Russell Group expands again

The elite group of the UK’s top research universities, the Russell Group, has accepted four new members.

Exeter University, University of York, Durham and Queen Mary University of London were all invited and have accepted invitations to join the group last week.

The Russell Group represents some of the most prestigious universities in the UK and now has 24 members, including the University of Manchester.

They hold a considerable influence on government education policy and over 80 percent of the UK’s doctors and dentists attended universities that were part of the group.

Professor Michael Arthur, chairman of the Russell Group, said: “We are delighted to announce that the Russell Group board has invited four more members to join the group, all of whom have accepted. Durham, Exeter, Queen Mary and York have demonstrated that – like all other Russell Group members – they excel in research, innovation and education and have a critical mass of research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.”

The increase in tuition fees next year has meant universities have had to work harder to sell the prestige of their courses and their institution to prospective students. Holding the Russell Group label could be seen as adding value, especially to students from overseas.

The list of universities in the Group is now made up of: Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, King’s College London, University College London, Leeds, Liverpool, London School of Economics, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Queen’s University Belfast, Sheffield, Southampton and Warwick.