Keele University

Not far from Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme, the ‘Potteries’ village of Keele is one of the smallest settlements in the UK to have a university all of its own. It’s a small, busy but friendly university, with 70% of students living on the modern, geometric campus ... more detail As you’d expect from such a small place, the atmosphere is cosy and communal – something that is relished or resented depending on taste, but the bustling campus could never be called ‘humdrum’. Keele’s reputation rests on its flexibility of study, which many other institutions have since stolen – sorry, emulated. 90% of students do joint honours degrees, so arts students find themselves dabbling in science and vice versa ... more on academic Furthermore, almost every student has the chance to spend a semester at a sister institution abroad. Given the dearth of nightlife in the surrounding area, entertainment falls squarely on the shoulders of the (intensely political) Students’ Union, which keeps its eight bars busy and its massive building bustling ... more on the SU The University’s five halls of residence are all on campus, all self-catered and all have bars ... more on housing