Have you heard the term ‘red brick university’ before?

Red brick universities, named for their characteristic architecture, are a group of prestigious UK institutions with a fascinating history. These universities, founded during the Industrial Revolution, were initially focused on providing practical education in STEM fields to meet the needs of growing industrial cities in the late 1800s and early 1900s,. This contrasted with the traditional, elite focus of older universities like Oxford and Cambridge. While now highly regarded, their origins lie in democratizing higher education.

The original six red brick universities are:

• 英国伯明翰大学
• 英国布里斯托大学
• 英国利兹大学
• 英国利物浦大学
• 英国曼彻斯特大学
• 英国谢菲尔德大学 .

These universities most of the time rank highly in global rankings and are members of the Russell Group, a collection of research-intensive universities.

QS World University Rankings.

While the term "red brick" evokes a sense of tradition and prestige, these universities were initially groundbreaking in their accessibility and focus on practical skills.

As an alumnus of the University of Liverpool (Master's degree, 2016), one of the renowned original red brick universities, I take great pride in my association with this prestigious institution.

Have you heard the term ‘red brick university’ before?