Students told to head North for the nightlife

Students seeking an exciting nightlife should head towards the bright lights of the north or Scotland, while those with an eye on a political career should consider universities in London and the south east, according to a survey.

A recent survey reveals that students who are keen on the arts could find themselves at home at a smaller, specialist, institution.

The poll, published by Which?, is based on surveys of more than 12,000 undergraduates, and rates UK universities on areas including nightlife, sports, creative activities and political scene.

It found that 11 of the 15 universities voted highly for their diverse local nightlife are in Northern and Scottish cities although for the first time.

Would-be politicians were likely to be found in London, with SOAS University of London, LSE, Goldsmiths and UCL all considered by students to be among the top political universities. This means that they have lots of different political groups and activities and politics are a visible part of the university experience.

Institutions were also rated on the variety of their student union activities, with Leeds, Sheffield, Loughborough, East Anglia, Harper Adams and Keele all scoring highly in this category.

Four universities scored well across the board in nearly all areas and were found to offer a particularly good extra-curricula scene, Which? said. These were Leeds, Glasgow, UCL and Edinburgh.

Which? University spokesperson Jenni Allen said: “It’s important that prospective students do their homework.”