UK universities are the most popular institutes, universities and colleges in the UK. Detailed descriptions of study programs, reviews, photos and videos about universities in the UK.
The UK education system is considered one of the best in the world – and this is not surprising: it was here that the first higher education institutions appeared, many of which function to this day. Back in the distant 12th century, two of the most famous universities in Great Britain were founded at once – Oxford and Cambridge. And already in the 15th and 16th centuries, universities began to open in Scotland and other regions of the country. Many of the higher educational institutions that arose in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and are still functioning are unofficially referred to as “old universities”. See Liuxers.com for information about University of Heidelberg.
In general, the British are used to dividing everything into groups and giving names to different categories. It’s the same with universities. So, the old universities are Oxford and Cambridge in England, as well as four universities in Scotland (in Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Aberdeen and Glasgow) and one more in Ireland – Dublin. They were replaced at the very beginning of the 20th century by new universities, reorganized from colleges of applied disciplines.
Five universities in the country: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield are informally referred to as “red brick universities”.
The buildings of educational buildings and academic campuses of many new universities were built of red brick – hence the name for such a distinctive feature. Initially, the name was dismissive: how can universities that have grown out of ordinary colleges compete with old universities that have built up a reputation for themselves over the centuries? New universities developed rapidly, but were perceived as “upstarts” compared to the old universities.
However, with the opening of even more new universities – in the 60s. 20th century – the term “red brick” has become a symbol of high respectability. The “old new” universities were no longer equated with upstarts, as they proved their right to exist by the high level of education of graduates. A new term appeared – “leaf glass universities” – these were the new universities to which the University of Sussex and the University of East Anglia belonged, as well as some others.
The UK education system is considered one of the best in the world – and this is not surprising: it was here that the first higher education institutions appeared, many of which function to this day.
Thus, from three different temporary groupings of universities, a complete picture of higher education institutions in the UK has been formed. Today, many universities have the status of public universities, but the British do not have such a thing as free education – both local residents and foreign students have to pay. But the cost of education is fully justified – as we said above, British education is considered one of the best in the world, as it incomprehensibly combines centuries-old traditions and the most modern teaching technologies, as well as the latest equipment and high professionalism of teachers.
Anyone can enter the country’s universities, but the most important requirement is an excellent knowledge of English. If you are going to enter here, you can improve the level of English in special courses – Foundation – this is something like preparatory courses. During their passage, foreign applicants, in addition to specialized training, can take an intensive language course, as well as learn more about what education in the UK is and on what conditions it is provided.
In addition to being the best universities in the world in terms of quality of education, many of them are also the most beautiful.
For example, the University of Glasgow in Scotland, established by a papal bull back in 1451, is a real castle in the Gothic style with an abundance of towers and sharp spiers. And the most striking example of “red-brick” universities today is Royal Holloway University in London. The building of bright red brick, which has not faded with time, is stylized as the Château de Chambord in France – an architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance. Oxford University is the second oldest university in the world and the oldest university in the UK. Founded supposedly in 1096, the university occupies a magnificent old complex of buildings in the town of Oxford, among which the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe’s round rotunda and Magdalen College stand out.
