Universities in the UK

The UK attracts a huge amount of international students every year, with prestigious universities and high quality of teaching, strong cultural diversity, rich history, varied landscape and many opportunities for students proving attractive factors for those who wish to study abroad.

Read more about studying in the UK as an international student.

The types of university

The UK has a long history of education institutions, resulting in a range of types of university. These include:

Ancient universities: Ancient universities include those that were established between the 11th and 16th centuries, including historic institutions such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
Red brick universities: Universities that were established in the 19th century, initially with a focus on STEM subjects, the 6 red brick universities are located in major UK cities. These include institutions such as the University of Manchester, University of Sheffield and the University of Leeds.
Plate glass universities: These include many universities that were established in the 1960’s as part of educational reforms aimed at bringing more universities to the UK. These include universities such as Aston University, the University of Sussex and the University of York.
New universities: These include institutions that were previously Polytechnics and University Colleges, which became Universities during education reforms in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Such universities include Nottingham Trent University, University of Portsmouth and the University of Derby.
Russell Group universities: Describes a group of the top UK research universities, which is composed of universities from a variety of groups including Ancient universities and Red brick universities.

The majority of universities in the UK receive funding from the UK government, which classifies them as public universities, with only 5 fully private universities existing in the UK.

Popular UK cities for students

With so many universities in a comparatively small country, many cities in the UK can stake the claim of being a student city. Cities that are popular destinations for international students in the UK include:

London – The capital city of the UK and the largest city in the UK, London is a truly global city and popular destination for international students the world over
Birmingham – Situated in the West Midlands of England, Birmingham is the second largest city in England and is host to 3 major universities.
Cardiff – The capital city of Wales and 11th largest city in the United Kingdom, Wales is host to 3 major universities.
Liverpool – Located in the North West of England, Liverpool has a rich cultural heritage and is home to several universities.
Manchester – Another city in the North West of England, Manchester is a large city with great sporting heritage and is home to several universities.
Edinburgh – The capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh is a large city with a rich history and home to several universities.
Leeds – Located in the northern county of Yorkshire, Leeds has long been an important trade center of the UK and is home to several universities.
Glasgow – The 4th largest city in the UK and the largest city in Scotland, Glasgow boasts several fine universities.

The top universities in the UK

The UK is home to many of the world’s best universities, with many featuring the top of world university rankings. These include: the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh and the University of Manchester.

Table of the top ranked universities in the UK

University	Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2024	Best Global Universities	QS World University Ranking
University of Oxford	1	5	3
University of Cambridge	5	8	2
Imperial College London	8	13	6
University College London	22	12	9
University of Edinburgh	30	34	22
King’s College London	38	33	40
London School of Economics and Political Science	46	236	45
University of Manchester	51	63	27
University of Bristol	81	93	55
University of Glasgow	87	74	76

We have compiled a list of some of the top universities and higher education providers in the UK to browse below. Click on universities you are interested in below to read more and to see what courses are available for international students.