Choosing The Right University For Engineering:
A real life case study
Choosing the right university for engineering can be a challenging process, especially with so many institutions offering similar courses. With a wide range of options and subtle differences between them, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In this article, I’ll walk you through the decision-making process using the example of a bright A-level student I recently supported. While every student is different, there are common patterns and considerations that many will find helpful when narrowing down their choices.
This particular student was a highly capable and ambitious homeschooled learner, studying A-level Maths, Further Maths, and Physics with me. She was intelligent, hardworking, and focused on gaining a place at a top UK university to study engineering.
Her initial shortlist included: Oxbridge, Imperial College London, Warwick, UCL, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Bath, Durham, and Surrey.
So how did she go about deciding what university was right for her?
Professional Accreditation
We first checked that all the courses were professionally accredited by the relevant institutions — such as the IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers), IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology), or equivalent. Accreditation is essential for students intending to pursue Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, as it ensures that the degree satisfies the educational requirements for professional registration. Fortunately, all of the shortlisted universities offered accredited courses — with the MEng programmes in particular providing the full academic foundation for CEng status.
Together, we then worked to refine the list based on her academic interests, career goals, and preferences around course structure and university environment.
Course Structure
She wanted to choose the best university for her future career in engineering — most likely mechanical — but preferred to keep her options open, as she felt she needed to learn more about the specific disciplines before committing. This made Oxbridge and Warwick particularly appealing, as their engineering courses begin with a broad foundation in the first two years, followed by opportunities to specialise in disciplines such as mechanical, materials, biomedical, or civil engineering in years three and four.
Most other universities, while offering some flexibility in first-year modules, generally required students to commit to a specific discipline from the outset.
Rankings and Reputations
Next, we considered QS Global Rankings and The Times UK University Rankings. These matter because employers often use them to differentiate applicants early in the recruitment process. It’s also no coincidence that many individuals in senior positions hold degrees from globally recognised institutions. For students with long-term career ambitions, global reputation is worth factoring into their decision.
In this regard, Oxbridge and Imperial were the most sought-after choices — though also the most competitive, requiring additional admissions tests. Imperial, while ranking highest in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) — underscoring its leadership in high-impact, cutting-edge research — had a reputation for being something of a “hot house,” which did not suit the student’s personality. She was, however, keen to apply to Oxbridge. Between Oxford and Cambridge, we chose Cambridge for its superior engineering facilities, stronger REF ranking, and its location at the centre of a thriving high-tech engineering ecosystem, offering excellent prospects for internships and future employment.
Because all of the shortlisted universities ranked highly overall, we also considered each institution’s specific reputation for engineering and how well they matched the student’s learning style and career aspirations
Engineering Industry
While Durham is a highly prestigious university and Bath has a strong reputation for engineering, neither city offered the same concentration of industry as Warwick — located at the heart of the UK automotive sector with major employers such as Jaguar Land Rover — Bristol, a leading hub for aerospace companies including Airbus, or Southampton, a major centre for maritime engineering with well-established employers such as Lloyd’s Register. The University of Surrey also stood out for its exceptional graduate employability record, supported by its proximity to the M3 corridor — a well-established hub for major employers and career opportunities.
Class Sizes
Tutorial sizes were another key consideration. Having greatly benefited from the highly personalised experience of homeschooling with a private tutor, this student preferred smaller groups to ensure she could ask questions and engage directly with lecturers. Aside from Oxbridge, the University of Surrey stood out, offering some of the smallest tutorial groups (typically 5–8 students) and even providing 1:1 or 1:2 support for first-year students. UCL’s tutorial groups, while slightly larger (6–12 students), were considered an acceptable trade-off given the university’s outstanding REF performance and strong collaborations with leading engineering companies. Southampton also offered suitably small tutorial groups (6–10 students), coupled with excellent REF rankings and impressive engineering facilities. Manchester and Glasgow, though both highly respected for engineering, were felt to have tutorial and lecture sizes that were simply too large for the student’s preferred learning style.
UCAS Choices
Finally, because UCAS allows for only five choices, we built a balanced application strategy — including some of the most competitive institutions, which required top grades across all subjects, and others with slightly lower entry requirements to provide a strong safety net.
Final Thoughts ...
This process highlights that choosing the right university is about much more than simply selecting the highest-ranked institution. It’s about aligning a student’s personality, learning preferences, and career ambitions with the right academic environment, industry connections, and professional accreditation.
By working through these considerations step by step, this student ended up with a focused, well-balanced application list that maximised her chances of getting into a university where she would thrive — both academically and personally.
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