There aren’t many people on the planet that haven’t either heard of Oxford or Cambridge. Home to some of the oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities, many visit just to see these beautiful institutions. Could the same be said of Birmingham? We’re not so sure, but it hasn’t stopped the University of Birmingham from being named the third most beautiful campus in the UK – behind only Oxford and Cambridge!
It might not have the fame of Oxbridge, but Birmingham was the first ‘red brick’ university to receive a royal charter in 1900. It’s now one of the country’s most prestigious universities and – according to The Graduate Market in 2024 – attracted the most attention from employers featured in The Times’ Top 100 Graduate Employers list.
If you only care about how pretty your campus looks, however, then the University of Birmingham has got that down too. According to Immerse Education, the university’s varied architectural style, “ranging from red brick to more contemporary buildings, creating a visually interesting campus” is incredibly popular on social media.
It ranked as the third-most beautiful university in the UK, with 160,482 Instagram posts and 2,850 on TikTok tagged ‘#UniversityofBirmingham’. When you consider that Oxford and Cambridge both featured in the world’s most photogenic universities too (2nd and 6th) that’s not bad at all. If you’d like to see the full research head here.
What are the most beautiful buildings at the University of Birmingham?
We love wandering around the University of Birmingham and taking in its breathtaking buildings. This is all subjective, but our favourite has to be the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower aka Old Joe – the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world. It’s a Brummie icon whether you’ve been to the uni or not.
On the 250-acre Edgbaston campus, the university is also home to ‘Art Deco masterpiece’, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts; the domed, red-brick Aston Webb building, home to the Great Hall; and the futuristic Main Library – which was awarded the 2019 Society of College, National and University Libraries Award for Design. Follow the ‘Campus Mile’ walk to soak it all in.