Does it matter where you get your undergraduate degree?

@PQ and @jneill I can almost sense the hair being pulled out in exasperation.

@Arcane1729 - have you ever heard the quote: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."?

No. It makes no difference at all. All that matters is your degree classification and relevance of your subject. After Undergrad, your University counts for absolutely nothing.

So if a first class graduate from Bolton wants to do a PhD at Oxbridge they'll easily get in then?

Comparing exam papers without comparing marking schemes/levels, coursework content/marking and the algorithm for determining degree classification is again making a judgement without the full information. It's like judging which person is tallest based on their shirt size.

Easily? No.
Can a first class graduate from Lancaster easily get in to do a PhD? No.
Can a first class graduate from UCL easily get in to do a PhD? No.

Average PhD offer rate at Cambridge for UK applicants is approx 1 in 3. So no one gets in "easily".

They can all apply and be considered along with everyone else. The last thing that Oxbridge is worried about is their prior university.

I find it very hard to believe that the last thing that Oxbridge is worried about is the prior university. .

I find it very hard to believe that the last thing that Oxbridge is worried about is the prior university.

Everything matters, your degree, your specialization, your grade and surely but very surely the university in which you did your degree. I mean come on people we know how much more difficult it is to finish a degree in a top ranked university compared to a low ranked ex-poly. Anybody denying this is just lying to himself and others.

And since there is a difference in difficulty in finishing the degree then this will obviously have an effect on admissions to a PhD program or anything else you apply for after your undergraduate degree.

Do employers or admissions for Masters/PhD people even care where you got it?

PhD entry is much more like applying for a job than undergrad and Masters applications. You need to be the right person for the specified research project. At somewhere like Cambridge, meeting the application requirement in terms of your grade, is just the starting point. You could have a 1st from UCL and still be useless for a PhD project, and be rejected before short-listing.

You need to have two excellent academic references, write a top notch application which demonstrates your suitability for that specific project, and if short-listed, carry off an interview and/or presentation like a champ. If you can deliver all of this, the name of your undergrad uni is entirely irrelevant.

Nobody would be rejected from a PhD shortlist solely based on the name of their previous uni. By the same token, nobody would get shortlisted solely based on being from a top-flight uni.

Source: I've attended Oxford, a Russel Group and post-82 uni and studied to PhD level, currently working in a uni.

You might find it hard to believe but it's still the case.

You could even say that achieving a First at a "lesser" university is quite an accomplishment and would be seen favourably.

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Ok the arrogance of your reply left me with no sleep so I did the following. I contacted a professor who I knew very good from my former university (which is a well reputable university). The professor is in charge for the PhD entry and she used to decide previously also for the MSc. entry, she told me the following.

While many things are taken into consideration for a PhD entry, university reputation is also something we heavily look into. Depending on the course the admission team may assign a different subjective weighting to the reputation of the university.

So in short university reputation does count both for MSc. entry as well as for PhD entry.

So before you make such arrogant statements "jneill from TSR support team" the first thing you should do is to question academics, so actually people who take these decisions, from well reputable universities and see what they have to say about all this.

And once more I am not saying that university repuations is the only thing that counts and I do acknowelddge that someone with a First from a "lesser" university could be seen favorably, but stating that it plays no role whatsoever is a gross over simplification and at best misleading.

I contacted a professor who I knew very good from my former university (which is a well reputable university). The professor is in charge for the PhD entry and she used to decide previously also for the MSc. entry, she told me the following...

Well, if I were an employer, I would much rather hire someone who got a first from a lesser known university, than hire someone who barely passed their degree from Cambridge.

@jneill is an extremely well respected, thoughtful and knowledgeable member here whose considered, researched and well-evidenced posts have done a huge amount to dispel myths about Oxbridge applications and encourage those who wouldn't otherwise dream of applying to 'give it a go'.

You, on the other hand, are spouting bilge. One anecdotal conversation with a 'professor' from one university does not a trend make. Read the comments above: from those who know, rather than think they know - those who have gone through the process and have studied for a Ph.D. at Oxbridge.

I will add to this - the university at which you did your undergrad is, by and large, totally irrelevant to your chances of being accepted onto a Ph.D. programme. Prior experience of research, clear aims and a focussed research proposal closely allied to the project on offer, excellent references - these are the important things.

Source - undergrad and Ph.D at Cambridge. One of our group had done Biochemistry at a plate-glass uni...