Anonymous
10/01/2025 23:39
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Londoner family here. I don’t think anybody who knows and understands UK unis would be surprised. Outside of Imperial and LSE (as they are STEM heavy and Business/Fin/Econ heavy) that attract kids directly outside of Oxbridge, most Oxbridge rejects end up at either Durham, St Andrews, Warwick, Bath, Exeter unless you want London, then UCL.
we have 3 kids. None of them wanted to stay in London. Didn’t even include one London uni in their 5 UCAS choices.
My 3rd one is applying now. My first two kids had these 5 unis in UCAS. One applied to Econ/Management programs, the other one to History/Politics/IR
1. Oxford/Cambridge (one picked O the other her C)
2. St Andrews
3. Durham
4. Warwick
5. Exeter/Bristol
???
Anonymous
10/01/2025 23:37
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Londoner family here. I don’t think anybody who knows and understands UK unis would be surprised. Outside of Imperial and LSE (as they are STEM heavy and Business/Fin/Econ heavy) that attract kids directly outside of Oxbridge, most Oxbridge rejects end up at either Durham, St Andrews, Warwick, Bath, Exeter unless you want London, then UCL.
we have 3 kids. None of them wanted to stay in London. Didn’t even include one London uni in their 5 UCAS choices.
My 3rd one is applying now. My first two kids had these 5 unis in UCAS. One applied to Econ/Management programs, the other one to History/Politics/IR
1. Oxford/Cambridge (one picked O the other her C)
2. St Andrews
3. Durham
4. Warwick
5. Exeter/Bristol
we have 3 kids. None of them wanted to stay in London. Didn’t even include one London uni in their 5 UCAS choices.
My 3rd one is applying now. My first two kids had these 5 unis in UCAS. One applied to Econ/Management programs, the other one to History/Politics/IR
1. Oxford/Cambridge (one picked O the other her C)
2. St Andrews
3. Durham
4. Warwick
5. Exeter/Bristol
Anonymous
10/01/2025 16:01
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
Durham in their press releases and social media accounts are taking full advantage of their rise in the rankings! Well deserved. Great school.
Anonymous
09/30/2025 14:15
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
US professors would complain non stop if they had to make admissions decisions. They prefer to complain about the student body later on….
Anonymous
09/30/2025 02:33
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
This is an interesting topic. Dept decisions for undergrads vs centralized admissions.
For dept decisions to work, you probably need admissions to the specific major/college like most of the UK. Then sure, it makes sense. But for unis with general education requirements, the US system allows for a centralized admissions process. With the caveat that you are likely getting a 25 yr old reading your essays and making admissions decisions without having a skin in the game later on….
For dept decisions to work, you probably need admissions to the specific major/college like most of the UK. Then sure, it makes sense. But for unis with general education requirements, the US system allows for a centralized admissions process. With the caveat that you are likely getting a 25 yr old reading your essays and making admissions decisions without having a skin in the game later on….
Anonymous
09/29/2025 22:03
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
I agree. But that is because most US unis admit you to the university and not to a specific program. And even the ones who do, the depts are still not involved which is ridiculous.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 19:17
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Not relevant. My DS who is currently studying History at a UK university discovered his core interest overlapped with the main study interest of one of the college professors who is also "director of admissions". So your experience as a US college professor, is moot baby, moot.
PP: Good to know. I stand corrected. So long as I don't have to take an admissions function, I am happy!
I don't feel at all guilty about sending prospective students over to admissions at my day job. Large organizations have divisions for a reason.
Nothing to be guilty about. US admissions are handled by an army of 26 yr olds reading applications…..vs most of the UK where this is done at the Dept level, as it should be.
To me, the fact that faculty lead decisions is the best thing about UK admissions. So much nonsense is taken out of the process.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 17:31
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Not relevant. My DS who is currently studying History at a UK university discovered his core interest overlapped with the main study interest of one of the college professors who is also "director of admissions". So your experience as a US college professor, is moot baby, moot.
A different poster. No need to be rude and your single experience is hardly representative. Sounds like it was fortunate for your child. Hardly likely most kids have core interests that overlap with a professor who also happens to be an admissions director.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 17:28
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Not relevant. My DS who is currently studying History at a UK university discovered his core interest overlapped with the main study interest of one of the college professors who is also "director of admissions". So your experience as a US college professor, is moot baby, moot.
PP: Good to know. I stand corrected. So long as I don't have to take an admissions function, I am happy!
I don't feel at all guilty about sending prospective students over to admissions at my day job. Large organizations have divisions for a reason.
Nothing to be guilty about. US admissions are handled by an army of 26 yr olds reading applications…..vs most of the UK where this is done at the Dept level, as it should be.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 17:06
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Not relevant. My DS who is currently studying History at a UK university discovered his core interest overlapped with the main study interest of one of the college professors who is also "director of admissions". So your experience as a US college professor, is moot baby, moot.
PP: Good to know. I stand corrected. So long as I don't have to take an admissions function, I am happy!
I don't feel at all guilty about sending prospective students over to admissions at my day job. Large organizations have divisions for a reason.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 16:49
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Not relevant. My DS who is currently studying History at a UK university discovered his core interest overlapped with the main study interest of one of the college professors who is also "director of admissions". So your experience as a US college professor, is moot baby, moot.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 16:41
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Nobody is asking you to take on admissions functions. None of these emails are admissions related questions. Our 3 kids went to school in the UK. Every single time they responded. It was never a cold email. It was always structured along the lines as Ï read your commentary on this or that subject, or I read your paper and this is a an area I’m interested in. And believe me or not, Each of my 3 kids had at least 1, if not more professors emailing back. Even two of the programme heads replied and were really appreciative of the questions/commentary.
If you are a department head and you completely ignore a well structured prospective student’s email asking about details in the specific program and you ignore him, then you are doing a disservice to your employer. I guess this is one of the main differences here. Most admissions decisions in the UK are done at the programe level and NOT by 26 yr olds in the admissions office like most US universities.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 16:33
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.
US professor here: things may be very different in the UK, but. . . . I do not interact with prospective undergrads. It's not part of the job description and there wouldn't be enough time in the day to take on the admissions function as well as my own job. When I get admissions queries, I email back with the contact info/ website for undergrad admissions.
As I said, maybe things are much different in the UK, but I have friends who teach there, and I doubt it. I wouldn't count it as a strike against any school if a faculty member bounced you over to admissions.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 16:12
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
A few tips from my tour with my son or my 18 months ago
Contact each university well in advance about a tour. Sometimes they offer group tours and sometimes they will assign a student ambassador to take you around. I think the tours usually take place Monday to Friday.
Warwick University has hotels on campus which provide a good opportunity for some insight into university life on a stand alone campus. Here is the link: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/conferences/bed-and-breakfast/
It was just my son and me, so I bought a Two Together railcard and booked tickets on the National Rail app. The train schedules and routes determined our route and made travelling stressfree. We mostly stayed in hotels a 15-20 min walk from the station.
Contact each university well in advance about a tour. Sometimes they offer group tours and sometimes they will assign a student ambassador to take you around. I think the tours usually take place Monday to Friday.
Warwick University has hotels on campus which provide a good opportunity for some insight into university life on a stand alone campus. Here is the link: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/conferences/bed-and-breakfast/
It was just my son and me, so I bought a Two Together railcard and booked tickets on the National Rail app. The train schedules and routes determined our route and made travelling stressfree. We mostly stayed in hotels a 15-20 min walk from the station.
Anonymous
09/28/2025 14:30
Subject: Final UK undergrad ranking is out as if last night (The Times)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just average them out:
This is the avg using the same weight:
1. Oxford — avg 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE & St Andrews — tied at avg 2.67
3. Durham — avg 4.33
4. Imperial — avg 6.00
5. Warwick — avg 8.00
6. Bath — avg 7.67
7. Loughborough — avg 10.00
8. UCL — avg 10.67
9. Lancaster — avg 11.33
10. Exeter — avg 14.00
Your averages are not correct…. This is the correct avg of all 3:
1. Oxford — 2.33
2. Cambridge / LSE / St Andrews — 2.67
3. Durham — 4.33
4. Imperial — 6.00
5. Bath — 7.67
6. Warwick — 8.00
7. Loughborough — 10.00
8. UCL — 10.67
9. Lancaster — 13.00
10. Bristol — 13.33
11. Exeter — 14.00
I know most on this board only talk about Oxbridge, St Andrews/Durham and LSE and Imperial/UC. But are there many Americans at these other highly ranked UK schools? Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter, etc?
They look like amazing values, but I dont know much about them. DS is a sophomore and is talking about applying to UK universities. Would love to hear someone here with experience talk about these other universities. We plan to visit a couple of them with my son during thanksgiving week and then during spring break. we hope to hit at least 10 schools outside of London or Oxbridge. He is leaning Business/Management or Econ. But he also likes History and Politics.
We are English, but live in the US. The way we looked at it (not my son, he was ready to go back to the UK) was that the schools you mentioned outside of Oxbridge, LSE, St Andrews and Imperial/UCL, are still amazing universities that compare very very well to any US t30-t75. Bath, Warwick, Lancaster, Bristol, Exeter are all great places. We suggest visiting every single one of them and before you go, tell your son to email not only the admissions offices to tell them you are coming, but also email a professor or two (maybe even the dept head of the programme your kid is interested in) to ask questions and maybe meet in person while you are visiting. This will go a long way to help him decide which ones he wants to apply to.