How to choose a university in United Kingdom?

Deciding where you want to study is a deeply personal choice, but there are a few general ideas you should consider. To make things simpler for you, we put together the following Choosing a university checklist:

  1. Think about which of the following experiences you want to have during your studies and choose what fits best with you:
    • A big-city life and cultural diversity in large university hubs like London, Birmingham, or Manchester
    • A more relaxed lifestyle where you could experience the more traditional aspects of British culture specific to smaller cities like Bath, York, or Southampton
  2. Decide how important a university’s reputation is to you:
    • A high-ranking university, like the ones belonging to the Russell Group, will look more impressive on your CV because these are universities that have a reputation across the world for being very good and teaching the smartest and most talented people. Attenting one of them will give you more opportunities, but it will be harder to get in, more expensive, competitive, and more focused on academic results.
    • A university that doesn’t rank as high will probably offer you a more inclusive and relaxed environment. These universities are often top quality as well, but less famous. You will face easier admission and enjoy a more flexible schedule
  3. Read student reviews to learn how other students feel at that university. If you access a programme of study on our portal, you can read tens of student reviews for each study programme. And if you’re still in doubt, try chatting with students who are currently studying at universities you are interested in.
  4. Research how well a university performs in your particular field of study by checking Meta-rankings in the UK, which combines the latest data from the most prestigious university ranking systems in the world.

What are the top student hubs in the UK

The biggest student hub in the UK is of course London. The city was declared Best Student city by QS, and it has no less than 18 ranked universities. It’s huge – the third biggest city in Europe with a population of over 9,3 million people, multicultural, and very diverse.

But big-city life is only for some, and the UK offers many other excellent student hubs. In the North of England, you have Manchester with five big universities, BBC and ITV studios and many thriving businesses. Even further to the North, another thriving city full of charm and history is Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital, home to one of the best five universities in the UK.

If you want your experience of studying in the UK to be even more relaxed, so you can enjoy that orderly and calm British life, consider the famous cities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as Bath or Liverpool with their highly ranked universities.

Comments are closed.