Where in the world?

With over 4,000 universities and colleges in the US, 90+ in Canada, 40+ in Australia, 10+ in Singapore and 20 in Hong Kong as well as 150+ in the UK, and over 1,000 in mainland Europe (as well as hundreds more elsewhere in the world) there are a plethora of high quality options and an even wider variety of English-taught programmes for you to choose from! The world is yours – go out there are grab it with wide open arms!

Rankings

Many universities are listed in annual ranking tables such as Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), US News, Financial Times (FT), The Guardian, The Complete University Guide and Shanghai Ranking with the 2016 tables very recently published (see below). But beware, not all universities subscribe to the tables and evaluation criteria are different across the tables and often recalculated.

Accreditation

It is important that where you choose and the course you select have been accredited and there are many accrediting bodies worldwide. In Europe the university systems are governed by The Sorbonne Declaration of 1998 and the Bologna declaration of 1999 (known as the Bologna Process), whose signatories today total 47 countries. You can find more information on the website of the European Union’s Directorate-General of Education and Culture (available in English, German and French). Other examples: United States and Hong Kong.

Research

Be savvy and discover for yourself by comparing such things as class size, lecture versus self-study ratio, assessment styles, recent funding awards, department research programmes, department facilities, latest departmental discoveries and special interests of the teaching staff. At the same time take a look at the many student clubs and societies on offer, accommodation options and of course overall costs (inc. fees, accommodation, food, books, transport etc). And if you want to make sure that you are choosing a green and ethical institution in the UK then check-out the student-run People and Planet. Some interesting surprises there!