Types of Universities
British universities greatly differ from each other. They differ in the date of foundation, in size, history, organization, tradition, methods of instruction, way of student life.
1) The most prestigious universities are the oldest ones. Oxford & Cambridge (Oxbridge or Camford) are the best.
They date from the 12th & 13th centuries.
Scotland has 4 ancient universities: - St. Andrew’s
- Glasgow
- Edinburgh
- Aberdeen.
They date from the 15th & 16th centuries.
2) In the 19th & the early 20th century the so-called Redbrick universities were founded.
These include London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield & Birmingham.
They were organized to educate students in industrial regions.
They draw most of their students from their locality. So they are non-residential institutions.
While Oxbridge u-s are divide into colleges, the Redbricks are divided into faculties
The Redbricks lack the prestige of Oxbridge.
Most of the public school leavers scorn the redbrick.
They rather go straight into business or to a foreign university than to a Redbrick university, they prefer no degree to a Redbrick degree.
3) The new universities (“Whitebricks” or “plate-glass” or “concrete &glass universities) were founded in the 1960s:
East Anglia - Stirling - New University of Ulster
Essex - Sussex
Kent - Warwick
Lancaster - York
(Most of them took the names of the counties, where they were located).
Their aim is to attract students from all over Britain.
So like Oxbridge they are residential.
4) Polytechnics were set up in the early 1970s.
30 of the old technical colleges became polytechnics.
First their orientation was predominantly vocational.
But in the late1980s polytechnics were equaled with universities in their status.
Like universities Polytechnics offer degree courses in many subjects, including Arts.
Some Polytechnics offer full-time or part time vocational courses for students of all ages, known as sandwich courses.
5) Colleges of education provide 2-year courses in teacher education.
Their graduates receive a Bachelor’s degree.
6) The Open University is an interesting form of studies.
It is intended for people who study in their own free time. It accepts students from Britain & from other countries of the European Union.
Students can be of any age.
Instruction is made by a mixture of printed materials and television & radio programmes.
Students study at home and keep in touch with their tutors by phone & letter, they also attend summer schools. They post their work to their tutors.
The Open university students cannot enter ordinary universities bcs. they don’t have the required qualifications.
But they get degrees like students of other universities. But it takes 6 or 8 years to get a degree & only 1 % of the students gets a degree or diploma.