As you heard in the video clip not all universities are the same. The higher education sector has grown over the last hundred years or so and presents you with a wide and varied choice of institutions to study at. Let’s look a little more closely at the different types of higher educational institutions you might come across in your research.
| Type of Institution | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| 'Ancient' Universities | Have their origins stretching back to the Middle Ages. | Cambridge, Oxford, St Andrews |
| 'Red Brick' Universities | Founded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in major English cities. | Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester |
| 'Plate Glass' Universities | Developed in the 1960s. Characterised by being “Campus” universities. | Brunel, Sussex, Warwick |
| 'New' Universities | Prior to 1992 these institutions were Polytechnics and Teacher Training Colleges specialising in mainly vocational degrees. | Bournemouth, Kingston, London South Bank |
| Traditional Specialist Institutions | Offering study in and related to a particular subject area particularly in the creative and performing arts but also in areas like agriculture. | Harper Adams, Royal Academy of Music, University of the Arts London |
| Private Sector Universities | Often offering 2 year degrees in areas such as Business and Financial and related subjects. | BPP University, Buckingham, Pearson College |
| Further Education Colleges | You will find that your local college will often offer the opportunity to study for a degree. |
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