Those still interested in attending the Open Days have been urged to book as soon as possible, as places for Friday’s event are also filling up very quickly.
The record numbers for this year’s event reflects the University’s position as one of the most highly sought after universities in the country — current applications for 2011 entry for home and EU undergraduates show an 11 per cent increase on the same time last year.
UK Recruitment and Events Manager Nathalie Thomas said: “The popularity of our Open Days has been building year on year and we are delighted by the level of interest we have seen this year. However, we are not complacent and understand that prospective students and their parents may be concerned about the new financial arrangements for 2012 and beyond.
“Visitors are attracted by our reputation for quality and innovation and this year we have organised another packed programme that will offer people the chance to get a taste of every facet of The University of Nottingham student experience, including talks on the new financial arrangements and study support available.”
The Open Days — this year tagged under the banner Welcome to Your Future — gives prospective students, their teachers and parents the chance to come along and find out what The University of Nottingham has to offer.
During the course of the two days, the University offers a whole host of activities, talks, campus tours and taster sessions to give an insight into student life at Nottingham — everything from the courses on offer to the vibrant social scene and excellent sporting opportunities.
One of the highlights of this year’s event will be talks by staff from the University’s flagship campuses in China and Malaysia who have travelled back to the UK especially to speak to prospective students about the benefits of studying at one of Nottingham’s overseas campuses.
As in previous years, visitors will be able to access a range of general presentations on University life, including accommodation, careers and employability, money matters and study support and services offered by the Chaplaincy Team.
In addition, a Support Services Fair will be giving out information on issues including childcare services, bursaries and scholarships, support for mature students, the Students’ Union and the University’s health service.
All the University’s academic departments will be throwing open their doors and many have lively and interactive activities planned to promote their discipline — current Music students will be performing a selection of pieces from their repertoire, the School of Law will be holding a taster lecture, the School of Chemistry has planned some explosive live experiments and Mathematical Sciences will be offering a casino probability demonstration and the Othello Challenge, based on the board game.
Guided 75-minute bus tours from University Park campus will allow visitors to see some of the cultural hot spots, leisure facilities, retail outlets and historic sites that make the City of Nottingham such a popular destination.
As always, the large numbers expected means that car parking on the University’s campuses will be at a premium. Visitors are urged to use public transport to travel to the Open Days and can use the free shuttle buses provided between campuses and to and from Nottingham Train Station and for Sutton Bonington Campus only, Loughborough Train Station.
Further details on The University of Nottingham Open Days can be found on the web at www.nottingham.ac.uk/opendays
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power. The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.