Universities in the UK
- Active map of universities in the UK.
- Universities in the UK: some key general facts.
- A brief history of universities in the UK.
- Groups and associations.
- Further information.
1. Active map of universities in the UK
The University of Wolverhampton has designed an active map showing all universities and higher education institutions in the UK. You can also find out specific information about each institution including its British Council profile, prospectuses and academic departments.
2. Universities in the UK: some key general facts
Higher education is a declared priority in UK government policy, with a target set to attract 50 percent of 18 to 30-year-olds to higher education by 2010. Currently, approximately 30 percent of young people go on to higher education at 18 (with almost 50 percent in Scotland), and an increasing number of older or more 'mature' students are studying either full-time or part-time for university degrees. It is estimated that 1.8 million students are currently in the UK higher education system.
Most undergraduate university degrees take three years to complete, with undergraduate degrees at Scottish universities lasting four years. At graduate level, a taught master's degree normally is earned in a single year, a research master's takes two years, and a doctoral degree is completed after three years. Professional courses, such as medicine, veterinary medicine, law and teaching, are usually undertaken as five-year undergraduate degrees, but students who have already been awarded a different undergraduate degree can often take a shorter, graduate-level course.
Universities in the UK are state financed, but not state owned, and there is only one private university - the University of Buckingham - where students have to pay all their fees.
What do universities do?
Universities in the UK do not merely offer courses to students and provide learning and teaching opportunities, but can be seen as successful businesses in their own right. Universities and research institutes are the UK's primary source of trained experts in all areas of science and technology and have a huge impact on research in the UK. It creates wealth and employment in both the UK and internationally. Research is an essential tool to improve life - and expertise from the research base is essential for properly informed policy-making, and for the effective implementation of those policies. The UK supports world-class research in all subjects with many organisations and schemes working to develop a greater public awareness of the research that is going on.
Research in the UK is well-funded and a more detailed explanation of research funding can be found in the Research Funding in the UK section. You can also find out more information about research on the HERO website.
Knowledge transfer
"Knowledge transfer is the process by which the knowledge and expertise existing in universities, and gained through university research, is transferred from the HE sector into business, industry and other organisations." (Universities UK). A Knowledge Transfer Partnership is a relationship formed between a company and an academic institution. This relationship facilitates the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills to which the company partner currently has no access. The partnership employs one or more recently qualified individuals such as a postgraduate researcher to work in a company on a project of strategic importance to the business, whilst also being supervised by the Knowledge Base Partner.
The Institute of Knowledge Transfer has more information on knowledge transfer and partnerships. You may also wish to check out the Knowledge Transfer department at your institution to see the types of initiatives they are involved in.
3. A brief history of universities in the UK
Most universities in the UK can be classified into 4 main categories:
Ancient universities
‘Ancient' is a term used to describe the medieval and renaissance universities of the UK that continue to exist. An ancient university effectively means one that was founded before the 17th century. Well-known examples include Oxford, founded before the year 1167, and Cambridge founded in 1209. In Scotland, the Universities of St Andrews, founded in 1413, Glasgow (1451), Aberdeen (1492) and Edinburgh (1583) are well-known examples of ancient universities.
Oxford is a unique institution. As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, it can lay claim to 900 years of continuous existence. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.
Red brick universities
The term ‘red brick' was first used in a publication by a professor of Spanish (Edgar Allison Peers) at the University of Liverpool to describe the six ‘civic' British universities which were founded in the industrial cities of England in the Victorian era and which achieved university status before the second world war. Peer's reference was inspired by the fact that the Victoria Building at the University of Liverpool is built from a distinctive red pressed brick, with terracotta decorative dressings.
The original six civic red brick universities were: Birmingham; Bristol; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester and Sheffield. The University of Liverpool can be argued to be the first red brick university. But with the Birmingham University Act receiving assent on 24 May 1900, the first red brick university to officially receive its Royal Charter was the University of Birmingham.
Red brick ‘civic' universities were non-collegiate institutions that admitted men without specific reference to their religion or family background and which concentrated on educating their students in ‘real-world' skills, often linked to engineering.
This deliberate emphasis on a practical, non-collegiate, higher education originally distinguished the red brick universities from the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge and from the newer (although still pre-Victorian) University of Durham. Ancient universities traditionally imposed religious tests on staff and students and were collegiate institutions, concentrating primarily on a more academic development in the liberal arts and divinity.
Today, the modern use of the term ‘red brick' can relate to those members of the so-called Russell Group of universities, founded between 1850 and 1960. But the term is not mutually inclusive. The Russell Group is, in actuality, an association of 20 major research-intensive UK universities, formed in 1994 at a meeting convened in the Hotel Russell, London. The Group is composed of the Vice-Chancellors/Principals of twenty ancient, red brick and so-called ‘new' universities.
New Universities
Two types of university are frequently given the name ‘New Universities':
1. Those created in the 1960s, sometimes called ‘Plate Glass Universities', which were known as ‘New Universities' when first founded; but which are now more commonly considered as a sub-group of the higher education institutions which existed prior to the changes in 1992 which allowed polytechnics to become universities.
2. Those universities created in or after 1992 from polytechnics and colleges of higher education.
‘Polytechnics' were initially created in the UK towards the middle of the 1960s, when the then Secretary of State for Education initiated a new sector of higher education. Polytechnics were intended to complement the older, more academically orientated universities and focus on professional and vocational programmes of study, offered on both a full-time and part-time basis.
These ‘ex-polytechnics' are the institutions most commonly referred to as ‘New Universities' in the present day.
The open university
Founded in 1968, the open university is Britain's only mainly distance-learning University. Study materials are provided online and by post to a wide range of students, many of whom are working people who wish to improve or develop their portfolio of higher education qualifications.
4. Groups and associations
There are a number of groups and associations in the UK formed within the higher education sector. These groups provide a link between people and their institutions. A number of these groups are described below.
The Russell Group
The Russell Group is an association of 20 major research-intensive UK universities. Formed in 1994 at a meeting convened in Russell Square, the Group is composed of the Vice-Chancellors/Principals of the universities listed below. There are also a number of active working groups.
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- Cardiff University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Glasgow
- Imperial College London
- King's College London
- University of Leeds
- University of Liverpool
- London School of Economics & Political Science
- University of Manchester
- Newcastle University
- University of Nottingham
- Queen's University Belfast
- University of Oxford
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- University College London
- University of Warwick
Search the Russell Group website for more detailed information.
The 1994 Group
The 1994 Group was established to promote excellence in research and teaching. It aims to enhance the student and staff experience within universities and set the agendas for higher education. The 1994 Group is comprised of the following institutions:
- University of Bath
- Birkbeck, University of London
- Durham University
- University of East Anglia
- University of Essex
- University of Exeter
- Goldsmiths University of London
- Royal Holloway University of London
- Lancaster University
- University of Leicester
- Loughborough University
- Queen Mary University of London
- University of Reading
- University of St Andrews
- School of Oriental and African Studies
- University of Surrey
- University of Sussex
- University of York
Search the 1994 Group website for more detailed information.
The Million+ Group
The Million+ universities group was originally called the Coalition of Modern Universities (CMU) and the organisation represents almost 30 leading universities in the UK. Together they educate over half the UK's graduates, and have a unique focus on the needs of students. The following universities are members:
- University of Abertay Dundee
- Anglia Ruskin University
- Bath Spa University
- University of Bedfordshire
- The University of Bolton
- Birmingham City University (formerly University of Central England)
- University of Central Lancashire (uclan)
- Coventry University
- University of Derby
- University of East London (UEL)
- University of Glamorgan
- Glasgow Caledonian University
- University of Gloucestershire
- University of Greenwich
- Kingston University
- Leeds Metropolitan University
- London Metropolitan University
- London South Bank University
- Middlesex University
- Napier University
- The University of Northampton
- University of the West of Scotland
- Roehampton University
- Southampton Solent University
- Staffordshire University
- University of Sunderland
- University of Teesside
- Thames Valley University
- University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC)
- The University of Wolverhampton
- Bucks New University (Associate member)
Search the Million+ website for more detailed information.
Universities UK
Universities UK is the representative body for the executive heads of UK universities. Together with Higher Education Wales and Universities Scotland, it works to advance the interests of universities and to spread good practice throughout the higher education sector. Universities UK has 133 members including virtually all the universities in the UK and some colleges of higher education.
Other groups and associations
Other groups and associations include the GuildHE, the Mixed Economy Group and the University Alliance. Further information on groups and alliances can also be found on the HERO website.
5. Further information
HEFCE has released a publication, Higher Education in England' (pdf) which provides relevant information about the nature and achievements of higher education (HE) in England.
Much of the basic data for this section was sourced from the following websites:
British Universities. Wikipedia
The Higher Education Funding Council for England
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