Why choosing the right place is important

When thinking about university, one key consideration is the kind of place where you might like to study and live. Around 50% of students go to university in the region they grew up in. If that's the case, you may already be familiar with the area. However, if you are moving to a new region – or even a new town or city within your home region – you should get to know the place first.

Whether near to home or far away, this will be the place where you work, rest and play for the next three years. The UK has over 130 universities, so there is a huge range of options. For example, you might choose to go to university in a major city or a smaller town; somewhere where it is mostly students or with a wider cross-section of society.

To help you consider your options, here we are profiling two counties: Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. These two counties are home to three universities:

• University of Derby, based in Derby
• University of Nottingham, based in Nottingham
• Nottingham Trent University, based in Nottingham

 

Profile: Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire

Nottinghamshire not only has a rich history including the legend of Robin Hood and Goose Fair, but also a dynamic culture and nightlife, thanks in no small part to its two major UK universities. As well as this, Nottingham is great home to sport, including world-class venues for cricket, football, ice hockey and watersports.

Not to be outdone, neighbouring Derbyshire is home to the glorious Peak District National Park, bringing visitors from across the world to the county throughout the year. Both counties offer a great mix of beautiful rural landscapes for a slower pace, with bustling nightlife and an abundance of places to eat, drink and shop.

 

Population

The city of Nottingham is home to University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University and has...

• A population of 289,000, making it the UK's 14th largest settlement
• A lower than average age(8 yrs vs av. of 42.5)
• More ethnic diversity than average(35% non-White British vs av. of 20%)
• 4% of the local population are students, placing it in the top third nationally
• 22% of the local population are graduates, placing it in the bottom third nationally

The city of Derby is home to the University of Derby and has...

• A population of 255,000, making it the UK's 20th largest settlement
• A slightly lower than average age(7 yrs vs av. of 42.5)
• More ethnic diversity than average(25% non-White British vs av. of 20%)
• 5% of the local population are students, placing it in the top half nationally
• 24% of the local population are graduates, placing it in the bottom half nationally

 

Culture and heritage

The city of Nottingham is ranked 155 (out of 326) places for heritage by the RSA. It has...

• 791 listed buildings, placing it in the top half nationally
• 8 museums, placing it in the bottom third nationally
• 48 blue plaques, placing it in the top half nationally

The city of Derby is ranked 222 (out of 326) places for heritage by the RSA. It has...

• 380 listed buildings, placing it in the bottom half nationally
• 5 museums, placing it in the bottom third nationally
• 7 blue plaques, placing it in the bottom third nationally

 

Environment

The city of Nottingham has...

• 1 sq km area of natural beauty, placing it in the bottom third nationally
• A recycling rate of 30%, placing it in the bottom half nationally
• A population density of 41 person per hectare, well below the national av. of 3.7

The city of Derby has...

• A recycling rate of 36%, placing it in the bottom half nationally
• A population density of 32 person per hectare, well above the national av. of 3.7

However, don't forget that all of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire is very close to beautiful countryside and national parks. Once you get outside the cities, the scenery changes quickly!

 

Transport links

The two main cities across the counties, Derby and Nottingham, have excellent transport links, both with each other and other major cities across the country. There is a direct train linking the two cities in just under 30 minutes.

  

The following table shows the average train times to five major cities:

	London	Birmingham	Leeds	Manchester	Sheffield
Nottingham Train station	1 hr 45 mins	1hr 15 mins	2hrs	2hrs	1hr
Derby Train Station	1hr 25mins	45mins	1hr 15mins	1hr 45mins	30mins

 

We have build a unique data set that has been collated from public sources. Click here to find out more about the data used.