Chichester College

(CHICHESTER COLLEGE)

History: Started life as Chichester College of Art and Technology, and changed its name again before settling on Chichester College. Merged with Brinsbury College in 2002, so it now has two separate campuses.

Address: Chichester is the location for the main campus, while the Brinsbury campus is in the heart of the idyllic South Downs.

Ambience: Both campuses are lovely in their own right. The main Chichester campus is a 27-acre green field site. It has a view of the cathedral and is five minutes' walk from the Chichester Cross that marks the centre of town. The Brinsbury campus lies in 250 hectares of beautiful West Sussex countryside that includes a farm.

Who's the boss? Shelagh Legrave is the principal.

Bursaries: None offered by the college.

Prospectus: 01243 786 321 / request a prospectus here.

what you need to know

Easy to get into? Not too difficult. The HNDs and HNCs usually need at least one A-level pass or equivalent. To study the foundation degree in business and management you need to be working in a managerial role.

Foundation Degrees: Community sports coaching and event and hospitality management are validated by the University of Chichester. Foundation degrees in creative digital media and engineering systems are validated by the university of Bath.

Vital statistics: The college is mainly geared towards further education, so out of 16,000 students, only a couple of hundred are on HE courses. There is a fully operational dairy, pig and arable farm at Brinsbury, as well as an equine centre. Students come from more than 100 countries and the college has won British Council Beacon Award for excellence in support for international students and international marketing, as well as a prestigious Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2005 for its work with international students.

Added value: College facilities include quality restaurants, hair and beauty salons, a crèche for students' children, recording studios, workshops, study centres and great sports facilities (climbing wall, gym and all-weather sports pitch). The College has six Centre of Vocational Excellence awards including Tourism and Horticulture. Also has good links with employers and local industry.

Teaching: The 2008 Ofsted inspection rated Chichester College as a good college with outstanding areas. Recent Ofsted inspection of care standards rated the college as outstanding in the care given to residential students.

Any accommodation? There are halls of residence on both campuses, with self-catering at £100 per week. Home-stays are also available.

Cheap to live there? Fairly. Rents range between £60 and £70 per week.

Transport links: The Chichester campus is five minutes' walk from the train and bus station. The college runs its own bus service to connect the Brinsbury campus to nearby Pulborough and Billingshurst.

Fees: HE fees for courses starting in 2012 are £5,000 per year.

the fun stuff

Glittering alumni: Nick Fyffe, bassist with Jamiroquai; Paul Chequer, from T4's As If.

Nightlife: Quaint.