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About the University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university in Coventry, England. It was founded in 1965 as part of a government initiative to expand access to higher education. Warwick Business School was established in 1967 and Warwick Medical School was opened in 2000. Warwick merged with Coventry College of Education in 1979 and Horticulture Research International in 2004.
Warwick is primarily based on a 290 hectare campus on the outskirts of Coventry with a satellite campus in Wellesbourne and a London base at the Shard in central London. It is organised into four faculties—Arts, Medicine, Science and Social Sciences—within which there are 32 departments. Warwick has around 23,600 full-time students and 1,800 academic and research staff and had a total income of £512.8 million in 2014/15, of which £100.8 million was from research grants and contracts. Warwick Arts Centre, a multi-venue arts complex in the university's main campus, is the largest venue of its kind in the UK outside London.
Warwick consistently ranks in the top ten of all major domestic rankings of British universities and is the only multi-faculty institution aside from Oxford and Cambridge to have never been ranked outside the top ten. It was ranked 7th in the UK amongst multi-faculty institutions for the quality (GPA) of its research and 15th for its Research Power in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Entrance is competitive, with around 7.17 applicants per place for undergraduate study. Warwick has been ranked as the world's 20th best university based on employer reputation.
Warwick is a member of AACSB, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Association of MBAs, EQUIS, the European University Association, the M5 Group, the Russell Group and Universities UK. It is the only European member of the Center for Urban Science and Progress, a collaboration with New York University. The university has extensive commercial activities, including the University of Warwick Science Park and Warwick Manufacturing Group.
History of the University of Warwick
Twentieth century
The idea for a university in Warwickshire was first mooted shortly after the Second World War, although it was not founded for a further two decades. A partnership of the city and county councils ultimately provided the impetus for the university to be established on a 400-acre (1.6 km2) site jointly granted by the two authorities. There was some discussion between local sponsors from both the city and county over whether it should be named after Coventry or Warwickshire. The name "University of Warwick" was adopted, even though the County Town of Warwick itself lies some 8 miles (13 km) to its southwest and Coventry's city centre is only 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northeast of the campus.The establishment of the University of Warwick was given approval by the government in 1961 and received itsRoyal Charter of Incorporation in 1965. Since then, the university has incorporated the former Coventry College of Education in 1979 and has extended its land holdings by the continuing purchase of adjoining farm land. The university also benefited from a substantial donation from the family of Jack Martin, which enabled the construction of the Warwick Arts Centre.
The university initially admitted a small intake of graduate students in 1964 and took its first 450 undergraduates in October 1965. Since its establishment Warwick has expanded its grounds to 721 acres (2.9 km2) with many modern buildings and academic facilities, lakes, and woodlands. In the 1960s and 1970s, Warwick had a reputation as a politically radical institution. More recently, the university was seen as a favoured institution of the Labour government which was in power from 1997 to 2010. It was academic partner for a number of flagship Government schemes including the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth and the NHS University (now defunct). Tony Blair described Warwick as "a beacon among British universities for its dynamism, quality and entrepreneurial zeal".
Under Vice-Chancellor, Lord Butterworth, Warwick was one of the first UK universities to adopt a business approach to higher education, develop close links with the business community and exploit the commercial value of its research. In a 2012 study by Virgin Media Business, Warwick was described as the most "digitally-savvy" UK university.
The Leicester Warwick Medical School, a new medical school based jointly at Warwick and Leicester University, opened in September 2000.
On the recommendation of Tony Blair, Bill Clinton chose Warwick as the venue for his last major foreign policy address as US President in December 2000. Sandy Berger, Clinton’s National Security Advisor, explaining the decision in his Press Briefing on 7 December 2000, said that: "Warwick is one of Britain's newest and finest research universities, singled out by Prime Minister Blair as a model both of academic excellence and independence from the government."
Twenty-first century
In February 2001, IBM donated a new S/390 computer and software worth £2 million to Warwick, to form part of a "Grid" enabling users to remotely share computing power. In April 2004 Warwick merged with the Wellesbourne and Kirton sites of Horticulture Research International. In July 2004 Warwick was the location for an important agreement between the Labour Party and the Trade Unions on Labour policy and trade union law, which has subsequently become known as the "Warwick Agreement".
In June 2006 the new University Hospital Coventry opened, including a 102,000 sq ft university clinical sciences building. Warwick Medical School was granted independent degree-awarding status in 2007, and the School's partnership with the University of Leicester was dissolved in the same year. In February 2010, Lord Bhattacharyya, director and founder of the WMG unit at Warwick, made a £1 million donation to the university to support science grants and awards.
In February 2012 Warwick and Melbourne-based Monash University announced the formation of a strategic partnership, including the creation of 10 joint senior academic posts, new dual master's and joint doctoral degrees, and co-ordination of research programmes. In March 2012 Warwick and Queen Mary, University of London announced the creation of a strategic partnership, including research collaboration, joint teaching of English, history and computer science undergraduates, and the creation of eight joint post-doctoral research fellowships.
In April 2012 it was announced that Warwick would be the only European university participating in the Center for Urban Science and Progress, an applied science research institute to be based in New York consisting of an international consortium of universities and technology companies led by New York University and NYU-Poly. In August 2012, Warwick and five other Midlands-based research-intensive universities— Aston University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Leicester, Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham—formed the M5 Group, a regional bloc intended to maximise the member institutions' research income and enable closer collaboration.
In September 2013 it was announced that a new National Automotive Innovation Centre would be built by WMG at Warwick's main campus at a cost of £100 million, with £50 million to be contributed by Jaguar Land Rover and £30 million by Tata Motors.
In July 2014, the government announced that Warwick would be the host for the £1 billion Advanced Propulsion Centre, a joint venture between the Automotive Council and industry. The ten-year programme intends to position the university and the UK as leaders in the field of research into the next generation of automotive technology.
Warwick was at the centre of controversy in 2014 after police intervention following a free education protest. Protesters criticised the Police, the University security and the University administration, after students were threatened with a taser; CS gas was used on one protester and others were allegedly grabbed by the neck. The University supported the police action, claiming that a member of staff had been assaulted. The three protesters were arrested during the event, one for assault and the others for obstruction; they were then later charged in 2015. Protesters responded by occupying a number of buildings on campus and creating a list of demands for management.
Accreditation
Institutional Accreditation or Recognition - Privy Council
Year of first Accreditation - 1965
Rankings
UK rankings:
- 7th - The Times and The Sunday Times, September 2016
- 9th - The Guardian, May 2016
- 8th - The Complete University Guide, April 2016
Global rankings:
- 51st in the world - QS World University Rankings, September 2016
- 45th most international university in the world - Times Higher Education most international universities 2016
- 80th in the world - Times Higher Education World Rankings, September 2015
- 92nd in the world - Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities, August 2015
- 9th young university globally - Times Higher Education 100 under 50 rankings, April 2015
- 3rd fastest-rising young university in the world - Times Higher Education, March 2015
- Warwick is one of the top ten most targeted universities by the top graduate employers according to the High Fliers Report 2014
- The results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) reiterate Warwick’s position as one of the UK’s leading research universities, with Warwick ranked at 7th overall in the UK (based on multi-faculty institutions).
- 87% of Warwick's research is 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' (Quality level of either 3* or 4*)
Student life at the University of Warwick
Undergraduate student life at Warwick can be broadly divided into two phases. In the first year, student life revolves around campus and, in particular, the Students' Union (with its sports clubs, societies, and entertainment facilities). In subsequent years students typically live off-campus, in Leamington Spa, or in either the Coventry suburbs of Earlsdon andCanley or Kenilworth.
Students' Union
The University of Warwick Students' Union is one of the largest students' unions in the UK, and currently has over 260 societies and 76 sports clubs including basketball, rowing and ice hockey. There are new societies every year, including Jailbreak and more recently the HOMMOUS Society. The Union has an annual turnover of approximately £6 million, the profit from which is used to provide services to students and to employ its staff and sabbatical officers. The Union is divided into two buildings—SUHQ (mainly societies and administration and Restaurant Xananas) and The Union Building (entertainment facilities). The Union Building contains a 3-room club venue known as "The Copper Rooms", CAMRA-accredited "The Dirty Duck" pub, a popular bar called "The Terrace Bar", Curiositea- a tea shop famous for its hot chocolates, cakes and vintage atmosphere and The Bread Oven, a design-your-own sandwich shop. The original Union South building underwent an £11 million refurbishment in Spring 2008, which was completed in January 2010, and alongside its various outlets provides a pool room and various society spaces. The Students Union is also home to Refresh Catering, a bespoke catering provision for Warwick Campus and its surrounding areas.
The Students Union provides popular events in most of its outlets including POP!, Skool Dayz, pub quizzes and karaoke nights (the latter two held in The Dirty Duck) and film nights in Curiositea. The ents team also provide the Christmas party- which often incorporates reindeer and an ice rink, and the Summer Party. The Summer Party is an outdoor mini-festival that showcases both up-and-coming and popular acts alongside funfare rides, games and bars.
The Union has a tradition of hosting up-and-coming bands; recently it has seen bands such as Ash, Sugababes, Amerie, The Kooks, Reel Big Fish, The Departure, The Subways,Idlewild, The Rory McKenna Variety Show, Hell is for Heroes, The Automatic, The Dave Wright Experience, Boy Kill Boy, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, The Streets, Feeder, andScouting for Girls.
The Union is a member of the National Union of Students (NUS) and National Postgraduate Committee (NPC).
Student events
Warwick hosts many major student-run events including TEDxWarwick, Warwick Economics Summit, People & Planet's Go Green Week, Warwick Energy Conference, Warwick Technology Conference, Warwick Afrofest, Warwick Climate Forum, Warwick International Aid Forum, Warwick China Summit, Warwick Higher Education Summit, Beyond the Bottom Line: Warwick Emerge Conference, Warwick International Development Summit, Warwick Model United Nations, RAG Week, Warwick Student Arts Festival and the PPE Society Speaker Series. From 2014-16 Warwick hosted the world's only inter-University brass band contest, UniBrass.
The Warwick Economics Summit is a student-run international forum which attracts students from universities in 14 different countries, including Harvard, Princeton, Columbia,MIT, the LSE, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford. Past speakers have included eminent economists and three Nobel Laureates, including John Nash,George Akerlof, Eric Maskin, Alistair Darling, Vince Cable, and Steven Landsburg.
Warwick is also home to the student-run Real Ale Festival, which takes place annually in the eighth week of second academic term. The festival is organised and staffed by the Warwick University Real Ale Society. A charity skydiving weekend, The Great Warwick Jump, was set up by the Skydiving Club in 2008 and is now the largest charity event at the University, raising £20,274.00 for charities worldwide in its first year. The second year saw a new British record for the most tandem jumps in 24 hours with 137 and a total of £57,374 raised for various charities.
Student media
Student media at Warwick includes:
- Radio Warwick (RaW) – student radio station
- The Boar – award-winning newspaper distributed free across campus every second Wednesday
- The Warwick Globalist - international affairs magazine, part of the dynamic and well-established Global21 network, distributed termly across campus
- Warwick Student Cinema – shows films on two 35 mm projectors, a 70 mm projector, and a 2K Digital Cinema projector
- Warwick TV (WTV) - the student television station. Has won multiple National Student Television Awards, and was named Best Society at the University in 2013.
- Perspectives - a termly publication of Warwick Politics Society featuring comment and analysis about politics and international affairs.
- Obiter Dicta - a biannual publication of Warwick Law Society, including content focused on different areas of law.
- "Warwick Emerging Markets Magazine" - a termly publication of the society containing articles related to the developing countries
- "The Engineer" - the Warwick Engineering Society magazine
- The Hoar - satire and free speech online publishing platform
University Challenge
A team from Warwick won BBC television's University Challenge competition for the first time in 2007, beating the title-holders University of Manchester in the final.
Student housing
The Warwick campus currently has around 6,300 student bedrooms across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate residences. All of the residences are self-catered, and each has residential tutors and a warden. Warwick guarantees accommodation for all first-year undergraduate students, regardless of their present address. Many of the university's postgraduate population are also catered for, with some specific residences available for postgraduate living. Each residence accommodates a mixture of students both domestic and foreign, male and female, and, sometimes, undergraduate and postgraduate.
In their second and third years, many students live in one of the surrounding towns: either Coventry, Kenilworth or Leamington Spa, where they can live in university-managed accommodation or independently owned residences. The most popular area of residence is the regency town of Leamington Spa, which was included in the Sunday Times' 'Best Places to Live' list.
Since 2011, Warwick has constructed two new halls of residences for the students. Bluebell, opened in 2011, offers accommodation in flats of 8 people, with a total of 505 single rooms for first-year undergraduates. The most recent construction is Sherbourne, which similarly provides 527 ensuite rooms to first-years.
What if you chose Warwick?
You would become a valuable part of an energetic community where the starting point is always ‘anything is possible’.
Topping the tables
If you’re looking for a University that’s consistently tops UK league tables, was voted University of the Year 2015 by the Times and Sunday Times newspapers, and is the third most targeted university nationally by the UK’s top 100 graduate employers, Warwick is for you.
Expanding your mind and horizons
You’ll join a community where your knowledge, values and aspirations are built into our teaching and learning approach. We’ll work as partners and co-creators to ensure your education is the very best.
Be inspired by fellow students
Our student community is ambitious, passionate about learning, proactive and takes advantage of the many opportunities available to them, academically and socially. With nearly 300 student societies and clubs, you have countless opportunities to meet people, learn valuable skills and try new things.
The friends you make, the new experiences you enjoy, the memories you create. All these things add up to your unique Warwick journey.
Do things differently
You don’t go to university intending to leave unchanged at the end of your studies. You want your thinking to be transformed. You want to see the world from new perspectives. Our committed teaching staff will help you to make this happen.
Expand your mind and your horizons
What if you studied abroad? Whatever course you choose, you can take your learning further afield with our department's study abroad options.
Prepare yourself for the future
Choosing Warwick opens up endless possibilities for you to fulfil your potential and you’ll be highly employable when you graduate. We are ranked 19th in the world for our reputation with employers (QS World University Rankings 2014/15), who describe Warwick graduates as well motivated with a broad range of interests outside their academic studies.
As the third most targeted university nationally by the UK’s top 100 graduate employers, you’ll have access to some of the biggest graduate employers to get you started on your career path.
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