Keele University is a campus university located in the UK county of North Staffordshire.
Keele is ideally situated in the heart of the UK, right by the bustling university town of Newcastle-under-Lyme and under one hour from both Manchester and Birmingham. It is close to the Peak District, a picturesque national park renowned for its natural beauty.
Everything is on your doorstep at Keele. The university itself sits in the middle of a 630 acre estate surrounded by woods, lakes and parkland, and student accommodation, teaching buildings, restaurants and cafés, a sports centre, and medical centre are all within easy reach.
Founded in 1949 by A.D. Lindsay, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Keele was the first new university of the 20th Century and remains true to its original mission today.
The university’s founding ethos ‘the pursuit of truth in the company of friends’ still guides the institution, with teaching conducted in small groups and a reputation for world-leading research undertaken in a thriving campus-based community.
Recent developments on Keele's campus include a £45m investment in its science facilities, including the David Attenborough Laboratories in the School of Life Sciences, and the new £34m Central Science Laboratories in the heart of campus, providing students with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.
Keele's new multi-million pound Smart Innovation Hub, home to Keele Business School and a host of local companies, also represents a significant investment in the campus and the wider region. The University also boasts a 70 acre development site for its Science and Innovation Park with 50 companies employing over 600 people currently hosted on its existing Science and Business Park.
Keele prides itself on being one of the most environmentally aware universities in the UK, emphasising sustainability and ethical choices in all its campus initiatives. It was one of the first universities to declare a climate emergency and has set ambitious plans to become Carbon Neutral by 2030. They have invested over £1.2m in carbon reduction over the past six years, with the campus serving as a “living laboratory” for ground-breaking sustainability and green technology research.
Its location is home to a wealth of biodiversity and resources that allow students and staff to engage with the sustainability agenda. They include a scheme where students can grow their own food on campus, an allotment scheme open to the public, and an arboretum with over 240 varieties of cherry trees which have been awarded National Collection status by the conservation charity, Plant Heritage.
