Eluceo - Which university should I choose?

Find a University

Factors to consider when choosing your university

Cost
Grades
Location
Reputation
city-campus
course syllabus - way you are taught

Choosing your course

Graduate prospects
Enjoyment
Ability

queensuniversitybelfast

The Queen's University of Belfast. Photograph: William Murphy via flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

University Selection

Selecting a University

To an outsider, the number of universities in the UK is terrifying, and it is hard to know which one is good for what you want to achieve. Many of the institutions are vastly different so it is also hard to make meaningful comparisons. Different types of universities have their own strengths, so the trick is to find an institution suitable for you. I suggest that you firstly think about what you want from your experience and from your education in terms of future plans, style of learning, or environment. Some of the things you choose to consider may include:

Academic

Academic reputation of the university as a whole
Academic reputation of your course at that university
The quality of the research undertaken at the university
Facilities available, such as labs and 24 hour libraries
The grades you hope to achieve at school; determining where you can apply
The opportunities for field work/internships/study abroad
How you would like to be taught and assessed
The specifics of your course; are you being taught the areas you are interested in and are useful to you - you may have a subject you would like to study, but what about the course, how the university delivers your chosen subject, what skills it concentrates on

Social

Support available for international students
Number of other international students
The social and cultural societies available to you, and sports societies
The availability of your place of worship
The entertainment and sports facilities available, is there something particular you want to concentrate on outside your course, such as photography, theatre, journalism etc. Christopher Nolan chose to go to University College London purely because of its film-making facilities

Practical

Accommodation available, and the costs
The size of the university; whether you like to be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond
Whether the university is a campus, or built within a city, whether you would like to be among fellow students, or a student part of a city population
Whether you would like a modern university, or an older setting
The size of the nearest town and its amenities
The distance to an airport to take you home

In Summary

The practical and social aspects of university life can be understood in the specific university prospectuses, however the university in general and reputation can be hard to decipher. Hence I propose four ways in which you can choose your university:

To help you decide between universities, we have also provided a set of University Guides..

Research Quality

The UK uses the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) to assess the quality of research in the UK’s higher education institutions. This assessment is undertaken every five years, the last one published in December 2008, and evaluates each subject individually. Universities often cite these figures in their prospectuses, as a reason to study in their institution and particularly that course.

4* = world-leading

3* = internationally excellent

2* = recognised internationally

1* = recognised nationally

unclassified = below the standard of recognised work

Therefore, a university might state that the subject had 27% of its research activity in a particular subject rated as world-class (4*) or internationally excellent (3*) in the most recent RAE.

Another factor to consider in assessing the research quality of a university is the amount of money it receives in research grants; an institution of superior research quality will receive more money. If you want to continue studying beyond an undergraduate level, especially in a research position, it will therefore be useful to consider one of these institutions. However, the table will be biased towards larger institutions, such as Leeds and Manchester; they obtain more money as they have more staff and more experiments in general. It also is biased towards universities that only do science research, such as Imperial College London. Below is a table displaying the top twenty universities in terms of research grants and contracts.

1.	University of Oxford	11.	University of Birmingham
2.	Imperial College London	12.	University of Nottingham
3.	University College London	13.	University of Bristol
4.	University of Cambridge	14.	University of Sheffield
5.	University of Manchester	15.	University of Southampton
6.	University of Edinburgh	16.	Cardiff University
7.	King's College London	17.	Newcastle University
8.	University of Glasgow	18.	University of Warwick
9.	Universtiy of Leeds	19.	Queen Mary, University of London
11.	University of Liverpool	20.	Queen's University Belfast

University Setting

Universities in the UK have developed out of a number of different factors and criteria which can make it hard for students to choose appropriately. However, as much as this variety also means that there is an institution to suit your needs.

History

History of Universities

There were originally six universities within the British Isles, but by the time of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, further institutions were built to supplement the education of the general population. These institutions focused on "real-world" skills for men, embracing science, technology and engineering, without reference to religion or background. Built in the heart of industrial cities, the education benefited the individuals, the activities of the city, and the British Empire at large.

The 1963 Robbins Report (the report of the Committee on Higher Education), altered this model by advancing the idea that universities should be available to all who qualified through ability and attainment, and institutions shouldn't be based on elitism. This report led to an expansion in the British university education, with institutions built overnight. These new institutions, referred to as plate glass universities, were often situated out of town, in newly developed campuses.

At the same time, Britain also invested in polytechnics; further education designed to better local students, teaching both academic and professional vocational subjects. Polytechnics focused on education, rather than the universities which focused on both education and research, and lacked degree awarding power. Because they were developed to support local communities, they are often found in towns and cities.

The 1992 Further and Higher Education Act gave polytechnics university status and degree awarding power, and this is the scene we see today. In general, polytechnics tend to offer more vocational courses, often focusing on their original fortes, and universities tend to offer a more traditional, academic curriculum.

City vs Campus

A Campus University is one which has all of its facilities and buildings in one place, including sports, entertainment, accommodation, research and teaching. This creates a 'campus' similar to a small town, and they are often found on the edge of cities, often with landscaped gardens, lakes and acres of parkland. Hence, at campus universities students have everything they need to socialise and study within walking distance. Campus universities tend to have been built more recently, especially during the 1960s, and have a certain feel to them. Sometimes there is more than one campus attached to the university, as universities have had to expand, and one way to achieve this is to build a totally new campus, perhaps in a different town. You will be attached to a certain campus depending on the course you are studying and all the facilities you will need, including your accommodation, and teaching and learning facilities will be based around this campus.

A City University has all of its facilities spread out across the city in which there are based in individual sites or even buildings. Although this means it is less convenient for students, they are perhaps able to enjoy a more rounded experience, benefiting from the facilities of the city as well as the university. These extra facilities may include libraries, sports clubs, and entertainment and socialising venues. Confusingly, many city universities have a number of sites they call campuses, such as a hospital and medical research campus or a science campus. Within this area you are likely to see local facilities, such as cafes and libraries, although the main area will also provide a main library and main socialising establishments.

Campus and city universities have a distinctly different feel, and your preference will be personal. Some of the pros and cons of each include:

Campus
Pros	Cons
all your facilities in one place	you have to plan if you want to go into town
community, close knit feel	you might get bored
easy to navigate	claustrophobic
no excuse for not doing your work - nothing to distract you	limited amenities for things like clothes, international food stuffs

City
Pros	Cons
vibrant and exciting	you might never feel truly part of the institution
there will always be plenty to do	impersonal
you will be able to step outside the student bubble	overwhelming and daunting
you will be able to mix with others, students from other universities and non-students	easy to get distracted
	extra time is needed to travel to and from lectures

To make things easier, in our comprehensive university guides, we've described the style of the university under 'Quick Facts'. The styles of university featured are:

urban campus

- a university that has a number of campus sites, all of which are in the city or town.

multi-site campus

- a university that was originally campus based, but has since developed additional sites.

semi-urban campus

- a university built outside the main town or city.

city university

- a university without a main campus, but with buildings spread throughout the city.

civic university

- a university that was originally built to benefit the people of the city and develop their 'real-world' skills, especially in the technical sciences and engineering.

N.B. Universities can be both civic or multi-site and any of the other campus options.

Pre-1992

Ancient universities

Used to describe mediaeval and renaissance institutions, four of which were founded in Scotland and the other two in England. The ancient universities offer a Master of Arts (MA) as an undergraduate degree, known as either an Oxbridge MA or a Scottish MA. The governance amongst these universities is also different from the others.

University of Cambridge (1209)

University of Oxford (1096)	University of Glasgow (1451)
University of Aberdeen (1495)
University of St Andrews (1413)	University of Edinburgh (1582)

Pre-Victorian universities

St Davids College, Lampeter (1822), now University of Wales, Trinity Saint David	Durham University (1832)
University College London (1826)	University of London (1836)
King's College London (1829)

Victorian universities

Since 1983 Wales had university colleges in the same way as the University of London. However, in 2011, the university was abolished. During the Victorian and pre-Victorian era few new universities were created, although establishments such as St George's (1733), The London Hospital Medical College (1785) and the Royal Veterinary College (1791) were built. These teaching hospitals were later absorbed into the London university colleges.

Queen's University Belfast (1845)	University College of North Wales, now Bangor University (1884)
University College Wales, now Aberystwyth University (1872)	Queen Mary, University of London (1885)
Royal Holloway (1879)	LSE (1895)
University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, now Cardiff University (1884)

Red Brick universities

The red brick universities, the first wave of civic universities, were built out of former university colleges, Mechanics' Institutes and medical schools as places of learning for the major industrial cities. They focused on practical skills, such as engineering and science, as opposed to the older universities and their focus on theology, and the liberal arts and concentrate on teaching the local population. They were seen as nouveau riche and a place for social climbers, compared to the traditional institutions, although now the plate-glass and post-1992 universities are highly regarded. They are called 'red brick' due to the distinctive red brick used in the buildings.

University of Manchester (1880)	University of Leeds (1904)
University of Birmingham (1900)	University of Sheffield (1905)
University of Liverpool (1903)	University of Bristol (1909)

Universities built in between the two waves of civic universities

Goldsmiths, University of London (1904)

Imperial College London (1907)

Second wave of civic universities

University College of Swansea, now Swansea University (1920)	University of Hull (1954)
University of Reading (1926)	University of Exeter (1955)
University of Nottingham (1948)	University of Leicester (1957)
University of Southampton (1952)

Plate Glass universities

The plate glass universities were built in the 1960s after the Robbins Report recommending the expansion of universities. Many were built out of older educational establishments, but given a new Royal Charter. They are referred to as 'plate glass' due to their steel or concrete frames.

University of Sussex (1961)	Aston University (1966)
Keele University (1962)	Brunel University (1966)
University of East Anglia (1963)	University of Surrey (1966)
University of York (1963)	University of Bath (1966)
Newcastle University (1963)	University of Bradford (1966)
University of Strathclyde (1964)	City University, London (1966)
Lancaster University (1964)	Heriot-Watt University (1966)
University of Kent (1965)	University of Salford (1967)
University of Essex (1965)	University of Dundee (1967)
University of Warwick (1965)	University of Stirling (1967)
Loughborough University (1966)	Cranfield University (1969)

Universities built after the plate glass and before 1992

University of Ulster (1984)

Post-1992

Post-1992 Universities

In 1992 former polytechnics, central institutions or colleges of higher education were given university status. They were all founded in 1992, apart from the ones mentioned.

Napier University	Manchester Metropolitan University
Anglia Ruskin University	Middlesex University
Birmingham City University	Northumbria University
Bournemouth University	Nottingham Trent University
University of Brighton	Oxford Brookes University
University of West of Scotland	University of Aberdeen (1495)
De Montfort University	University of Plymouth
Coventry University	University of Portsmouth
University of Derby	Robert Gordon University
University of East London	Sheffield Hallam University
University of Glamorgan	Staffordshire University
University of Greenwich	University of Sunderland
University of Huddersfield	University of Teeside
University of Huddersfield	Thames Valley University
Kingston University	University of Westminster
Leeds Metropolitan University	University of the West of England
University of Lincoln	University of Wolverhampton
Liverpool John Moores University	Glasgow Caledonian University (1993)
London South Bank University	University of Abertay, Dundee (1994)

New Universities

These universities were created after 1992, although many date back to previous institutions and have come out of mergers.

University	Origin
University of Gloucestershire (2001)
University of Wales, Newport (2002)
London Metropolitan University(2002)	merger of the polytechnics and later universities London Guildhall University (1848) and the University of North London (1896)
University of Bolton (2004)
Roehampton University (2004)	from Whitelands College (1841)
Bath Spa University (2005)	known as Bath College of Higher Education (1975), and became a university college in 1992
Canterbury Christ Church University (2005)
University of Chester (2005)	from Chester Diocesan Training College (1839) with degrees awarded by the University of Liverpool
University of Chichester (2005)	from West Sussex Institute of Higher Education (1977)
University of Winchester (2005)	from Winchester Diocesan Training School (1840)
Liverpool Hope University (2005)	from three teaching training institutions to form Trinity College in the 1970s
Southampton Solent University (2005)
University of Worcester (2005)	from a teacher training college (1946), as well as the Herefordshire and Worcester College of Midwife training
University of Northampton (2005)
University of Bedfordshire (2006)
Edge Hill University (2006)
York St John University (2006)
Queen Margaret University (2007)
Buckingham New University (2007)	from Buckingham College of Higher Education
University Campus Suffolk (2007)
University of Cumbria (2007)	from a merger between St Martin's College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts and part of University of Central Lancashire
Trinity University College (2007)	from Trinity College, Carmarthen (1848)
Cardiff Metropolitan University (2007)
Swansea Metropolitan University (2008)	from Swansea Institute of Higher Education (1992)
Glyndŵr University (2008)	from Wrexham School of Science and Art (1887)
University of the Highlands and Islands (2011)

Specialist Unis

Specialist Institutions

Within the UK, it is possible to study at an institution with focuses on a specialist subject such as music, art, and agriculture. These institutions give out degrees in the same way as universities and their qualifications are internationally recognised. Many universities will also offer these subjects, however a specialist institution will be smaller and give you a more focused education. Specialist institutions within the UK include:

Art and Architecture

Courtauld Institute	Manchester School of Architecture
Glasgow School of Art	University of the Arts, London
Edinburgh College of Art	Norwich University College of the Arts
Edinburgh School of Architecture	University for the Creative Arts

Dance, Drama and Music

Royal Academy of Music	Royal College of Music
Guildhall School of Music and Drama	Royal Northern College of Music
Conservatoire for Dance and Drama	Rose Bruford College
Central School of Speech and Drama	The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama	Leeds College of Music
Trinity Laban Conservatoire

Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Agriculture

Peninsula Medical School	St George's Medical School
Royal Agricultural College	Brighton Sussex Medical School
Royal Veterinary College	School of Pharmacy
Hull York Medical School

Private Unis

Private Universities

Within the UK, the majority of universities are public. They have considerable institutional autonomy, but are currently funded mainly by government teaching and research grants. The government regulates their tuition fees, student funding, and student loans and commissions, and regulates research assessments and teaching reviews.

In the UK, an institution can only use the title 'University' or 'University College' if it has been granted by the Privy Council. Prior to 1992, these titles were conferred by Royal Charter. Under 'University Guides' you may see many university histories stating when they received their Royal Charter.

University of Buckingham, BPP University, Regent's University London and University of Law are currently the only fully-fledged private universities in the UK.

League Tables

League Tables are one way of finding a good university to attend. They examine a number of features including reputation, student satisfaction, job prospects, teaching quality, grade entry, research assessment and citations. National and international league tables can vary drastically, as the league table criteria also varies drastically. To choose the most suitable university for you, decide what factors are most important and use the rankings to guide you. Because there are other factors you might want to include, I would suggest that you not to choose a university solely on these figures.

National
International

National
International

National

The Guardian

The Guardian uses eight different ranking criteria, each weighted between 5% and 17%. Unlike other annual rankings of British universities, the criteria do not include a measure of research output. Furthermore, a "value-added" factor is included which compares students' degree results with their entry qualifications so qualifications upon entry are compared to the award they receive at the end of studying. The eight criteria are:

Entry score (17%)
Feedback - as rated by graduates of the course (5%)
Jobprospects (17%) (data source: Destination of Leavers from Higher Education)
Overall quality - final-year students opinions about the overall quality of their course (data source: the National Student Survey
Spending per student (17%)
Staff/student ratio (17%)
Teaching quality - as rated by graduates of the course (10%) (data source: the National Student Survey)
Value added (17%)

The Complete University Guide

As an independently produced system, the Complete University Guide uses nine ranking criteria. The nine scores are rated (by 1.5 for student satisfaction and research assessment, and 1.0 for the rest) and summed to give a total score for each university. These total scores are then transformed to a scale where the top score is set at 1,000, with the remainder being a proportion of the top score. The nine criteria are:

Academic services spend - the expenditure per student on all academic services (data source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA))
Completion - a measure of the completion rate of students (data source: HESA)
Entry standards - the average UCAS tariff score of new students under the age of 21 (data source: HESA)
Facilities spend - the expenditure per student on staff and student facilities (data source: HESA)
Good honours - the proportion of firsts and upper seconds (data source: HESA)
Graduate prospects - a measure of the employability of graduates (data source: HESA)
Research assessment/quality - a measure of the average quality of research (data source: 2008 Research Assessment Exercise)
Student satisfaction - a measure of the view of students on the teaching quality (data source: the National Student Survey)
Student/staff ratio - a measure of the average staffing level (data source: HESA)

Criticisms of Ranking Systems

Disparity with Global Rankings

You may notice that universities that do well nationally, such as the LSE or St Andrews do not do so well internationally, while other have the opposite problem, such as the University of Manchester. This is mainly due to the variation between ranking criteria and methodology, as well as the purpose of global international rankings. International ranking systems tend to use criteria such as academic and employer surveys, the number of citations per faculty, the proportion of international staff, students and faculty, and alumni prize winners, while national rankings take into account the undergraduate student experience or teaching and learning resources, the academic quality of a university's intake, graduate employment, research quality and dropout rates.

Accuracy and Neutrality

In the UK, league tables are important for universities and they, therefore, do what is in their best interest to increase their league table standing. However, this means that they perhaps chase the rankings, rather than focus on doing what is important for students. A university's ranking can often fluctuate, even if they only perform poorly in one aspect, while at the same time their ranking can increase greatly from just one aspect. Also ranking systems deem different factors to be important, hence universities may not fare similarly across guides.

International

Leiden Ranking

The Leiden Ranking 2011/2012 is based on publications in Thomson Reuter's Web of Science database in the period 2005-2009. Only publications in the sciences and social sciences are included. Hence, the ranking measures the scientific performance of universities.

Indicators of the scientific impact of a university are:

Mean citation score (MCS) - the average number of citations of the publications of a university.
Mean normalised citation score (MNCS) - the average number of citations of the publications of a university, normalised for field differences, publication year, and document type. For example, a MNCS value of two means that the publications of a university have been cited twice above the world average.
Proportion top 10% publications - the proportion of the publications of a university that, compared with other similar publications, belong to the top 10% most frequently cited.

In this way, universities that focus on science and social science will rank higher.

QS World Rankings

The QS World Rankings use 5 criteria:

Academic peer review (40%) - asks active academics across the world about the top universities in fields they know about.
Recruiter review (10%) - asks sample recruiters who hire graduates on a global or significant national scale.
Faculty student ratio (20%)
Citations per faculty (20%) - the total number of citations for a five-year period is divided by the number of academic staff in the university.
International orientation (10%) - staff and students.

However, there are a number of problems with this system. It places too much emphasis on the peer review process, which is not systematic but based the perception of the university by other academics. It places too much emphasis on the institution's reputation; 50% if you include peer review and recruiter review. It also undervalues institutions who excel in the social sciences, arts and humanities.

Academic Ranking of World Universities

The Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai ranking uses the criteria which are largely academic and research orientated, including:

alumni winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals (10%)
staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals (20%)
highly-cited researchers in 21 broad subject categories (20%)
articles published in Nature and Science (20%)
the Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index (20%)
per capita academic performance of an institution (10%)

Problems of this ranking system include the use of irrelevant criteria to many students; unless students are intending to be researchers and academics, many of the criteria are not useful. Furthermore, the criteria used automatically favours the natural sciences over social science and humanities and therefore universities which focus on the humanities and social sciences may not rank so highly.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings use five categories:

Teaching (30%)
Research (30%)
Citations/Research Impact (32.5%)
International Mix (5%)
Industry Income (2.5%)

The Times rankings are not just based on academic performance, however this also means that the reputation of the institution counts for less (which may, in fact, be an important factor for employers). However, because there is still a weight on research and citations, more science-based institutions with relatively few undergraduates will be favoured over more comprehensive programmes and undergraduates.

Affiliations

Universities often create links and partnerships with one another to promote a specific need or outcome, which may include scientific research, business, specialisations, and technology. It may be useful to look at these affiliations because at a UK university it may be possible to study or research at one of their partnership universities, and the larger projects undertaken at these universities may appeal to you.

National
International

National
International

National

Guild HE

Founded in 2006, Guild HE, with the tagline "Distinction and Diversity in Higher Education" promotes smaller, often specialist institutions within the UK with the core academic values of teaching, research, subject development and knowledge transfer, arguing for a structure where specialist and generalists institutions can thrive in a broader market place, and in a national and international community. It does this by highlighting the interest and strengths of its members to government, national and international agencies and employers, and by making informed and evidence-based contributions to national policy development and debate in higher education.

Abertay University	Regent's University London
Ashridge Business School	Rose Bruford College
University College Birmingham	Royal Agricultural College
Bishop Grosseteste University	Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Arts University Bournemouth	Southampton Solent University
Buckinghamshire New University	St. Mary's University College, Belfast
Falmouth University	St. Mary's University College, Twickenham
Glyndwr University/Prifysgol Glyndwr	The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Harper Adams University	University of St Mark & St John
Leeds College of Art	University for the Creative Arts
Leeds Trinity College	University of Chichester
Newman University	University of Winchester
Norwich University of Arts	University of Worcester
Plymouth College of Art	Writtle College
Ravenbourne	York St John University

Million+

Founded in 1997, million+ is a university think thank which provides research and evidence-based policy to solve problems in higher education. It aims to develop and shape public policy and funding to enable people from all walks of life to benefit from access to universities that excel in teaching research and knowledge transfer, as well as enable businesses, the NHS, and the government to benefit from the potential of universities and its students.

Abertay University	Edinburgh Napier University
Anglia Ruskin University	London Metropolitan University
Bath Spa University	London South Bank University
University of Bedfordshire	Middlesex University
University of Bolton	Staffordshire Unv i ersity
Canterbury Christ Church University	University of Sunderland
University of Cumbria	University of West London
University of East London	University of the West of Scotland

N8 Research Partnership

Founded in 2008, the N8 Research Partnership comprises of the 8 research intensive universities in the north of England. It aims to maximise the impact of this research base by identifying and coordinating powerful research teams and collaborations forming a network of virtual centres of science and innovation excellence. Its main research programmes are molecular engineering, regenerative medicine, the impact of demographic change, and parasitology.

Durham University	University of Manchester
Lancaster University	Newcastle University
University of Leeds	University of Sheffield
University of Liverpool	University of York

Russell Group

Founded in 1994, the Russell Group represents the 24 leading UK research universities ensuring they have the best conditions in which to flourish and continue to make an impact through their world-leading research and teaching. They do this by:

inspiring the brightest undergraduates
training the best postgraduates and postdoctoral workers to create the next generation of innovators and leaders
guaranteeing that students can thrive at universities best suited to their aptitude, which in turn will maximise their life chances
generating and preserving knowledge, and extending the boundaries of human understanding
recruiting and retaining the top academics who are responsible for cutting edge discoveries
directing resources to where a critical mass of research can be undertaken to ensure the highest international standards with the greatest impact

The members of the Russell Group receive approximately two-thirds of all university research grant and contract income in the UK. Hence places at a Russell Group university are highly competitive, with current entry standards being close to AAA or higher at A Level.

University of Birmingham	University of Leeds
University of Bristol	University of Liverpool
University of Cambridge	LSE
Cardiff University	University of Manchester
Durham University	Newcastle University
University of Edinburgh	University of Nottingham
University of Exeter	University of Oxford
University of Glasgow	Queen's University Belfast
Imperial College London	University of Sheffield
King's College London	University of Southampton
Queen Mary, University of London	University of Warwick
University College London	University of York

University Alliance

Founded in 2006, University Alliance comprises of the 20 major business led universities, with a commitment to delivering world-class research and a quality student experience.

Bournemouth University	Northumbria University
Cardiff Metropolitan University	Nottingham Trent University
Coventry University	Oxford Brookes University
University of Greenwich	Plymouth University
University of Hertfordshire	University of Portsmouth
University of Huddersfield	University of Salford
Kingston University	Sheffield Hallam University
University of Lincoln	Teeside University
Liverpool John Moores University	University of South Wales
Manchester Metropolitan University	University of West of England

University of London

The University of London consists of 18 self governing colleges and 10 other smaller specialist research institutions. In many ways the colleges are considered universities in their own right as they set their own entrance criteria for their courses and offer their own services to students.

The University of London was founded in 1836 with the two colleges of University College and King's College, as well as incorporating older institutions, such as St Batholomew's Hospital Medical School and St Thomas' Hospital Medical School which both have twelfth-century origins.

All graduates from a constituent college will obtain a University of London degree, with the post nominal letters Lond., as opposed to a degree specifically from the college, e.g. a King's College London degree.

As a member of the University of London, as well as your collegiate facilities, you can also make use of intercollegiate facilities, which include a union, library, sports and social clubs, and halls of residence.

Those that offer undergraduate degrees include:

The Central School of Speech and Drama	Royal Academy of Music
Courtauld Institute of Art	Royal Holloway
Goldsmiths, University of London	Royal Veterinary College
Heythrop College	School of Oriental and African Studies
King's College London	St George's, UoL
LSE	University College London
Queen Mary, University of London	University of London Institute in Paris

International

Coimbra Group

Founded in 1985, the Coimbra Group comprises of 40 long-established European multidisciplinary institutions of high international standard. Its aim is to create special and cultural ties to promote, for the benefit of its members, internationalisation, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and research, as well as to influence European educational policy.

The UK institutions include:

University of Bristol	University of Edinburgh
University of Cambridge	University of Oxford

IDEA League

Founded in 1999, the IDEA league comprises of the five leading European universities of technology and science. It aims to cooperate on a European scale in education, research and quality assurance through joint participation in EU programmes and initiatives by pooling its resources for collaborative and complementary programmes for its students, researchers and staff.

The UK institutions include:

Imperial College London

League of European Research Universities (LERU)

Founded in 2002, the LERU comprises of 21 leading research-intensive universities which share the values of high-quality teaching within an environment of internationally competitive research. It advocates education through an awareness of the limits of human understanding, the creation of new knowledge through basic research for innovation in society, and the promotion of research in partnership with industry and society as a whole.

The UK institutions include:

Imperial College London	University of Edinburgh
University College London	University of Oxford
University of Cambridge

Partnership of a European Group of Aeronautics and Space Universities (PEGASUS)

Pegasus was created in 1998 to offer itself as the European portal for higher education services in aerospace through attracting the best students and offering highly relevant educational and research programmes. The universities work closely together, along with the aerospace industry and relevant government agencies to provide a multi-language, multi-cultural environment.

The UK institutions include:

University of Bristol	University of Glasgow
Cranfield University

Universitas 21

Founded in 1997, Universitas 21 comprises of 23 leading research-intensive institutions in 15 countries. It aims to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between the member universities and to create opportunities for them on a scale they wouldn't be able to achieve independently.

The UK institutions include:

University of Birmingham	University of Glasgow
University of Edinburgh	University of Nottingham

Worldwide Universities Network (WUN)

Founded in 2000, the WUN comprises of 19 research-intensive international institutions spanning six continents. Its aim is to accelerate the creation of knowledge and develop leaders who will be prepared to address the challenges and opportunities in out rapidly changing environment though collective international objectives, combined resources and joint international ambitions.

The UK institutions include:

University of Bristol	University of Southampton
University of Leeds	University of York
University of Sheffield

International

University

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Social

Practical

In Summary

Research Quality

University Setting

History

History of Universities

League Tables

National

The Guardian

The Complete University Guide

Criticisms of Ranking Systems

Disparity with Global Rankings

Accuracy and Neutrality

Affiliations

National

Guild HE

Million+

N8 Research Partnership

Russell Group

University Alliance

University of London

Students

International

Lifelong

Teachers

Parents

Employers