does it really make a difference if i go to a non russell group uni??
so my top two unis i'd like to go to are Uni of Liverpool and Uni of Manchester and then i'd also like to apply to ljmu, mmu, and chester. I was looking at mmu just now and the actual campus and accom seems to look so much nicer than uom. i wonder if there's actually a major difference in where i do my degree in terms of like job prospects and stuff. surely as long as i have a degree, it doesn't really matter where i have studied?? im just curious as i know russell groups are prestigious but is it really worth it?? i've always kind of held this standard for myself that i will go to a russell group and now that ive got to year 12, im not even sure ill get in. for context im planning on doing biology/microbiology at uni. also has anyone got much experience with any of the unis i've mentioned?
Reply 1
Doesn’t matter, russell group unis aren’t necessarily better
Reply 2
20
RG is just a marketing idea thought up by some of the older Uni who ran scared when the old Polytechnics got Uni status about 30 years ago. Its essentially a nonsense - and even academics and other staff at RG Unis acknowledge its a nonsense.
Their courses are not 'better' and your life will not be magically enhanced just because you went to one of these Unis. There are numerous excellent Unis that are not part of RG and their graduates are clearly highly employable. Pick the Unis where you will feel comfortable and the courses that interests you - that is far more important than fake Uni snobbery.
Their courses are not 'better' and your life will not be magically enhanced just because you went to one of these Unis. There are numerous excellent Unis that are not part of RG and their graduates are clearly highly employable. Pick the Unis where you will feel comfortable and the courses that interests you - that is far more important than fake Uni snobbery.
Reply 3
Original post
by evsurferso my top two unis i'd like to go to are Uni of Liverpool and Uni of Manchester and then i'd also like to apply to ljmu, mmu, and chester. I was looking at mmu just now and the actual campus and accom seems to look so much nicer than uom. i wonder if there's actually a major difference in where i do my degree in terms of like job prospects and stuff. surely as long as i have a degree, it doesn't really matter where i have studied?? im just curious as i know russell groups are prestigious but is it really worth it?? i've always kind of held this standard for myself that i will go to a russell group and now that ive got to year 12, im not even sure ill get in. for context im planning on doing biology/microbiology at uni. also has anyone got much experience with any of the unis i've mentioned?
Non-RG can often be better - look at the course content - is it giving you what you need for employability? A year in industry, for example, is often useful in getting that first job
Reply 4
Hey there , I agree with the sentiments shared by everyone else on this post .
Russel groups are well known universities that rank highest in the country and similarly rank well internationally and so there is some merit to selecting these as a first choice but there they aren't your only choice . And your selection of your university should be based on your own criteria , I wanted to study at a university that was inclusive , accredited my course , had good industry standard facilities , good work opportunities , sufficient academic support and related clubs I could join . My university wasn't ranked the highest for research because that wasn't a concern of mine and they've exceeded my expectations , I did a research internship during studies and managed to secure a graduate role early on in my third year with the help of our careers team . In my three years I took part in countless career events and internships offered through my university that made my decision well worth it .
Ultimately it depends on what is important to you , employability was important to me and a picked a university that ranked high for that . I hope this helps .
Cece 😁
Energy Engineering student
Russel groups are well known universities that rank highest in the country and similarly rank well internationally and so there is some merit to selecting these as a first choice but there they aren't your only choice . And your selection of your university should be based on your own criteria , I wanted to study at a university that was inclusive , accredited my course , had good industry standard facilities , good work opportunities , sufficient academic support and related clubs I could join . My university wasn't ranked the highest for research because that wasn't a concern of mine and they've exceeded my expectations , I did a research internship during studies and managed to secure a graduate role early on in my third year with the help of our careers team . In my three years I took part in countless career events and internships offered through my university that made my decision well worth it .
Ultimately it depends on what is important to you , employability was important to me and a picked a university that ranked high for that . I hope this helps .
Cece 😁
Energy Engineering student
Reply 5
20
Original post
by De Montfort UniversityHey there , I agree with the sentiments shared by everyone else on this post .
Russel groups are well known universities that rank highest in the country and similarly rank well internationally and so there is some merit to selecting these as a first choice but there they aren't your only choice . And your selection of your university should be based on your own criteria , I wanted to study at a university that was inclusive , accredited my course , had good industry standard facilities , good work opportunities , sufficient academic support and related clubs I could join . My university wasn't ranked the highest for research because that wasn't a concern of mine and they've exceeded my expectations , I did a research internship during studies and managed to secure a graduate role early on in my third year with the help of our careers team . In my three years I took part in countless career events and internships offered through my university that made my decision well worth it .
Ultimately it depends on what is important to you , employability was important to me and a picked a university that ranked high for that . I hope this helps .
Cece 😁
Energy Engineering student
Russel groups are well known universities that rank highest in the country and similarly rank well internationally and so there is some merit to selecting these as a first choice but there they aren't your only choice . And your selection of your university should be based on your own criteria , I wanted to study at a university that was inclusive , accredited my course , had good industry standard facilities , good work opportunities , sufficient academic support and related clubs I could join . My university wasn't ranked the highest for research because that wasn't a concern of mine and they've exceeded my expectations , I did a research internship during studies and managed to secure a graduate role early on in my third year with the help of our careers team . In my three years I took part in countless career events and internships offered through my university that made my decision well worth it .
Ultimately it depends on what is important to you , employability was important to me and a picked a university that ranked high for that . I hope this helps .
Cece 😁
Energy Engineering student
It is Russell Group - and its a collective noun.
that rank highest in the country and similarly rank well internationally and so there is some merit to selecting these as a first choice
Rankings and League Tables are a nonsense and mean nothing sensible in the real world. The vast majority of employers don't care, and even academics dont take them seriously. There is no 'merit' in just picking any University because its brand name has a sticker on it.
Reply 6
Original post
by evsurferso my top two unis i'd like to go to are Uni of Liverpool and Uni of Manchester and then i'd also like to apply to ljmu, mmu, and chester. I was looking at mmu just now and the actual campus and accom seems to look so much nicer than uom. i wonder if there's actually a major difference in where i do my degree in terms of like job prospects and stuff. surely as long as i have a degree, it doesn't really matter where i have studied?? im just curious as i know russell groups are prestigious but is it really worth it?? i've always kind of held this standard for myself that i will go to a russell group and now that ive got to year 12, im not even sure ill get in. for context im planning on doing biology/microbiology at uni. also has anyone got much experience with any of the unis i've mentioned?
Hi there!
As has already been said, whilst rankings/league tables can be a useful source of initial inspiration for looking into unis, they should not be a defining factor in your decision because rankings/RG status cannot tell you whether you will enjoy life and study there.
There are plenty of all-round high-performing unis not in the Russell Group, such as St Andrews, Loughborough, Lancaster, Bath, Strathclyde, Leicester, East Anglia and Reading, all of which have different specialisms. Bath, for example, is known for having one of the safest cities in the UK, a very high-performing business school and engineering faculty, as well as one of the best industrial placement schemes in the country.
Open days/attending course presentations, chatting to current students and thinking about the course contents are far more reliable indicators of whether you will enjoy studying at a uni than its RG status or its ranking position.
I hope this adds and helps a bit, best of luck with your next steps 🙂
University of Bath
Reply 7
Original post
by evsurferso my top two unis i'd like to go to are Uni of Liverpool and Uni of Manchester and then i'd also like to apply to ljmu, mmu, and chester. I was looking at mmu just now and the actual campus and accom seems to look so much nicer than uom. i wonder if there's actually a major difference in where i do my degree in terms of like job prospects and stuff. surely as long as i have a degree, it doesn't really matter where i have studied?? im just curious as i know russell groups are prestigious but is it really worth it?? i've always kind of held this standard for myself that i will go to a russell group and now that ive got to year 12, im not even sure ill get in. for context im planning on doing biology/microbiology at uni. also has anyone got much experience with any of the unis i've mentioned?
Hey there!
Great question! No, generally, it doesn't make a major difference where you study for job prospects.
As long as you get a good degree, employers usually care more about your skills, any work experience you gain, and your enthusiasm than just the uni's "group."
Choose where you'll be happiest and thrive – that's often what truly matters for your success!
Hope this helps! 😊
Rachel - Undergraduate Multimedia Journalism
Reply 8
The Russell Group is a bit of an artificial construct and is largely composed of universities who have amongst the best reputations for research, which is probably less of an issue for most undergraduate degrees.
Having said that, I think some of the comments above are being a bit naive if they think going to a Russell Group university doesn't make much difference for your job prospects after graduation.
It depends on the industry you want to work in but there are definitely sectors that tend to recruit almost exclusively from the RG or a smaller subset of it.
One thing that perhaps carries more weight now compared to where you studied is experience of work placements or internships. There was a study published a few years ago showing that graduates from non-RG unis were much more likely to need internship experience to get a graduate level job than people who went to an RG uni.
In that respect, courses which have a full placement year could be really helpful when it comes to looking for a permanent job.
There are quite a lot of recent Computer Science graduates struggling to find jobs despite it being a hot degree not long ago. Many of those have no relevant work experience so are finding it particularly tough.
Having said that, I think some of the comments above are being a bit naive if they think going to a Russell Group university doesn't make much difference for your job prospects after graduation.
It depends on the industry you want to work in but there are definitely sectors that tend to recruit almost exclusively from the RG or a smaller subset of it.
One thing that perhaps carries more weight now compared to where you studied is experience of work placements or internships. There was a study published a few years ago showing that graduates from non-RG unis were much more likely to need internship experience to get a graduate level job than people who went to an RG uni.
In that respect, courses which have a full placement year could be really helpful when it comes to looking for a permanent job.
There are quite a lot of recent Computer Science graduates struggling to find jobs despite it being a hot degree not long ago. Many of those have no relevant work experience so are finding it particularly tough.
Reply 9
Original post
by McGingerRG is just a marketing idea thought up by some of the older Uni who ran scared when the old Polytechnics got Uni status about 30 years ago. Its essentially a nonsense - and even academics and other staff at RG Unis acknowledge its a nonsense.
Their courses are not 'better' and your life will not be magically enhanced just because you went to one of these Unis. There are numerous excellent Unis that are not part of RG and their graduates are clearly highly employable. Pick the Unis where you will feel comfortable and the courses that interests you - that is far more important than fake Uni snobbery.
Their courses are not 'better' and your life will not be magically enhanced just because you went to one of these Unis. There are numerous excellent Unis that are not part of RG and their graduates are clearly highly employable. Pick the Unis where you will feel comfortable and the courses that interests you - that is far more important than fake Uni snobbery.
Amen to that.
Reply 10
Hi there,
It’s already been talked about in depth above - but RG unis aren’t necessarily better than non-RG, though they seem more prestigious.
You will find that most employers don’t tend to care about what university you studied at, they just care about the degree, and sometimes the classification you achieve at the end!
That being said, I would look at universities that have accredited Biology courses - both RG and non-RG. Being professionally accredited is more likely to increase employability compared to which university you attended.
LJMU’s BSc (Hons) Biology programme is professionally accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, so it’s great that it’s on your list! I’ll pop the link to the course page below:
https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduates/2025/30159-biology-bsc-hons
I also noticed that you’re thinking of applying to 2 unis in Lpool and 2 in Manchester (1RG and non-RG each). When you come to finalse firm/insurance, I would pick the university that you prefer the most, over its reputation. If you chose LJMU over UoL, you will still have most of the same experiences living in Liverpool as a student as a UoL student - and you will also end up with the same degree at the end of the day, regardless of where it is taught.
Hope that helps?
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)
It’s already been talked about in depth above - but RG unis aren’t necessarily better than non-RG, though they seem more prestigious.
You will find that most employers don’t tend to care about what university you studied at, they just care about the degree, and sometimes the classification you achieve at the end!
That being said, I would look at universities that have accredited Biology courses - both RG and non-RG. Being professionally accredited is more likely to increase employability compared to which university you attended.
LJMU’s BSc (Hons) Biology programme is professionally accredited by the Royal Society of Biology, so it’s great that it’s on your list! I’ll pop the link to the course page below:
https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduates/2025/30159-biology-bsc-hons
I also noticed that you’re thinking of applying to 2 unis in Lpool and 2 in Manchester (1RG and non-RG each). When you come to finalse firm/insurance, I would pick the university that you prefer the most, over its reputation. If you chose LJMU over UoL, you will still have most of the same experiences living in Liverpool as a student as a UoL student - and you will also end up with the same degree at the end of the day, regardless of where it is taught.
Hope that helps?
Jorja (LJMU Student Rep)
(edited 7 months ago)
Reply 11
Original post
by evsurferso my top two unis i'd like to go to are Uni of Liverpool and Uni of Manchester and then i'd also like to apply to ljmu, mmu, and chester. I was looking at mmu just now and the actual campus and accom seems to look so much nicer than uom. i wonder if there's actually a major difference in where i do my degree in terms of like job prospects and stuff. surely as long as i have a degree, it doesn't really matter where i have studied?? im just curious as i know russell groups are prestigious but is it really worth it?? i've always kind of held this standard for myself that i will go to a russell group and now that ive got to year 12, im not even sure ill get in. for context im planning on doing biology/microbiology at uni. also has anyone got much experience with any of the unis i've mentioned?
Hi @evsurfer
It's good to hear that Chester is a contender in your research 🙂
I tend to agree that most employers will be looking at the skills and experience you gained during your studies, over where you studied. I can't speak for other universities, but at Chester our courses are really career focused, ensuring that you graduate feeling confident to enter the workplace.
Our Biology BSc is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) and includes both laboratory-based biology work and fieldwork. For any course related questions, our Biology Programme Leader, Robert Coleman, would be happy to chat with you. You can reach him via email on [email protected].
Whilst I'm not sure that we have any current Biology students available to chat with online, you might wish to chat with some current students more broadly about studying at Chester. If so, you can do that here.
Choosing a university is a really personal choice and there are lots of factors to consider, so I'd always recommend trying to visit as many as you can during Open Days. They help you compare and get a real feel for the place. Don't forget to make use of any travel bursaries that may be available!
Let us know if you have any questions specific to Chester and good luck with your research.
Best wishes,
Becky
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does it really make a difference if i go to a non russell group uni??
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