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Your support makes all the difference.Students applying to university this autumn: forget about teaching and research quality, or the graduate employment rate of the institution your heart so desires to go to because, next year, it’s all about which uni has the best student nightlife.
Having surveyed thousands of undergrads*, Which? University has found it’s the unis in the north that are best if you’re looking to party the night away, with Northumbria and Newcastle jointly taking the top spot.
And if you’re looking for the best political and creative scenes, it’s south you should go; SOAS, University of London for budding political enthusiasts, and Falmouth University, University of the Arts, London, and Norwich University of the Arts all taking joint first for being the most creative.
The new research has also revealed the nation’s top institutions for sports and students’ union activity - the University of Leeds best for having the most active students’ union, and Loughborough for being the most sporty - to help take the chore out of the task that is choosing the best place to study for a degree.
Final results
Universities with the best student nightlife
Northumbria University
Newcastle University
University of Liverpool
University of Leeds
University of Sussex
University of Manchester
London School of Economics
Liverpool John Moores University
Manchester Metropolitan
University of Bristol
Nottingham Trent University
Best students’ unions
University of Leeds
University of Sheffield
Loughborough University
Cardiff University
Most political universities
SOAS, University of London
University of Oxford
London School of Economics
University of Sussex
Most creative
Falmouth University
University of the Arts, London
Norwich University of the Arts
Goldsmiths, University of London
Bath Spa University
Best for sports
Loughborough University
University of Bath
Durham University
Cardiff Metropolitan
Students also voted the University of East Anglia, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, and the University of Sheffield as the best all-rounder universities, all of which scored highly across all categories.
Alex Neill, Which? director of campaigns and policy said: “There are many factors to consider when deciding where to go to university, so hearing how current students rate their university - on everything from nightlife to the political scene - can be really useful.
“It’s always worth taking some time to consider all the options and do some research into what each university offers you before you make your decision.”
Ucas applications for the 2017/18 university intake will open on 6 September and, for the majority of undergraduate courses, will close on 15 January 2017. Visit Ucas for a detailed list of key dates.
*On behalf of Which? University, YouthSight analysed survey data from over 11,000 students across 117 universities from the 2014/15 and 2015/16 academic years. See full results here. Results in bold are those ranked as the best
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