Manchester Met tops list of most hipster unis

Students walking in the street

A survey by accommodation provider Liberty Living has revealed that 52% of students in the UK admitted that they’d rather go to a lesser-known university that’s located in a vibrant city offering a broader cultural experience, than a top university in a quieter location.

The survey, which asked 3,000 students to share their thoughts on what made them choose particular universities, revealed that:

  • 76% of those surveyed said the ‘coolness’ of a city had an impact on the one they chose
  • 48% said the number of craft beer pubs in the city was the biggest ‘cool’ factor
  • 19% of students nominated art and design courses as the most ‘hipster’ of all the options (closely followed by sciences, then fashion).

As well as determining how much a city’s street cred could sway students, researchers sought to compile a list of the top ten ‘hipster’ universities from the UK’s 127 choices. To rank each university, they looked at its Total University Guide Art and Design score, plus the number of record shops, vintage clothes shops and craft beer pubs in each city.

Manchester Metropolitan came out on top as the best bet for the true hipster student experience, with a total of seven of the top ten unis being located in the north of England or the Midlands: The most hipster universities in the UK:

1. Manchester Metropolitan University (best for craft beer and record shops) – vintage shops (34), craft beer bars (40), record stores (15), art and design score (93.7)

2. University of Leeds – vintage shops (23), craft beer bars (28), record stores (7) and art and design score (94.5)

3. Newcastle University (best for art and design degrees) – vintage shops (17), craft beer bars (27), record stores (8), art and design score (100)

4. Nottingham Trent University – vintage shops (17), craft beer bars (31), record stores (8), art and design score (93.2)

5. Liverpool John Moores University  – vintage shops (22), craft beer bars (32), record stores (7), art and design score (87.8)

6. University of the West of England, Bristol – vintage shops (14), craft beer bars (38), record stores (4), art and design score (91.3)

7. University of Brighton (best vintage shops) – vintage shops (32), craft beer bars (14), record stores (12), art and design score (88.7)

8. Liverpool Hope University – vintage shops (22), craft beer bars (32), record stores (7), art and design score (84.5)

9. Northumbria University, Newcastle – vintage shops (17), craft beer bars (27), record stores (15), art and design score (92.5)

10. Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh – vintage shops (15), craft beer bars (17), record stores (7), art and design score (93.8)

A spokesperson at Liberty Living commented on the findings: ‘The social and cultural aspect of attending university is as important as achieving a degree for many people. The prevalence of new universities on our list is due to the strength these institutions have when it comes to creative subjects, as well as the opportunity for a broader cultural experience in vibrant and eclectic cities.’

Image: Fabio Formaggio/123rf.com

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