York, Durham, Exeter

[GodessOfThunder]

These universities seem feature in a disproportionate amount of discussion on Mumsnet as institutions commenters see as desirable for their DC to attend. Obviously they are well regarded universities, but why do they attract more discussion here than other Russell group universities, especially those in northern and midlands post-industrial cities such as Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham?

A few possible reasons were suggested by DH:

• They enjoy an undue level of perceived prestige due to being in smaller old cities/towns like Oxbridge
• The Mumsnet user base is skewed towards the SE and biased against post-industrial cities. Mumsnetters are less likely to be familiar with them and hold “grim up north” perceptions.
• There is a “showing off” factor in starting threads and commenting that DC has applied for, or attends, these institutions - the same goes for the “Oxbridge support” threads, the like of which you never see for red bricks.

Does anyone agree, or are there other explanatory factors?

indeed @RampantIvy ; and quite a significant gap as well. Which adds an interesting aspect for the "too many going to into higher education" brigade.

Durham, whilst in the North East, draws almost half its undergrads from the South East, London, and East of England. Just 1 in 10 from the North East.

In contrast just up the road at Newcastle Uni almost a quarter are from the local region. With Yorks and Humber and the North West adding another 32%. Given the Uni's private school percentage the regional splits did surprise me slightly. Northumbria Uni much more regionally localised again.

Margrethe showed the overall CUG top 20. Picking up on those, and perhaps extending into a broader smorgasbord.

Leading London Unis - all have quite strong London and South East mix, maybe down to the housing cost challenges. All five shown pick up the bulk of their students from London, then South East, then East Of England. QMUL stands at out in terms of its pure London pull.

Thanks for sharing that; I’ve never seen that data before.

So much for “levelling up” (and its equally vacuous predecessors). Many of those London grads will be able to live at home while doing low paid internships in industries not present elsewhere in the country. Such opportunities often can’t be accessed by those from further afield that would have to pay rent in the capital to participate.

It’s hardly any wonder that you barely hear any regional accents in most London-based publishing, PR, art, “creative industries” etc etc companies.

Royal Holloway is of course not in London, although Egham has that central London vibe or so I'm told. Given it is next to Staines (no smoke without it for those old enough to remember) I'm unconvinced. RH, rather like Surrey, Kent, Sussex, and to almost the same extent UEA, is strongly regionalised.

Turing Arc - and local friends - Brookes and Anglia Ruskin. Same Old Story (not a patch on Vienna)

Heading west. Bristol heavily southern weighted. Given the motorway links I thought the West Mids might have a slightly higher proportion. Bath pretty much the same.

Into Wales. In the context of the thread title my perception is that Swansea gets more mentions on HE threads than Cardiff. It's certainly more Welsh in terms of undergrad profile. And quite rightly 😁 Aber, at least in recent times, gets more mentions than either. So its not left on its own I've added QuB from over the Irish Sea

Really interesting data, @boys3, where are you finding this? I find UCAS and HESA datasets difficult to navigate sometimes.

(And no wonder my DD feels that she is the only Geordie at ARU!)

Sticking with the Union, whilst it still exists, three of our oldest unis - the lure of free tuition is evident. at least for Glashow uni. St A and Edinburgh both around the 50% mark for scottish students.

I'd be interested in Birmingham and Nottingham.

And Lancaster, given its growing MN popularity.

@PhotoDad from the HESA domicile datasets. Although I just use the 130 or so Unis that CUG/ ST use.

The reason your DD feels that she is the only Geordie at ARU is possibly due to that being the actual reality! Or at least not far from it. Oddly HESA shows separate data for the likes of Darlington, Stockton, Hartlepool but lumps all the Tyne and Wear councils under just one heading. Then again London is just one bug number whereas Rutland, pop c.40,000, has its own listing. Is the Duke of Rutland more influential than the Duke of Westminster?

@Piggywaspushed surely you of all people know just how long it takes to get anywhere from Aber 😀I'm stuck on that twisty mountain road still, and that's before trying to get from the M54 to the M6 Toll!

Oh, don't remind me. I' still traumatised!

The post industrial North West, also still holds a local allure.

Liverpool a strong-ish NW, West Mids and Yorks and Humber presence.

Lancaster more so again. At first viewing; but SE and London both with a near 10%. A comparison with 5 or 6 years back might be interesting. And equally how the next fews years may change. Whilst Lancaster does not have a particularly high indie presence - its trajectory is upward.

Manchester - one of the stronger London / SE presences for a northern uni.

Speaking of Aber, I am interested in all the West Midlanders on that graph. When I did make it there, I was struck by all the Brummies. It's all about the train lines...

@boys3 Thanks! I might have a dig around some more at some point, these things are really interesting.

ARU is an example of a uni which never does well in league tables but has a few teeny-tiny vocational courses which have great reputations in their fields. Just goes to show that the league tables (even the "subject" ones) are only a starting point for research.

Also it does happen to be in a rather lovely city (see the first 10 pages of the thread...)

Avoiding Norther Rail Leeds Uni has more of a regional mix than many. Unlike Hull.

Sheffield Uni has a more midland / northern mix than Leeds

Also it does happen to be in a rather lovely city (see the first 10 pages of the thread...)

I've not heard Chelmsford so described before 😀. Must add it to my must visit list. Some sort of strange TOWIE / Grantchester mix?

@boys3

train line (single track once in Wales). Direct route to Brum, although near a 3 hr journey, scenic for much I suppose though. Aside from when it gets washed away. A lot of DS3's friendship group are indeed from West Mids

Nottingham Uni, rather like Leeds has a wider regional mix. Although unlike Leeds it could almost be in the south, given London and the South East make up its two biggest regional groups. Loughborough slightly more so again.

Nottingham Trent, rather like Lincoln, more regionally local.

Leicester has East Mids are its biggest undergrad source; but a sizeable minority from London make its second biggest grouping.

I always think that was a genius move when I get off the train in Cambridge.

😁I must have got the two ARU campuses confused. Not sure there's punting on the Chelmer. My mistake.

Three now, there's Peterborough as well! DD is at the historic core of ARU (the Art School which grew up into a university...) which is pretty central in Cambridge. As an art student, the architecture of the city was a draw (!) for her, let alone for visiting parents.