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Kingston University is situated in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London. Its main campus is on Penrhyn Road, close to Kingston town centre, however it has several other campuses, including ones at Kingston Hill, Knights Park and Roehampton Vale. It was established in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute and reached university status in 1992. It currently has 19,981 students, including 17,333 undergraduates.

	General Information
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	Established:	1992
	Location:	Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, UK
	Address:	Kingston University, River House, 53-57 High Street, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 1LQ
	Telephone:	+44 208 547 2000
	Website:	www.kingston.ac.uk
	SU/Guild website:	KUSU - Kingston University Student Union
	UCAS Code:	K84
	Type:	Public
	Statistics
	Total students:	19,981
	Undergrad:	17,333
	Postgrad:	2,648
	Part-time:	3,168
	International:	9%
	Mature:	36%
	Male:female	48:52
	Staff:	2,168 (excluding temporary staff)
	Typical offers:	120-320
	Applicants per place:

Facilities

Libraries

Libraries available on each campus (Penrhyn Road, Kingston Hill, Roehampton Vale and Knights Park). Each library has specific specialist collections depending on subjects taught on campus. The LRCs offer computing facilities, DVD/Video libraries, periodicals, group and quiet study areas and of course thousands of books.

IT and Computing

The uni has a wide range of IT equipment, mostly RM computers (Research Machines) which are all up-to-date offering Windows XP, and Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Suite. The libraries offer a large number of computers, plus wireless access for laptop use! As does the new Galsworthy building at Penrhyn Road campus. The university offers a very fast internet connection, which serves the campus sites and the halls sites.

Sports

There is a fitness centre at the Penrhyn Road campus which has two floors: the ground floor is for weights, aerobic hall and treatment rooms while the first floor has many cardio machines as well as some machine weights. There are two main membership levels, Gold and Silver. Silver allows entry only before 3pm. Aerobics classes are free to members. The fitness centre is open to everyone over 16, but has discount rates for the university students and staff.

Tolworth Court sports ground is the university's outdoor sports facility. It offers students grass pitches for cricket, football and rugby plus floodlit hardcourt pitches for tennis, netball and five-a-side football. Many other leisure and recreation activities are offered for students at local amenities through the Students Union.

Shops

There are student union shops at both Kingston Hill and Penryhn Road campuses. Knights Park campus also has a shop for art and design equipment on the ground floor.

Restaurants

There is a 'Foodstore' at most campuses offering a variety of sandwiches, salads, cooked meals (with Halal meats) jacket potatoes with various fillings and pasta/noodle bars.

Banks

RBS cash point inside Hannafords at the Kingston Hill Campus, Natwest cash machine at Penrhyn Road campus. Banks in Kingston town centre include, Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, Abbey, RBS, Nationwide, Halifax, NAT West

Transport

There is a uni bus service which is free of charge and runs between the main campuses and some halls of residence. Numerous local bus routes including 85/K3 to Kingston Hill. Also several train stations, Kingston, Norbiton and Surbiton which are close to campuses and halls of residence.

Welfare

Healthcare

There is a university Health centre at Penrhyn Road campus, provided by the Fairhill medical practice. The Health centre offers: Doctor's surgery, counselling and various types of complementary medicine from Indian Head Massage to acupuncture.

Careers service

The Careers Service offers advice and opportunities for current students, graduates and even local employers. The university careers service can also help finding work experience and placements while you're still studying to boost your CV. If you need to improve your finances during your studies they can also help to find part time work.

Religious facilities

There are Praying rooms provided on site, with numerous dedicated sites around the Kingston area like churches, for university students. There is also a university chaplain who runs, among other things, the University Christmas carol service. The chaplaincy website is a very useful source of information regarding religious facilities and events.

Part-time jobs

Kingston town offers plenty of opportunities for part time work through the multitude of retail outlets, plus the university runs the jobshop online notice board with literally hundreds of part-time, holiday and even graduate jobs advertised. There are part-time jobs available with the student union, ranging from working for the student newspaper to working in the union bars. Alternatively you could apply to become a Student Ambassador and work for the university at all sorts of events including HE fairs, open days and local school visits.

Social

Bars, Pubs and clubs

Hannafords at Kingston Hill, Bar Zen @ The Space and The Knight's Park Bar. In Kingston town centre: Oceana, The Works, McCluskey's Nightclub, Bar Evissah, The Kingston Mill and The Ram.

Clubs and societies

The Students' Union runs a huge selection of clubs and societies ranging from ethnic groups, cheerleading or debating through to music groups and sports clubs. The Students' Union also encourages its members to get involved in local community schemes such as volunteering, which could be great for your CV.

Student union

Hannafords (Kingston Hill Campus), Bar Zen (Penryhn Road Campus).

Prices

2007 prices - Lager/cider - £1.65-£2.00; Wine - £1.35-£1.50

Accommodation

Residences

Seething wells, Clayhill, Walkden (east/west), Chancellors, Middle Mill, Kingston Bridge House.

Private sector

Students in the second and third year may apply for accommodation through Headed Tenancy; there are also many estate agents in Kingston which offer private accommodation for students. Students are also able to access a list of properties specifically for students via the Blackboard system.

Environment

Architecture

As an ancient market town, many of the buildings in the centre of the town are very old, and several examples can be found in the town's market square. The university's buildings vary largely in architectural style, from original 1940's buildings at Kingston Hill through to ultra modern purpose built teaching facilities opened in 2007/08.

Local area

Kingston is situated only 20-25 minutes from central London. Surrounding towns include Richmond, Twickenham, Wimbledon, and Epsom. Richmond Park can be found not far from the hospital and is open to the public 7 days a week (opening times vary). You could also visit Hampton Court Palace which is around 10 minutes away.

Teaching quality

The Times newspaper describes Kingston as "one of the leading new universities" in its Good University Guide 2007, whilst back in 2005 The Sunday Times judged Kingston as offering "sustained excellence".

A 2005 external audit praised several aspects of the teaching quality at Kingston including the accessibility of academic staff, levels of support on offer and external input from industry into course content.

Applying to Kingston

Thinking of applying to Kingston University? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here?

Other Kingston Articles

Why not read these other Kingston University Articles?

• Personal Statements

Links

• Our Kingston University Discussion Forum
• Kingston University Homepage
• A-Z of Universities