What do non RG universities do better than RG universities?

Russell Group (RG) and other prestigious universities often have pretty straight forward selling points: world-class teaching and research, high employment rates for graduates, heritage, exclusivity, the list goes on. But, what about those lower tier universities? What should they focus on?

It’s going to be hard to compete on the “world-class” front, but they still can have an edge. Not all students are going to be shopping around for UG courses with three A* grades and a personality that can withstand highly competitive and demanding expectations. But these students are still more than capable enough for higher education and will thrive at so-called “lower tier” institutions.

I put “What do non RG universities do better than RG universities” into Google, and the AI paragraph at the top came up with this:

“Non-Russell Group (RG) universities often excel in offering a more personalised learning experience with smaller class sizes, greater focus on teaching quality, and a wider range of specialised courses tailored to specific interests, while sometimes providing a more inclusive and diverse student environment compared to highly selective RG institutions that prioritise intensive research and may have larger class sizes”.

That’s a pretty impressive list if you ask me, and potentially far better suited to a student who is intelligent but lacks the confidence or the personality at the age of 18 to be in a highly competitive environment.

I know this is an AI generated summary, but I find it interesting that the list is focused on the student experience whilst they are actually at the university, rather than the prospects it gives them afterwards. Prestigious universities have the option to trade off their excellent reputations, even if they have low student satisfaction scores. Lower tier universities do not have that luxury necessarily, so focusing on those differentiators that matter when the student is actually with you, rather than the promoting all the things that *could* happen afterwards with employment is a really positive thing, in my opinion.

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