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Getting into a Top UK University – a How To Guide
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Getting into a Top UK University – a How To Guide

by Jon WestleyMay 1, 2017

Part 5. Top British Universities1. University of LondonFirst, London. London is one of the world’s top brands. In the university sector, a degree from London University, regardless of the College studied at, functions in its own right as a brand. In many ways studying at the University Of London is not dissimilar to saying one studied at Oxbridge – although, as with Oxbridge, certain individual colleges (for example the London School of Economics and Political Science), do carry extra value and stand in their own right.Putting to one side the significantly higher costs of studying in London, arguably a degree from the University of London is one “brand” lens through which prospective school leavers can weigh up the benefits of studying at any of the Colleges making up the University of London.The University comprises 18 Colleges. It should be noted that Imperial College left the University of London to become an independent university in 2007. Imperial enjoys at least a top 5 place in most British University rankings, a top-10 place in global university rankings and a top-15 place for the most recognised university brands in the world.The remaining 18 colleges include

  • Birkbeck College
  • City College
  • Goldsmiths
  • Heythrop College
  • King’s College
  • London Business School
  • London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
  • London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Queen Mary and Westfield College (QMW)
  • Royal Holloway
  • School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS)
  • University College London (UCL)
  • Royal Academy of Music
  • Royal Veterinary College
  • St George’s
  • Central School of Speech and Drama
  • Courtauld Institute of Art
  • Institute of Cancer Research

Of these, University College and the London School of Economics and Political Science achieve top 25 places within the best universities anywhere in the world; secure at least a top-15 place in British University league tables – and enjoy a global brand reputation for excellence that is likely to open doors.
2. The Russell GroupThe Russell Group is often considered the definitive grouping of the top UK universities. The case is perhaps arguable, but what is undeniable is that universities within the group enjoy a very high degree of post-graduate funding with all the knock-on benefits that come from this. Around 60% of all doctorates awarded in the UK come from the Group and 40% of all students from overseas study in Russell Group universities.The Russell Group includes 24 Universities including Oxbridge, Imperial and three of the London University colleges. The complete list follows:

  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Oxford
  • Imperial College, London
  • King’s College, University of London
  • London School of Economics & Political Science, University of London
  • Queen Mary, University of London
  • University College London, University of London
  • University of Birmingham
  • University of Warwick
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Durham University
  • University of Exeter
  • University of Leeds
  • University of Bristol
  • University of Nottingham
  • University of Glasgow
  • University of Liverpool
  • University of Manchester
  • Newcastle University
  • Queen’s University Belfast
  • University of Sheffield
  • University of Southampton
  • University of York
  • Cardiff University

3. OxbridgeFor applications to both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as is the case with the University of London, you will apply to a College. Like London too, to all intents and purposes, that is where you will study.  At Oxford there are 35 Colleges which accept undergraduate applications (out of 44 Colleges), at Cambridge there are 29 (out of 31 Colleges). Oxford has 11,728 undergraduate places (6,232 men and 5,496 women in 2016); Cambridge has around 12,155 places, again approximately equally divided between male and female students.Both Oxford and Cambridge receive around 5 applications per place awarded. Around 1 in 5 receive offers from Colleges they did not apply to.These “odds” will surprise many – they are no worse than those of a significant number of popular courses at a number of the top British Universities.  Both Oxford and Cambridge state that making an open application or specifying a preferred College makes no difference to the chances of being made an offer.On the basis of informal feedback, we think it is worth applying to a specific college. Choosing which College to apply to needs research beyond the capacity of this simple Guide – some colleges are for female students only, for example, and not all colleges offer all courses.Our view is that you have nothing to lose in applying to a specific College because if your chosen College does reject your application it will still be considered within the pool of applications received by the University. Informal feedback suggests that individual Colleges certainly do not downgrade applications that specify and individual applicant has chosen them deliberately, particularly if there is a reason that can be shown for doing so.
Oxford Colleges

  • All Souls College (Postgraduate only)
  • Balliol College
  • Blackfriars
  • Brasenose College
  • Campion Hall (Postgraduate only)
  • Christchurch
  • Corpus Christie College
  • Exeter College
  • Green Templeton College (Postgraduate only)
  • Harris Manchester College
  • Hertford College
  • Jesus College
  • Keble College
  • Kellogg College (Postgraduate only)
  • Lady Margaret Hall
  • Linacre College (Postgraduate only)
  • Lincoln College
  • Magdalen College
  • Mansfield College
  • Merton College
  • New College
  • Nuffield College (Postgraduate only)
  • Oriel College
  • Pembroke College
  • The Queen’s College
  • Regent’s Park College
  • St Anne’s College
  • St Antony’s College
  • St Benet’s College (Postgraduate only)
  • St Catherine’s College
  • St Cross College (Postgraduate only)
  • St Edmund Hall
  • St Hilda’s College
  • St Hugh’s College
  • St John’s College
  • St Peter’s College
  • St Stephen’s House
  • Somerville College
  • Trinity College
  • University College
  • Wadham College
  • Wolfson College (Postgraduate only)
  • Worcester College
  • Wycliffe Hall

Cambridge Colleges

  • Christ’s College
  • Churchill College
  • Clare College
  • Clare Hall (Postgraduate only)
  • Corpus Christie College
  • Darwin College (Postgraduate only)
  • Downing College
  • Emmanuel College
  • Fitzwilliam College
  • Girton College
  • Gonville & Caius College
  • Homerton College
  • Hughes Hall
  • Jesus College
  • King’s College
  • Lucy Cavendish
  • Magdalene College
  • Murray Edwards College
  • Newnham College
  • Pembroke College
  • Peterhouse
  • Queen’s College
  • Robinson College
  • Selwyn College
  • Sidney Sussex College
  • St Catherine’s College
  • St Edmund’s College
  • St John’s College
  • Trinity College
  • Trinity Hall
  • Wolfson College

4. Other university optionsThere are many “Grade A students” who choose for various reasons not to attend Oxbridge, London University or any of the Russell Group universities even with the offer of a place in hand. This can be for many reasons ranging from the reputation of an individual tutor at a given university to the simple basic feel of a university at the time of a visit. The perfect university, like the perfect school, will always depend on the individual young man or woman and its fit. There is no universally best university for every young man and woman.But there are fundamental questions that, we think, should always be asked.

  • What percentage of graduates from any course, at any university, go on to secure employment, or higher post-graduate study?
  • What percentage of graduates leave a particular course or university after starting their studies (the drop-out rate)?
  • What are the level of international fees?
  • What percentage of international students are there for any given course?
  • What is the percentage of those who successfully secure a place for any given course

Another issue worth bearing in mind is that studying at university is also about networking. Campus universities like Leeds, for example, offer much greater networking potential than the more disparate London colleges whose students, at least after the first year, are invariable housed arbitrarily across London. As above, certain universities outside the Russell Group, London University and Oxbridge enjoy equally powerful reputations in their fields. As above, Coventry University’s automotive design school feeds many of the top automotive manufacturers, RADA acting graduates read as a who’s who of the acting world and Loughborough University enjoys a reputation for Sports Science recognised globally.https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/videos/10154331788286479/
Next: Our Advice

About The Author
Jon Westley
Jon Westley is the Editor of SchoolsCompared.com and WhichSchoolAdvisor.com UK. You can email him at jonathanwestley [at] schoolscompared.com

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