University of Birmingham

An old industrial splurge of a conurbation in the centre of England, Birmingham has all the razzmatazz for a successful student lifestyle: shops galore and a club scene to rival London's but without the pricetag, pretension and big brother reality rejects. Plus loads of bars, restaurants, gig venues and a helluva lot of curry. The redbrick University is 2½ miles out of town on an island of greenery in Edgbaston...more detail It’s a cheery, chummy, middle-class sort of place, with a big emphasis on sport – and a militant rivalry with Loughborough on the pitch...more on sports Birmingham University has a strong reputation across the (mortar)board, plus mind-boggling library/computer resources and a diamond-hard research record...more on academic All first years are guaranteed accommodation, provided they make the deadline. Housing is fiercely expensive, although much has been refurbished and none is heinously awful. Externally it can be tough to find a decent pad at a pretty price. But as just about everyone descends on the same neighbourhood – Selly Oak – it makes for a chummy (and slightly claustrophobic) atmosphere...more on housing Buckets of supportive cash slosh around...more on welfare

Woohoo: Jugs full of student fun both in the bar and on the pitch
Boohoo: Some may feel suffocated in Selly Oak's student bubble

Tel: (0121) 414 6727
E-mail: admissions@bham.ac.uk
Website: www.bham.ac.uk