University of Southampton
The University of Southampton has a longstanding and formidable international reputation for research. It is currently ranked sixth for research quality among UK universities after Oxford, Cambridge, University of London, Warwick and York. The last two receive much less research funding than Southampton because they are much smaller. In addition, Southampton's teaching quality is regarded as one of the best in the country and arguably the best of the "Red Brick" universities. It is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of Universities, the UK's nearest equivalent to an "Ivy League". The university has a strong technical and technological pedigree and has long been regarded as one of Britain's best science and engineering universities. Its economics and business qualifications are particularly sought after because of Southampton's acknowledged quantitative expertise. It is also home to the Southampton Oceanography Centre, a leading research centre for oceanography.
In terms of student population, Southampton grew a lot in the 1990s to become one of the UK's largest universities and also one of the most in demand. It occupies a spacious campus on the south coast.