The United Kingdom (UK) is a renowned destination for quality education and is well-known for its education system across the globe. With eminent universities dating back to 1050 AD and looking at the living standards of the country, studying in Britain is a dream for millions of Indian students. 100+ educational institutions in the UK keep shuffling in the global ranking of the top universities. With such a diverse choice of centers of study, it becomes a tough task for any international student to pick the right one. In this blog, we will try to declutter this confusion for you and will segregate UK universities into various categories so that you can pick the right one for you:
1. Ancient universities
As the name suggests, these universities came into being centuries ago. The foundation dates of these institutions date back to the medieval and renaissance period i.e. 1096 AD to 1582 AD. These ancient universities have structures, lecture rooms, and corridors that are hundreds of years old. They also offer the dissipation of knowledge using ancient techniques like students connecting with faculty in small groups.
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- University of Dublin
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Glasgow
- University of St Andrews
2. Red Brick or Civic Universities
These non-collegiate institutions formed in the nineteenth century during World War I. The main aim behind constituting these institutes was to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of university graduates in STEM courses during the Industrial Revolution. These institutions don’t discriminate against students while at the time of the intake and focus completely on imparting real-world skills to them. Civic universities are six in number and all of them are part of the Russell Group, the equivalent of Ivy League universities in the UK.
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Leeds
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Sheffield
3. Plate Glass Universities or 1960s Universities
These universities are relatively newer compared to once that we have discussed till now. The group of universities is called ‘Plate Glass’ due to their architectural style. The architectural style of these colleges has a lot in common with that of universities in the United States. Plate Glass Universities were built between 1963 and 1992 after the recommendation of the Robbins Report on Higher Education. These educational institutions have inculcated various initiatives related to syllabus, examination, administration, teaching methods, and discipline. Some of the renowned colleges of this group are:
- Aston University
- University of East Anglia
- University of Essex
- University of Kent
- Lancaster University
- University of Sussex
- University of Warwick
- University of York
4. New Universities or Polytechnic & Metropolitan Universities
This set of universities was given the status of a university during the 1980s and 90s as a part of new education reform. Initially, these institutes were Polytechnic colleges. These universities have specialization in various degrees like Business Studies, Tourism Management, Food Technology, Media Studies, Music Composition, and so on. Some of the New Universities are:
- Arden universities
- Cardiff Metropolitan University
- University of Chichester
- Plymouth Marjon University
- University College Birmingham
5. Russell Group Universities
It is a congregation of the top 24 research universities of the United Kingdom. Russell Group University is the British equivalent of the U.S. Ivy League institutions. Notably, two-thirds of all research grants to these universities come from government funding. The universities in the Russell Group include institutes from ancient universities, 19th-century universities, some from civic universities, and others. A few of them are:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
Which type of university should you choose?
While choosing any particular UK university to study, a student should always look out for their needs and wants. Every university has unique characteristics as well as its pros and cons. For example, to secure admission to any of the ancient universities, a student needs above-average grades. Similarly, New University is well-known for its professional and personal network, whereas, Russell Group of universities is the hub for social well-being, quality research, and NexGen courses.
Many a time, the whole foreign admission process, searching for the right institute as per your profile, writing SOP, Letter of Recommendation, and others become too exhausting for a student. We understand this. However, you don’t need to worry. Experienced education experts at Anaad Overseas will assist you in finding the best institution for you. You can get in touch with us anytime, both online or offline, at your convenience.