Aston University

Aston University is a well-known prominent public research university located in the city center of Birmingham, England. The University has been nominated as the University of Year by the Times Higher Education Awards, September 2021. In 2020, the University was recognized as an outstanding entrepreneurial university by the Times Higher Education Awards. The University offers different apprenticeships, postgraduate, executive programs, and undergraduate courses across different disciplines.

Aston University has received a silver award for making an impact on gender equality by Athena SWAN. The University is considered as the best for employability scope after graduation, as awarded by the National Undergraduate Employability Awards in 2020. The university has been ranked 21st in the United Kingdom in terms of the percentage of graduates employed in professional jobs.

The university was set up in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, which later in 1956 came to be known as the United Kingdom’s foremost university of advanced technology. John Sunderland is the Chancellor of the University; he began his term in May 2011. The different faculties and schools of the University include the schools of psychology, the business school, the school of social sciences and humanities, biosciences, the medical school, the school of engineering and technology, digital engineering and informatics, law school, infrastructure, and suitable engineering and pharmacy school among others.

• The University is based in Birmingham, which is one of the United Kingdom's fastest-growing cities containing hundreds of small independent enterprises.
• The University offers its students the Language for All scheme, through which the first-year undergraduate students can learn a language for free alongside their degree.
• The University offers its students the opportunity to learn while working on apprenticeships degree programs, where the government and the employer pay the fees for the degree and the students learn while studying.
• The University supports an enterprise network where the students can choose an enterprising placement year through which they can start their own business using the BSEEN support of the University.
• The University has been ranked among the top 200 universities across the world for providing employability to graduates.
• The University supports diversity, equality, and inclusion, and aims to create an environment where every student can work to their full potential.

Career Services 

Professionals at Aston University assist the students throughout their degree duration as well as the first three years after they complete their graduation. The award-winning team of the University helps students write their CVs, job applications, and cover letters. The students are provided one on one support to all students. The University also organizes different events and group sessions on topics related to employability. The university has a team of career consultants and placement coordinators to help students build a network with employers, practice their interview skills, provide a service to check student CVs, help students find a part-time job during their study or a full-time job after graduation. The University provides online resources to help students practice their employability skills. Students receive important work experience throughout their placement year at Aston University. The placement team at Aston University organizes over 200+ employer visits to the University campus each year.

Success Rate 

According to the Times University Guide, the employability rating of Aston University stands at 80%.

Notable Alumni 

Some of the notable alumni’s of Aston university include:

• John Rickard (Former economic advisor of the British Government)
• Veronica German (Scientist, Wales national assembly member)
• Paul Drayson and Baron Drayson (Vaccine manufacturer)
• Laura Jones (BBC Journalist)
• Ivan Noble (BBC Journalist)
• Viswas Raghavan (CEO of J.P Morgan, EMEA)
• Keith and Baron Bradley (Labour party politicians)
• Malcolm Harbour (British Politician)

Student Services

The University offers multiple services to students, including counselling and mental wellbeing, digital services, chaplaincy, visa compliance, and various services for students with disabilities.

Library

The library at Aston University provides access to digital and physical resources as well as individual learning and research support. Undergraduate students can borrow 20 books whereas post-graduate students can borrow up to 25 books. Also, the post-graduate student's research students can borrow up to 35 books. The University also provides students with the option to access the libraries of other Universities that fall under the SCONUL Access scheme. Here certain conditions apply.

Accommodation

The University provides room in Aston student village for all new undergraduate students in partnership with Unite students. The Aston student’s union help students to arrange for off-campus accommodation as required.

Sports facilities and clubs

All University students are offered a sports and recreation centre where they can enrol themselves for gym and swimming membership at a pre-determined price. Apart from the membership, the campus runs a racket and team sports club for its students. For encouraging fitness among students, the campus offers yoga classes.

Medical services

The University ensures the safety and the wellbeing of the students on the campus through its safety team. The University offers different clinical services such as audiology, eye clinic, MRI clinic, Dyslexia clinic and Neurophysiology clinic.

Aston safe zone app 

This application is designed specifically for the students of Aston University where the students can send alerts to the security team if they feel unsafe.