The British Red Brick Universities: A Gift from the Victorian Times

The Origin

The term Red Brick University dates back to the Victorian times when a few tertiary education institutions in UK gained independent metropolitan university status before World War I flared up. Victoria Building of the University of Liverpool that has been built in Gothic style with red pressed brick is regarded as the first university in Great Britain to have used the “Red Brick” for construction. It is thus considered as the first Red Brick University that took rise after the Industrial Renaissance of England.

The Six Magnificent Red Brick Universities

Six universities of the United Kingdom are considered to be the original Red Brick universities. These universities are called so due to the style of brickwork used for their architectural design. Once used as a derogatory remark, the term “Red Brick” finely went into commoner use over time and established extravagant connotations leading to the prestige acquired by the universities deservingly. This group of six includes;

·         University of Birmingham

·         University of Bristol

·         University of Leeds

·         University of Liverpool

·         University of Manchester

·         University of Sheffield

Are Red Brick Universities rightly famed?

One might wonder whether all six Red Bricks make it to the anticipated league tables each year or not. The answer is, yes, they do! However, that does not form the most preferable criterion for choosing a university for studying abroad. While bricks in red signify architectural distinction, a lot more goes into the process of university selection.

For this very reason, Red Brick universities are popularly chosen by international students owing not only to their outclass construction but also to their;

·         Academic excellence

·         Exclusive array of courses

·         High graduate employability ratios

·         Subject-specific reputation

·         Cost-effective locations

·         Links to local and global employers; and

·         Provision of co-curricular activities and on-campus amenities

These factors coupled with the obvious elite building style that has successively raised the probability of student intakes at these universities mountain high!

https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/advice/choosing-a-course/what-is-a-red-brick-university-list-of-red-brick-universities

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_brick_university#Civic_university_movement

https://www.ukuni.net/articles/types-uk-universities

https://www.kaplanpathways.com/about/news/red-brick-university/

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