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Is University of Birmingham prestigious and respected well enough in UK ?

Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .

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Original post by Avocados for
Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .

There is no league table for "prestige" or "respect", so any replies you get (including my own) will be subjective.

I would say that, generally speaking, it's not as well respected as Warwick (which you left). However, it's probably in the top 15% of UK universities in terms of those nebulous qualities. Is that "respected well enough" for you?

(You've used the word "elite"; I don't think many people would describe the University of Birmingham as elite.)
Original post by Avocados for
Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .


There are only like 5 to 7 universities in the UK that can claim to be elite.

There only 11 universities in the UK that can claim to be prestigious. And Birmingham is not one of them; Warwick is.

Birmingham is a top university that is in the Top 20 (most likely in the range of 14th to 19th).
Original post by Avocados for
Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .

Elite would be an overstatement, when I think 'elite' I think of the top 3 universities in the UK, or top 10 globally etc. UoB is part of the 'prestigious' russel group universities in the UK and is ranked 14th but obviously changes based on subject.

It is a well respected university and often called prestigious because of its ranking, but not top of the top. It is among nottingham, manchester, etc as the universities that are considered as at the highly respected but not elite universities
Reply 4
Original post by Avocados for
Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .

It is generally not regarded quite as highly as Warwick, but it is not far behind. It is in about the top 10% of unis in the U.K., so I guess you can call it “elite” on that measure.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by RoyalBeams
There are only like 5 to 7 universities in the UK that can claim to be elite.

There only 11 universities in the UK that can claim to be prestigious. And Birmingham is not one of them; Warwick is.

Birmingham is a top university that is in the Top 20 (most likely in the range of 14th to 19th).

At the risk of triggering yet another fatuous thread about university rankings, I am curious as to which 11 universities can claim to be prestigious. Why not 10 or 12?
Original post by Supermature
At the risk of triggering yet another fatuous thread about university rankings, I am curious as to which 11 universities can claim to be prestigious. Why not 10 or 12?

It is not 10 or 12 because 11 were the ones who form a cluster that differentiate themselves in prestige clearly from the rest.

The 11 are Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol and Warwick.

The UK essentially has the following demarcations:

Top 2 - Oxford and Cambridge (Jaw Dropping)

Top 5 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial and UCL (Elite)

Top 7 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL and Edinburgh (World Class)

Top 11 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol and Warwick (Prestigious)

Top 19 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol, Warwick, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham, Exeter, Bath and York (Great Unis)

Top 28 - Whole of Russell Group plus St Andrews, Bath, SOAS and Lancaster (Top Unis)

It is difficult to do Top 3, Top 10, Top 15, Top 20 or Top 30 because the demarcation between potential candidates becomes harder.
(edited 1 year ago)
@Avocados for, I should also point out that selecting a university based upon its "prestige" is a lousy way to make such an important decision.

You've proven that yourself by saying, "I left Warwick due to the lack of good module". Warwick is an excellent university, but clearly wasn't right for you.
Reply 8
Original post by Avocados for
Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .

Outside of its maths course and links to investment banking I'm not sure of Warwick is necessarily considered more prestigious than Birmingham.
Original post by Smack
Outside of its maths course and links to investment banking I'm not sure of Warwick is necessarily considered more prestigious than Birmingham.


It is.

You seem to have forgoten its Economics and Business/Management courses.

While on the other hand, Birmingham only seem to be generally known to exceed Warwick with its Sports courses.

Not only can one look at the disparity in the quantity of courses Warwick is more prestigious; Maths, Economics and Business/Management are more linked to prestige than Sports sciences.
I absolutely understand your point of view it’s just that making such a crucial decision is many a times overwhelming and since Warwick was my dream university and surprisingly I got in for ( law) but the modules were not satisfactory for me and what I wanted to study so I went with Birmingham which was my second choice
I guess the overthinking and everything compelled me to this point.
Original post by Avocados for
... Warwick was my dream university and surprisingly I got in for ( law) but the modules were not satisfactory for me and what I wanted to study so I went with Birmingham which was my second choice
I guess the overthinking and everything compelled me to this point.

And you can rest assured that a Law degree from Birmingham will be every bit as valuable as a Law degree from Warwick. I say that both as an Educational Researcher and a Warwick graduate.
Original post by Supermature
And you can rest assured that a Law degree from Birmingham will be every bit as valuable as a Law degree from Warwick. I say that both as an Educational Researcher and a Warwick graduate.

well said
( moreover, think some posters above should also look at the world
QS rankings for 2024
Durham, St. Andrews and Exeter are not necessarily quite so outstanding in global terms
- unlike Manchester which ranks at 32!)
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by RoyalBeams
It is not 10 or 12 because 11 were the ones who form a cluster that differentiate themselves in prestige clearly from the rest.

The 11 are Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol and Warwick.

The UK essentially has the following demarcations:

Top 2 - Oxford and Cambridge (Jaw Dropping)

Top 5 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial and UCL (Elite)

Top 7 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL and Edinburgh (World Class)

Top 11 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol and Warwick (Prestigious)

Top 19 - Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol, Warwick, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham, Exeter, Bath and York (Great Unis)

Top 28 - Whole of Russell Group plus St Andrews, Bath, SOAS and Lancaster (Top Unis)

It is difficult to do Top 3, Top 10, Top 15, Top 20 or Top 30 because the demarcation between potential candidates becomes harder.

Your Top 11 is very similar to the original Sutton 13, except that you seem to have promoted KCL and relegated, Birmingham, Nottingham and York.

I appreciate that you have taken a great interest in which universities are perceived as "prestigious" but there is no hard and fast evidence to support the view that there are such fine grained distinctions between those universities that are generally regarded as maintaining consistently high standards, and which appear every year somewhere in the top 30 of all the various UK rankings.

As we have seen in the case of @Avocados for, it is a mistake to place too much emphasis on notions of prestige and the shifting sands of rankings. What matters is that applicants choose the university that has the right characteristics for them, and, in particular, the right course content. In this case, it would appear that Birmingham would have been a better choice than Warwick in the first instance.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by RoyalBeams
It is not 10 or 12 because 11 were the ones who form a cluster that differentiate themselves in prestige clearly from the rest.

The 11 are Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Durham, St Andrews, Bristol and Warwick.

In YOUR opinion - not mine. Bristol - ha! Imperial - and LSE - both toxic.

Please don't present your opinion as fact. For some degrees I wouldn't choose any of these.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by Avocados for
Since I am a non British it would be really great if one could give me an insight upon the University of Birmingham and that if it is really as respectful and elite as it seems on the internet because I left Warwick due to the lack of good modules and so I am a bit sceptical over it all .


Not elite, but still very respected and you can get a good degree out of it.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by gregregregreg
Elite would be an overstatement, when I think 'elite' I think of the top 3 universities in the UK, or top 10 globally etc. UoB is part of the 'prestigious' russel group universities in the UK and is ranked 14th but obviously changes based on subject.

It is a well respected university and often called prestigious because of its ranking, but not top of the top. It is among nottingham, manchester, etc as the universities that are considered as at the highly respected but not elite universities


I think Manchester trumps those two? was ranked 26 in the world last year
Their phil dept is fab
Youngsters have zero idea on QS rankings methodology.
Original post by Avocados for
I absolutely understand your point of view it’s just that making such a crucial decision is many a times overwhelming and since Warwick was my dream university and surprisingly I got in for ( law) but the modules were not satisfactory for me and what I wanted to study so I went with Birmingham which was my second choice
I guess the overthinking and everything compelled me to this point.

For Law, Warwick and Birmingham have very similar reputations and employment prospects, so Birmingham is the right choice for you if you prefer the modules there. Best of luck.
(edited 1 year ago)

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