University of Birmingham

Perhaps the most highly regarded redbrick university in the UK, the University of Birmingham has maintained a general top 20 UK ranking since the early 1990s. It is also the oldest redbrick institution of the six, being granted its Royal Charter in 1900. The institution is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and displays strengths in physics, biosciences, computer sciences and mechanical engineering research.

Birmingham is made up of 16,500 undergraduate and 8,000 postgraduate students. In 2008, the university restructured its offering into five colleges consisting of many different schools; Arts and Law; Engineering and Physical Sciences; Life and Environmental Sciences; Medical and Dental Sciences and Social Sciences. Birmingham is also one of the most popular universities for postgraduate study, with over 350 courses on offer.