QS Best Student Cities ranking: 118^th

Known for its rich history and green surroundings, Leicester is new to the Best Student Cities ranking, coming in at 118^th overall, and 14^th in the UK. Leicester boasts two leading universities; University of Leicester and De Montford University, with both featuring in the most recent QS World University Rankings® Leicester ranks highest for the ‘Student Mix’ indicator at 23^rd, which reflects the wide diversity of the student population.

Leicester has excellent public transport links, making travel easy when you want to explore the surrounding areas, or even travel further afield, with direct trains to London St Pancras taking just over an hour.

If you’re looking for something to do after lectures have finished, there is always plenty to entertain you in Leicester. Those interested in history will be able to enjoy the King Richard III visitor center, built around the former car park where his remains were found in 2012, as well as Leicester Castle (which is only a few minutes’ walk from the town center). Those who are more into sports will be able to study in close proximity to The Walker’s Stadium - home to both the world-renowned Leicester City FC and the Leicester Tigers Rugby Union.

Anyone who likes a bit of retail therapy in their spare time will love Leicester’s Highcross shopping center, with over 120 shops, plenty of restaurants and even a large Cinema de Lux where you can unwind with your friends. Leicester also has an excellent nightlife, teeming with a large variety of bars and nightclubs, making it a popular hit with students.

Have you studied in Leicester? Share your experience.

Internationally ranked universities in Leicester

More about Leicester

To find out how each of the above categories is calculated, view the methodology.

Since the late 80s/early 90s, Manchester has cemented its place as the mecca for all things musical and cultural within England. Musical institutions such as the Hacienda Nightclub, the Free Trade Hall, and even the Albert Hall steered the youth of the time into an era now called the ‘second summer of love’. Bands such as the Stone Roses, Oasis and The Happy Mondays just to name a few, have all exported the vibrancy and energy of this northern city worldwide.

Standing on the shoulders of this huge legacy before it, Manchester has pushed itself into the new millennium and only continued to blossom and grow. Whether you prefer the laid-back sophistication of a cocktail bar, the high intensity of an all-night rave or the chance to see the next big band over an inexpensive pint, Manchester has it all! Read on for a selection of our top picks in this vibrant city.

The Deaf Institute

A three-floored venue, The Deaf Institute is located just off Oxford Road, a perfect location for students attending Manchester Metropolitan University, whose campus surrounds the area. The main bar is tastily furnished with leather booths and sharing tables, ideal for enjoying the wide range of craft beers and local ales on offer. With an elaborate menu, covering vegan and meat eaters alike, it is the perfect place for a bite to eat before making your way to the party atmosphere of the next floor.

On the first floor you’ll find the heart of the Deaf Institute, which is a sight for the senses. Immediately you are dwarfed by the enormous mirror ball that dances from the domed ceiling, surrounded by velvet curtains and vibrantly decorated walls, you are instantly transported. Deaf Institute hosts a variety of club nights; such as “Girls on film” Manchester's most celebrated retro club night, playing the best pop, rock and guilty pleasures from the 80’s and 90’s. Or if rock and metal are more your thing, attend The Deaf Institutes “Kickstart My Heart” night, taking you back to the days of hair metal and big sing along choruses. There is rarely a night in the week where The Deaf Institute doesn’t play host to a live band or artist, so pass through their doors and you too can claim to have seen the next world-dominating band in such a small venue.

Bunny Jacksons

Bunny Jacksons is the all-American experience, wander through their doors and you could easily believe you’re not in the streets of Manchester, England, but in the mists of the United States itself! Everything here is catered to give you the American dive bar experience. With American football, basketball and baseball games shown on their TV’s, and a wide range of American whiskeys and beers, Bunny Jacksons will take you stateside with only a short walk through the Manchester streets. Bunny Jacksons is the perfect place to go and socialize in the days off studying, bring out your competitive side on their many pool and beer pong tables, or get a bite to eat with their famously cheap chicken wings, the cheapest costing only 10p!  

The Liquor Store

Situated just off Manchester's famous Deansgate, Liquor Store has become a popular nighttime retreat for students from across the city. Combining the subtlety of American bar culture while still paying homage to the great and good of Manchester gives the Liquor Store a truly unique feel. Sample their plethora of liquors from around the world, watched on by portraits of Manchester's extensive alumni. The laid-back and quirky atmosphere is then amplified come 5pm, where the sound of your favorite indie, rock and roll and pop music is played well into the night, only closing its doors at 3am.

256 Wilmslow Road

Located in the southeast of the city, 256 Wilmslow Road blends the perfection combination of stylish open space and sophisticated bar culture. With a large wooden cladded beer garden, Wilmslow Road is the place to be on those sun-soaked afternoons. In the evenings the bar is frequented by students of Manchester searching for cheap drinks and a great sociable atmosphere. Wilmslow Road also brings a vast range of events with a packed schedule of entertainment. DJ sets, local bands and comedy nights keep both students and locals returning.

South Nightclub

South prides itself as Manchester's number one original underground club night, and with good reason. Launched in 1995 by the promotions manager of the famous Hacienda, it has continued to stand on the shoulders of Manchester's historic club and underground scene. Located in Deansgate, South Nightclub provides an extensive range of club nights and awe-inspiring DJ sets. Friday nights “Flight Mode” is a constant favorite, playing a range of house, techno and minimal well into the early hours. So if you're a student looking to dip your toes into the famous music culture of Manchester, South is the place to be.

Dive NQ

Supplying you with everything you would want from a pub as a student in Manchester is Dive NQ. Placed in the heart of the vibrant streets of the Northern Quarter, Dive NQ is a multifaceted venue that caters to all your needs. An affordable menu offers an extensive range of custom burgers, burritos and chicken wings. With 11 ultra HD screens dotted around the venue, it’s no surprise that Dive HQ has been selected by Sky Sports as the best place to watch live sports in Manchester. On your lecture-free weekends pay a visit and find it transformed into vibrant nightclub and dance away the stress until the sun comes up, since Dive HQ’s doors don’t close until 5am! Whether it be a pub quiz, a burger with friends, or cheap pint watching your favorite sport, Dive NQ is the venue for you.

Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.

Sponsored by University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

Medical school can be one of the most rewarding, exciting and unforgettable experiences of your life. However, there are times when it can also be among the most stressful and worrying.

Stress is a common problem among medical students, and it can feel impossible sometimes to stay on an even plateau when you’re working and studying for 12 hours a day.

Fortunately, over the last couple of years the conversation surrounding mental health and wellbeing has really taken off, especially when it comes to university students. Promoting a better understanding of the subject can only ever be a positive, so we’ve teamed up with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and spoke to one of their MBBS (bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery) students to find out how you can maintain a healthy body and healthy mind during your studies at medical school.

Use your university’s support services and resources

It’s no secret that medical school requires long hours, massive amounts of studying, and can result in high levels of stress. So, it’s important you try to be as open and honest as possible with both yourself and with others if you’re starting to find things difficult and are struggling to cope.

Dean Hardy, a second-year MBBS student at the University of Central Lancashire tells us his thoughts about studying medicine: “The course is tough and requires long hours, organization and commitment to care, but it doesn’t come without the support of others.”

The MBBS course at UCLan offers a warm and welcoming environment for students from all over the world, and as universities become very much aware of the importance of ensuring there is substantial support when it comes to the wellbeing of their students, the University of Central Lancashire provides a dedicated Counselling, Mental Health and Wellbeing Service for all students who wish to use it.

Organization and time management is essential

Plan, plan, and plan some more.

“Your mental wellbeing at medical school largely relies on being free of stress and anxiety. My way of ensuring this is to keep on top of revision from the off. Write notes up before lectures, and revise the notes after lectures. Being organized helps your mental wellbeing and reduces anxiety and stress,” says Dean.

Keeping track of your progress as well as setting targets can also help. “Each Sunday evening I set targets for the following week, which keeps me motivated and reduces my anxiety and stress,” adds Dean.

Eating healthy is a recipe for success

As tempting as it is to reach for the carbs and sugar, as a medical student you’ll know the importance of nutrition and having a well-balanced diet.

Your body is going to hit rock bottom by the time it’s stopped bouncing off the walls after you’ve finished your fifth Red Bull, cappuccino or Coca-Cola. Instead, reach for healthy study snacks such as nuts or fresh fruit and veg. Their natural sugars will help boost your energy and concentration levels.

Get active and stay active

Even if it’s just going for a 15-minute walk each day, it’s nice to have a change of scenery and be able to refresh your eyes as well as your mind, and take some time away from your books.

“Studying medicine requires you to be sat down for hours on end revising, so it’s important to do some form of physical activity,” advises Dean.

“Many medical students join sports clubs or societies, some go running, others go to the gym as well. The gym isn’t for everyone, so it’s important to find what makes you happy. My biggest advice is that you do some form of exercise as it’ll really help your positive wellbeing, as well as improve your ability to study.”

Sleep is key

Although medical school comes with inconsistent schedules, you should try and make sure you go to sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning.

Sleeping is just as important as studying – without it, you can’t function properly. In fact, the average adult needs between seven and nine hours of sleep per night in order to function at their best.

Although this is easier said than done, there are a number of apps out there as well as more traditional sleeping techniques that can help you catch up on well-needed rest.

Remember it’s ok to relax and have some chilled time

Finding a way to relax and relieve stress is something that’s personal to you. Everyone has different ways of achieving it, whether it’s meeting up with friends, going to the cinema, baking, reading, or even going away for a short weekend break.

Dean says: “I always use Monday to Friday as my study time, working hard from 6.30am all the way through to 8pm. I do this so I can have Friday night, Saturday and Sunday off to do anything I like.”

“We also like to go travelling and have mini breaks in European cities, which is actually a lot cheaper in some cases than going to London for the weekend. We go out at night, eat out, sight-see and explore the local culture.” 

Healthy body, healthy mind

Both are as important as each other, and when you’re a medical student it can seem like a real cliché of practicing what you preach. Good self-care is a basic survival tactic, and it’s important you listen to both your body and your mind.

If you’re feeling down or anxious and are finding it excessively difficult to cope, it might be a good idea to seek the closest professional help available to you, whether it’s talking to your local counselor or contacting your GP. Extreme and prolonged feelings of despair or dread may be signs that something more serious is going on, and may require further support.

Sponsored by the University of the Witwatersrand

In 11 years’ time, the year 2030, it’s highly likely you’ll be working in a job that doesn’t even exist yet – and no, we’re not talking about building flying cars or developing the world’s first time machine. The world of work is evolving quickly, which means you have to figure out how to prepare for a future job role that’s impossible to predict.

Of course, there isn’t a crystal ball that can tell us exactly what skills will be needed and what won’t be needed. However, with the help of the University of the Witwatersrand, we’ve come up with five skills we believe you’ll need to succeed in your future career, whatever it ends up being.

Cognitive flexibility

The rise of digital technologies means you’re going to need to be able to handle the plethora of opportunities and challenges that come with it.

Do you have the ability to adapt to change and conceptualize complex multiple ideas all at once? If so, you’re showing qualities that reside in advanced multi-taskers and which are highly valued by employers and recruiters.

Digital literacy and computational thinking

As the world continues to rely on highly technical and continuously evolving technologies, the need for those with the digital skills to match also increases.

You’ve most definitely heard of STEM, but have you heard of SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud)? Although it may seem like we’re being bombarded with digital buzzwords, being digitally literate offers capabilities beyond what was once thought possible when it comes to emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and data science.

“We need to train scholars to deal with the challenges of the 21st century, some which we may not yet have encountered,” says Professor Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand.

“We need to work across sectors to develop the technology required for us to leapfrog across eons of poverty, unemployment and inequality, and in so doing to create a new world order that prioritizes humanity before profits and power.”

A master’s degree in artificial intelligence or e-Science can help advance your digital skillset and accelerate your technical acumen in these emerging fields, from learning about data visualization and exploration, to computational intelligence, and natural language technology. 

Judgement and decision-making

Although robots and automation technology may be better than humans in other ways such as calculations and diagnostic solving, it’s still going to be humans that deal with the subjective side of data analytics.

Considering we’re on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, we’re still going to need to have somebody who is able to show the world what numbers mean and their significance.

Emotional and social intelligence

For everything that can be replaced by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, emotional and social intelligence remain uniquely human capabilities.

In some sectors, these qualities are absolutely crucial. The demand for jobs in healthcare, for example, are on the increase – demonstrating how some roles will always require a human element. Your future job is more than likely going to include working closely with others, so having empathy, the ability to collaborate, as well as excellent communication skills is something you’re most definitely going to need. 

Creative and innovative mindset

Despite a report by the World Economic Forum in 2018 suggesting robot automation will create more jobs than they displace, you’ll still do well to keep on top of your creativity skills and maintain an innovative mindset.

Much like having an excellent sense of social intelligence, natural creativity is something which can’t be easily replicated by the latest digital technologies. As long as you can think outside the box, you’ll be just fine.

Sponsored by United Arab Emirates University

In 2014, an article published by Forbes discussed the future of higher education and how it depends on innovation. Five years on, it’s a discussion that’s more relevant than ever.

As higher education becomes increasingly expensive and digital technologies become ever more instrumental to the education experience, institutions are having to adapt their business models and service offerings in order to remain relevant to societies, economies and most importantly, students.

One example of a university that’s orchestrating change and going beyond quick fixes and simple tweaks is United Arab Emirates University.

Why innovation and strategic thinking is critical for universities in the long-term

It’s almost impossible to mention the words ‘higher education’ without ‘innovation’ following closely behind. Despite the clichés, innovation in higher education isn’t just about staying ahead, it’s about staying relevant and sustainable in a globally unpredictable environment.

It’s also not about simply disrupting teaching and learning methodologies, but about strategically molding these methodologies in order to cultivate new ideas, enhance creativity, encourage collaboration, and promote inclusion and diversity.

So, with standards of higher education getting higher and higher there’s an imperative need for institutions to think outside the box and tap into their innovative mindsets.

The roadmap to the ‘University of the Future’

Thanks to advances in technology and the ever-competitive graduate job market, universities need to adapt just as quickly in order to offer students an education that will prepare them for the inevitable challenges and opportunities they’ll face after graduation.

As the leading national higher education institution of the UAE, the United Arab Emirates University plans to be a hub of strategic significance by conducting cutting-edge research in numerous fields and inculcating the spirit of discovery and entrepreneurship.

It’s comprehensive project, titled ‘University of the Future’, has been at the heart of the university for the last two years, and plans to produce indigenous leaders of the highest caliber, as well as attract international scholars to create a vibrant interactive research and learning environment.

The university plans to contribute to entrepreneurship-driven research and develop strong interdisciplinary programs in strategically selected priority areas, which will be managed by the university’s research centers. They will then align graduate programs with these areas.

Building from this, the university aims to promote the exchange of knowledge through forming high-tech innovation clusters and by attracting investment from business and international sources. The institution will then also collaborate with high-profile national agencies, industry and international institutions.

What it means for students

What goes on behind the scenes at higher education institutions may not be your first food for thought when it comes to narrowing down your university options. However, as the number of students applying to university continues to rise, institutions need to ensure they stand out and offer students an education that delivers.

A regular revision of academic programs while considering market needs is essential to developing sound academic programs that foster competitiveness, internationalization, critical thinking, innovation, creativity, and lifelong learning.

For example, United Arab Emirates University aims to adopt and revise learning approaches by embracing as well as devising technology that facilitates the delivery and assimilation of knowledge, as well as promoting curiosity and critical thinking.

How does this work in practice?

The continuous growth of the aerospace industry in the United Arab Emirates has encouraged the recent offering of United Arab Emirates University’s Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. This is just one example of how the university is providing future-proof education, as the program will cater to the growth in space-related activities currently taking place in UAE, along with the aerospace hub that’s already started in Al Ain City.

Studying on this program means you’ll become skilled in using state-of-the-art engineering tools and technical communications and develop your creativity and leadership skills in order to cope with the rapidly evolving aerospace engineering technologies.

You’ll also efficiently design, manage, execute, and evaluate aerospace engineering systems components to satisfy clients/market needs per design specifications and requirements, as well as develop a high level of awareness of social, economic, and environmental issues that are relevant to aerospace engineering science.