How does a Non- RG uni for economics affect me

What post-grad studies do you want to do?

If you get a first from Leicester then you should be able to apply to anything you want.

Post-grad studies are not nearly as competitive as undergrad. You'll still be competing for limited spaces, but against fewer people and with a clearer idea about what you want.

If you had a first from Leicester with really excellent module results, there is no reason why you couldn't get in to Oxford or Cambridge to do an MPhil or MSc.

Even with a good 2:1, the universities you've mentioned like York, Sheffield and even Durham would seriously consider your application.

The fact that Leicester is not a RG uni will make little difference if you've got a good degree. The RG is really just a lobby-group established to promote the interests of a small selection of universities who have high research outputs - basically to petition the government as one collective body on matters over funding, student numbers, fees, etc. It isn't a measure of academic excellence or prestige, though many people have (incorrectly) come to believe it is some objective ranking system of the "best" universities. But the universities themselves established it and control its membership, so it's far from objective. There are lots of highly regarded universities that aren't part of the group, like St. Andrews, Bath and Reading - and Leicester too, which is deemed to be "highly selective" by the Sutton Trust, a much more objective educational charity.

wow, thank you very much for the information you have provided. I’m guessing when you say consider you mean they would accept the grades and then do a further scaling down depending on the personal statement/reference letter just like the undergraduate places? Thank you again for your time and patience

Yeah the grades are just the minimum requirement for applying. They want to see a good degree, of course, but they will consider it alongside your references and anything else they've asked you to provide, like a personal statement, research proposal or CV. (Different universities ask for different things in a postgrad application).

Like I said, any of those universities would seriously consider you with a First or a 2:1 from Leicester - it's a good university that is just coincidentally not part of the RG.

Hi everyone!

I recently got my results and did not get the result I wanted, much lower in fact and I ended up having to go to Leicester university a Non- RG uni for economics BSC, how does that affect my post-grad studies if I were to do a RG uni or apply for internships/insight weeks?
Thank you

With respect to MSc Economics courses (I assume this is what you mean?), as others have posted, postgrad economics places are way way less competitive than undergraduate places. I know people who've studied at places like Leicester who've gone onto the Bristol/Durham/Bath/Nottingham (and even Warwick on one occasion). For example, I know someone who went to an arguably worse uni than Leicester for economics, got a first, and then got a Durham scholarship.

Although I think it's important to note that while for admission is definitely possible, the bigger challenge is the actual courses themselves. Typically MSc courses spend the first two weeks doing undergrad recap (usually just in maths/stats/econometrics), then the actual modules lead on largely from that uni's undergrad syllabus. And here lies the issue that catches some people out. If you're upgrading the quality of your institution too much, the gap between what you've been taught and what you're expected to know at the start of the MSc can sometimes be quite large, hampering you in the modules. This is why places like Oxbridge/LSE make you detail all your undergrad modules and the textbooks used, and it's this reason that would make the prospects for admission to the top top unis somewhat unlikely despite what an above poster has suggested. But you can certainly upgrade significantly at MSc level.

With respect to internships and insight weeks, what industries do you mean specifically? Some financial and consulting firms place an unfortunately large weight on your undergrad institution in the recruitment process, however the vast majority now do it through online tests so Leicester might not hold you back significantly. One of the things that can catch people out is that many banks/consultancies have minimum a-level requirements (usually AAB/ABB) that you need to even apply to many roles, even for spring weeks/summer internships. So if you scored below this minimum requirement, it could be relatively harder (but still possible) to get insight days/spring weeks/internships/grad roles.