Displaying items by tag: europe

Wednesday, 24 February 2016 22:20

Top 10 British Universities

Top British: In terms of numbers of international students, the UK overall lags only behind the considerably larger US – and this popularity is unsurprising given the strong global reputation enjoyed by UK universities. An impressive 71 UK universities feature in the QS World University Rankings® 2015/16, with four currently ranked among the world’s top 10.

The University of Cambridge is currently ranked joint third in the world, while theUniversity of Oxford is sixth, followed by UCL (University College London) at seventh andImperial College Londonat eighth place.King's College London (KCL) and the University of Edinburgh are also in the global top 25, while theUniversity of ManchesterandLondon School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)are within the top 40. A total of 18 UK universities appear in the top 100, and another 12 make the top 200. 

 university of exeter

Exeter’s first appearance in the Complete University Guide’s top 10 was just 2 years ago and it’s managed to maintain its spot for the 3rd year in a row. Exeter’s rise to prominence has been spearheaded by its rapidly increasing graduate prospects and entry standards.

Located in the South West, attending university here almost guarantees you’ll get the lion’s share of England’s good weather – perhaps it was time spent day-dreaming in the sun that inspired J.K Rowling’s wizarding world.

9. Lancaster University

lancaster university chaplaincy centre spire and logo

After a brief 2 year hiatus Lancaster University is back in the UK's top 10. The university has been working and spending towards a better all-round experience for its students with its return to the top 10 attributable to increased Facilities Spend and Academic Services Spend - the uni spends £1,565 per student on academic services such as the library and computing, and £778 per student on supporting services such as sports facilities. 

For a top quality campus-based university experience, and quick access to the great outdoors (the Lake District is on Lancaster's doorstep) Lancaster University might be the one.

Search through undergraduate courses at Lancaster University.

8. University of Surrey

University of Surrey

The University of Surrey has well and truly gone from strength to strength when it comes to its position in the Complete University Guide. In our first publication in 2008 Surrey were ranked 35th, and now at long last the university qualifies for our coveted top 10.

Surrey scores highly for Student Satisfaction – 4.24 – and for Graduate Prospects – 81.2%.

Located in Surrey's county town, Guildford, this university is 1 for those seeking a high quality education in a bustling area with the luxury of having the nation's capital not far down the road.

Search through undergraduate courses at the University of Surrey.

7. University of Warwick

 University of Warwick 900x450

When it comes to universities in the Midlands, Warwick always comes out on top. Scoring highly for Entry standardsResearch and Graduate Prospects, you’ve got to seriously consider this institution for your university career. Warwick also features heavily in our subject tables, appearing in the top 10 for 19 different subjects - truly an all-rounder. 

6. University of St Andrews

st andrews university

Beautifully set against the backdrop of the east coast of Scotland, the country's oldest university continues to perform well under the intense scrutiny of the Complete University Guide. 

Despite its rural location St Andrews has quite a pull for our young minds, with over 30% of the town’s population being either a student or lecturer during term-time. Interestingly the university has produced more directors of FTSE 100 companies in proportion to its size than any other educational institution in Britain – now that’s food for thought.

5. Durham University

Durham University College 008

Not just a stomping ground for Oxbridge rejects, Durham is a high-performing university in its own right, as is evidenced by its consistent appearance in the top 5 of our university league tables – forget top 10.

Trust us, the city of Durham is not to be missed and if you are accepted for a place at Castle College you’ll literally be living in a castle. Add to this Durham’s outstanding reputation for research and teaching, you’re on to a winner.

4. Imperial College London

Imperial College London222

Imperial always places within the UK's top 10 unis and will be pleased to have regained its 4th place position in the 2016 league table. The university has made small improvements in scores across the board but most notably in Student SatisfactionEntry Standards, and Graduate Prospects

A specialist in science, engineering, medicine and business, and located in the get-up-and-go city of London, places at Imperial are highly sought after.

3. London School of Economics and Political Science

London School of Economics and Political Science

No surprises here. The top 3 placings have been the same for 4 years running now. LSE certainly doesn’t have a bad reputation when it comes to the Complete University Guide, having occupied a top 5 position since the league table’s inception all the way back in 2007 –  but now it’s safe to say the uni is brushing shoulders with Oxford and Cambridge.

LSE specialises in the social sciences and has a global focus, in fact the student cohort includes representatives from around 145 countries.

2. University of Oxford

Oxford University 2

Poor old Oxford, placing behind its adversary in the Complete University Guide league table seems to be becoming something of a habit. Let’s be fair though, 2nd place isn’t to be sniffed at and Oxford won this year’s boat race, in both the women's and the men's races – have that Cambridge! Oxford’s reputation is largely based on its academic prowess with it having developed some of the greatest minds of our time such as Stephen Hawking – and of course, the infallible Boris Johnson.

1. University of Cambridge

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Cambridge pip Oxford to the post for the 5th year running. That’s 5 years in a row at the top of the Complete University Guide’s university league tables, an impressive feat to say the least.

World renowned for its excellence in teaching and research, and with rigorous entry standards, Cambridge looks set to rule the UK university scene for some time. This is the place to be if you hope to 1 day stand on the shoulders of giants such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.

Published in Study In Europe
Tuesday, 23 February 2016 06:59

Top Belgian universities

Top Belgian universities: 

Several of Belgium’s universities are regularly rated among the top 200 universities in the world.

Katholieke Universiteit(KU) Leuven located near Brussels is the oldest existing Catholic university in the world, founded in 1425, and Belgium’s biggest university. It offers courses in 11 Belgian cities and remains an important center of higher learning and scientific research catering to more than 40,000 students, of which around 16 percent are international. The university’s world-famous library (with its 30 subsidiaries) has more than four million books and some 15,000 periodicals.

Université Catholique de Louvain(UCL) was originally part of KU Leuven but was moved to the French-speaking area of Brussels around 1970 as a result of changes in the education system. It combines the traditional with the modern, attracting some of the most qualified students, researchers and teachers from Belgium and beyond, with almost one-fifth of the student population coming from abroad.

Université Libre de Bruxelles(ULB) has one of the highest rates of foreign students in Belgium, constituting one third of the student population. It was founded in 1834 and includes several university hospitals. It also manages zones devoted to research and contributed to the education of four Nobel Prize winners, the most recent being François Englert for his part in theorising the Higgs particle, in addition to Jules Bordet for Medicine in 1919, Albert Claude for Medicine in 1974, and Ilya Prigogine for Chemistry in 1977. The university is also a founding member of the International Forum of Public Universities (IFPU) and works in partnership with the Universities of Oxford, Berkeley and Paris IV, among others.

Ghent University  or UGent, became the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium in 1930, and is now attended by more than 40,000 students, including a sizeable international crowd that is attracted to the university’s science and engineering programs. It offers advanced degree programmes, many of them in English, and boasts several Nobel Prize winners over the course of the university’s history.

University of Liègefounded in 1817, is the public university of the Walloon Brussels Community and is part of the Wallonia-Europe University Academy. There are some 22,000 students across 11 faculties, comprising around 20 percent of foreign students. It has a large focus on facilitating mobility, and its practices have received EU recognition. Honorary degrees have been awarded to individuals such as Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Salman Rushdie.

Vrije Universiteit Brussel(VUB) is the Dutch Language University in Brussels, initially formed as a part of the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) before becoming a university in its own right in 1970 when significant legislative changes heralded in a new educational era. Many courses are available in English, including Master’s and PhD degrees.

Universiteit Antwerpen  (UA) history is grounded in commerce and is the product of three joined institutions. With some 13 percent of its 21,000 student population coming from abroad, it offers several postgraduate courses in English across nine faculties. UA has close ties to Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Antwerp Management School (AMS) and other higher education institutions that belong to the Antwerp University Association.

Vlerick Business Schoolis the only Belgian school to hold triple accreditation from Equis, AMBA and the American AACSB. It is also Europe’s oldest business and management school, founded in 1953 by Professor André Vlerick. It recently added a new campus in the centre of Brussels, in addition to its Belgian campuses in Leuven and Ghent, and St Petersburg, Russia. The schools benefit from alliances with more than 40 international business schools, and host around 6,800 people in postgraduate management and executive development programs.

International institutions in Belgium

Several international institutions have been established as part of Belgian universities and colleges or simply set up to offer their own graduate and postgraduate programs.

Brussels School of International Studies(BSIS) is a postgraduate school tied to the University of Kent in Brussels. Located in a newly acquired facility overlooking its partner schools, the BSIS offers postgraduate programs in politics, international relations, law and economics.

 College of Advertising and Designis a higher education art college specializing in design, advertising, graphic and web design, interior architecture, and digital animation. It is one of the few colleges in Belgium and France to provide an English/American-style education and is attended by some 170 students.

CERIS(Centre Européen de Recherches Internationales et Stratégiques) is a postgraduate school offering a Master’s course in international politics and a Master’s in development policy, plus postgraduate certificates, which can be studied externally.

College of Europeis a unique and innovative postgraduate institute of European studies. Founded in 1948 and located in Bruges and in Natolin (Warsaw, Poland), it is financed by the EU governments and offers one-year Master’s degrees. Graduate studies are in international relations, law, political and administrative sciences, economics, and general European studies.

United Business Instituteshave been offering since many years a MBA program in the heart of Brussels, alongside their BA and DBA programs. The school is able to offer European validation by the Middlesex University London, and also facilitates the transfer of business academic credits for both incoming and outgoing students.

University of Marylandoffers undergraduate and graduate courses covering arts, science, business and management, information technology and more. In Belgium it operates from three locations and has online courses as well.

Vesalius College Situated in Brussels, it is an American-style college founded by the VUB and Boston University in 1987 to offer undergraduate education in English. The college offers three-year European Bachelor’s degree programs in business, communications, international affairs, and as of fall 2015, international and European law. Vesalius and its degree programs are registered and accredited with the Flemish government in Belgium.

United International Business Schoolshas campuses inAntwerpandBrussels, alongside several locations in Europe and Asia where students can transfer on a quarterly basis. It is an independent and accredited private institution offering flexible business, management, language and cultural studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The two Belgian locations are grouped under the title of the International University of Belgium.

ICHEC Business Schoolhas more than 60 years’ experience and more than 2,000 students each year. It awards Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in business management, science and engineering, with day and evening classes available. Bilingual courses encourage language skills.

Solvay Business Schooloffers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in economics, business engineering and management science, and is associated with the Université Libre de Bruxelles. The programs provide training in international management skills, and students may customize their program to specialize in European or international areas, networks, internships or study abroad.

European Institute for Public Administration(EIPA), with locations in Brussels, Luxembourg, Maastricht and Barcelona, provides courses in European affairs oriented towards the practice of lobbying and other training, plus Master’s programs in European public affairs and legal studies.

Published in Study In Europe