UK Universities Fact Sheet
There are over 160 universities across the United Kingdom, and from campus to campus they all vary in size and specialty. Generally, these universities are broken down into Russell Group, Red brick, or modern institutions.
The Russell Group
The Russell Group represents 24 leading UK universities with a shared focus on research and academic achievement. Renowned worldwide, they produce two-thirds of the UK’s world-leading research
Russell Group Universities:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- Cardiff University
- Durham University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Exeter
- University of Glasgow
- Imperial College London
- King’s College London
- University of Leeds
- University of Liverpool
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- University of Manchester
- Newcastle University
- University of Nottingham
- University of Oxford
- Queen Mary University of London
- Queen’s University Belfast
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University College London
- University of Warwick
- University of York
Red brick Universities:
A red brick university is a term given to universities established in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and are known for their red-brick buildings. The six original universities first stamped ‘red brick universities’ in were:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Leeds
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Sheffield
However, after the First World War a second wave of independent universities were included among these original six, including Newcastle University, University of Reading and University of Nottingham.
Modern Universities
Generally, all other universities in the UK are known as a modern university. Modern universities are institutions granted ‘university’ status after 1992. While these institutions are younger than red brick or Russell Group universities, they don’t lack educational quality at all. With strong funding, new and innovative teaching methods and exceptional campuses, they all strive to provide world-class education.
