocated to groups of four students. These have four bedrooms and a shared kitchen, dining/sitting area and bathroom. Cost of room is £79* per week.
- Prices are 2011/12
Facilities
All students get shared kitchen facilities, including cooking facilities; the number of students sharing each kitchen will vary.
Telephones - Almost all student rooms are fitted with telephones. There is no connection or rental charge. Calls to campus phone numbers are free whilst external calls cost less than the standard BT payphone charges. There are also public telephones in each Hall of Residence.
HallsNet. Almost all student rooms in Halls of Residence have network sockets that give you broadband internet access via the University’s wired network from your own PC, without having to pay a line rental and cost of an Internet service provider.
Cars on campus
Parking is only available to all students resident off campus. Students residing on campus are not permitted to bring a car onto the campus unless they are disabled, either permanently or temporarily, or are studying certain specified courses which require attendance on placements off campus. Students with temporary mobility issues must make application for dispensation by application to the Centre for Learning and Student Support. You must have valid driving documents before applying to bring a vehicle onto campus.
The only exception would be a student who, through disability, needed a car to maintain mobility. All vehicles must be registered with the University Security Department and are issued against an annual fee, currently £50 for the year.
Private sector
Student Accommodation Services maintain a register of private flats, houses and lodgings available in the local area. More information can be found at http://www.keele.ac.uk/livingoffcampus/.
The IAU (in the Students' Union) also provides a Housing Pack and information sessions about moving off campus. Each year the IAU surveys students living off campus and makes the information available to students considering taking up privately rented accommodation. Rents in the local area are amongst the cheapest in the country. They vary depending on the facilities available, but typical costs for 2010/2011 are £55-£65 per week with utility bills on top.
There are plenty of places to live in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and many students live in Stoke-upon-Trent or Shelton which is around 6 miles away.
College Court is a private hall of residence and is located in Shelton and houses some Keele students. http://www.libertyliving.co.uk/student-accommodation/stoke-on-trent/liberty-court/residence-information
Students' Union
The Students’ Union is open every day with a variety of things going on. From student nights to pub quizzes to karaoke. We have the Ballroom with Disco and Cheese music, K2 with a mix of rock and indie and Modern Dance and Chart. The Scruffy Squirrel and Blue Print are the bars in the Union.
Most events happen at the Students’ Union, these mostly include regular club nights called Manic Mondays (bit of everything music wise with cheap drinks), Retro Rooms (70s/80s Disco and Cheese in the Ballroom with rock and indie in K2) and Get Funked on Fridays (Modern Dance and Chart with either techno or RnB in K2).
Prices
Prices for the Students’ Union vary on the night and are always changing. However in general the cost of admission is between £3-4.50 depending on the night rising to about £12-£15 for bands/special events.
Architecture
The buildings at Keele University are a motley old bunch. Ranging from the impressive new med-labs facilities to the rather cute little parcel office behind the Chancellor's building. At present there is a fair amount of construction going on at Keele on new buildings. The Halls of Residences vary quite widely from each other. From the neatly arranged Holly Cross buildings to the widely strewn and mismatched Horwood and Hawthorns blocks. Nineteenth-century Keele Hall is grade 2 listed, as is the Chapel.
Local area
Keele University is situated close to the small town of Newcastle-under-Lyme and also the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Both of these can be easily reached via excellent bus links, which students can take advantage of at a reduced fare.
The campus itself boasts excellent facilities for students, but for those wishing to explore the local area a little more, there is plenty to do.
Newcastle is approximately 10-15 minutes away from Keele by bus, and offers a modern cinema complex, diverse restaurants, cafes, a museum, parks and a theatre (The New Vic- the Theatre in the round!) There are also plenty of bars and clubs, which are particularly popular amongst Keele students due to the location.
The main shopping centre in the area (The Potteries Shopping Centre) is situated in Hanley. A bus runs from Keele to Hanley via Newcastle and Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station, approximately every ten minutes. The shopping centre features the usual mix of clothes shops, sports shops, card shops, stationary shops etc, and is also home to PRIMARK for those on a bit of a budget! Hanley is much larger than Newcastle and therefore is much preferred for shopping etc.
For those wishing to travel a little further afield, areas such as Chester, Macclesfield and Stafford are fairly close to look around.
Perhaps one of the nicest things about Keele is its semi-rural location. Situated in the county of Staffordshire, there are plenty of green areas and you are never more than a few miles away from the countryside. Due to the relatively small size of nearby towns and cities, Keele can seem to be quite quiet and peaceful, but by no means isolated due to excellent transport links and a central location. Cities such as Birmingham and Manchester are only a short train ride away.
Teaching quality
The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) last conducted an institution-wide audit of Keele's teaching between 10 and 14 May 2004. The Agency reported "broad confidence" in the management of the University's teaching quality.
The QAA discontinued the "graded profile" method of individual subject review in 2001,[40] At that time, the highest-graded areas of teaching at Keele were: American studies, education, philosophy, politics and international relations (scoring 24 out of a possible 24); economics and psychology (scoring 23); maths and statistics, physics and astrophysics, organismal biosciences, sociology (scoring 22); and management, nursing and midwifery, biochemistry and biomedical sciences (scoring 21)
Applying to Keele
Thinking of applying to Keele University? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?
Other Keele Articles
Why not read these other Keele University Articles?
