Russell Group


The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public research universities in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in London and was established in 1994 to represent its members' interests, principally to government and parliament. It was incorporated in 2007. The group is sometimes perceived as representing the 'best' universities in the country, although the truth of this is disputed.
As of 2017, Russell Group members receive over three-quarters of all university research grant and contract income in the United Kingdom. Their graduates hold 61% of all UK jobs that require a university degree, despite being only 17% of all higher education graduates. Russell Group members award 60% of all doctorates gained in the United Kingdom. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, 68% of world-leading research and 68% of research with an outstanding impact was carried out in Russell Group universities. Of the 21 Russell Group universities that have chosen to enter the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework, 10 hold gold awards, 10 silver and one bronze, compared to proportions across all 274 higher education providers with full awards of 28% gold, 50% silver and 22% bronze, and proportions across 139 universities and alternative providers with university status of 40% gold, 50% silver and 10% bronze.
The Russell Group is so named because the first informal meetings of the Group took place at the Hotel Russell in Russell Square, London.

History

The Russell Group was formed in 1994 by 18 British research universities – Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, Queen Mary, Leeds, Liverpool, London School of Economics, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton, University College London and Warwick, who originally met at Hotel Russell shortly before meetings of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals in nearby Tavistock Square, close to the University of London buildings and, particularly, Senate House. In 1998, Cardiff University and King's College London joined the group. In March 2001, the Russell Group decided against selecting a preferred option for the future funding of higher education, stating that endowments, a graduate contribution, increased public funding and top-up fees should all remain options. In December 2005, it was announced that the Russell Group would be appointing its first full-time director-general as a result of a planned expansion of its operations, including commissioning and conducting its own policy research. In November 2006, Queen's University Belfast was admitted as the twentieth member of the group. In the same month Wendy Piatt, the then deputy director in the Prime Minister's strategy unit, was announced as the group's new Director General and chief executive.
In March 2012, it was announced that four universities – Durham, Exeter, Queen Mary University of London; and York – would become members of the Russell Group in August of the same year. All of the new members had previously been members of the 1994 Group of British universities.
In January 2013, it was announced that the Russell Group would establish an academic board to advise the English exams watchdog Ofqual on the content of A-Levels. In May 2019 the group launched a website "Informed Choices" to advise school children on which A-level subject choices were useful for various degree courses, replacing an earlier teachers' guide that had identified a list of "facilitating subjects'.

Organisation

Objectives

The Russell Group states that "its aim is to help ensure that our universities have the optimum conditions in which to flourish and continue to make social, economic and cultural impacts through their world-leading research and teaching."
It works towards this by lobbying the UK government and parliament; commissioning reports and research; creating a forum in which its member institutions can discuss issues of common concern; and identify opportunities for them to work together.

Leadership

The Russell Group is led by Chief Executive Dr Tim Bradshaw and chaired by Prof Sir Anton Muscatelli, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow.
In May 2020 the Russell Group appointed the next chair Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, starting September 2020.
NameDatesInstitution
Sir Colin Lucas2000–2003Oxford
Professor Sir Michael Sterling2003–2006Birmingham
Professor Sir Malcolm Grant2006–2009UCL
Professor Michael Arthur2009–2012Leeds
Professor Sir David Eastwood2012–2015Birmingham
Professor Sir David Greenaway2015–2017Nottingham
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli2017–2020Glasgow
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell2020–2023Manchester

Members

The Russell Group currently has twenty four members, of which twenty are from England, two from Scotland, and one from each of Wales and Northern Ireland. Of the English members, five are from Greater London; three from the Yorkshire and the Humber region; two from each of the North East, North West, West Midlands, South West and South East regions; and one from each of the East Midlands and East regions. Four Russell Group members are constituent colleges of the University of London and a fifth London institution, Imperial College London, was part of the University of London until 2007.
The table below gives the members of the group, along with when they joined, their student and staff numbers, and their Teaching Excellence Framework rating).
UniversityYear of joiningUndergraduate students Postgraduate students Total students Total academic staff TEF award
 University of Birmingham19944,020Gold
 University of Bristol19943,285Silver
 University of Cambridge19946,215Gold
 Cardiff University19983,330Silver
 Durham University20121,720Gold
 University of Edinburgh19947,310N/A
 University of Exeter20122,810Gold
 University of Glasgow19944,275N/A
 Imperial College London19944,055Gold
 King's College London‡19984,390Silver
 University of Leeds19943,785Gold
 University of Liverpool19943,005Silver
 London School of Economics‡19941,725Bronze
 University of Manchester19945,080Silver
 Newcastle University19943,010Gold
 University of Nottingham19943,495Gold
 University of Oxford19946,905Gold
 Queen Mary University of London‡20123,235Silver
 Queen's University Belfast20061,905N/A
 University of Sheffield19943,495Silver
 University of Southampton19942,735Silver
University College London‡19947,700Silver
 University of Warwick19942,635Silver
 University of York20121,935Gold

Notes:
‡ Constituent college of the University of London, awarding its own degrees

Status

Research

In 2015/16, following the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the 19 English universities with HEFCE research funding allocations in excess of £20 million were all members of the Russell Group. The only English Russell Group institution to receive an allocation below £20M was the LSE, which ranked 22nd behind the Universities of Leicester and Lancaster.
In 2010/11, 19 of the 20 UK universities with the highest income from research grants and contracts were members of the Russell Group. In terms of total research funding allocations from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 2007/8, the top 15 universities were all Russell Group institutions. LSE was 21st, due to its focus on less costly social sciences research. Queen's University Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow and Edinburgh, were not included in this table, as they are not English institutions. The Russell Group institutions received 82% of the total HEFCE research funding allocation.
The research funding figures depend on factors other than the quality of research, in particular there are variations due to institutional size and subject spread.
In 2008, 18 of the then 20 members were positioned in the top 20 of Research Fortnight's Research Assessment Exercise 'Power' Table. The other two places were occupied by Durham University and Queen Mary University of London, which were not then Russell Group members but have since joined. The two Russell Group institutions outside the top 20 were QUB and the LSE, while the other two universities to have since joined were York and Exeter. In the equivalent table for the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the 24 Russell Group members occupied the top 24 positions, with the University of Lancaster in 25th being the highest-ranked non-Russell Group university.

Rankings

For 2015–16, all 8 UK universities in the ARWU top 100, 17 of the 18 in the QS top 100, and 15 of the 16 in the THE top 100 are members of the Russell Group. On the 2016 national tables, the Russell Group provides 7 of the top 10 in the Complete University Guide, 6 in the Guardian University Guide and 8 in the Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide.
UniversityARWU aQS aTHE aComplete bGuardian bThe Times c
University of Birmingham101–15081112131615
University of Bristol644987162316=
University of Cambridge373111
Cardiff University101–150154=198=263835
Durham University201–30078=133655
University of Edinburgh312030162524
University of Exeter151–200163=146=11=1014
University of Glasgow151–2006799=181420
Imperial College London23910574
King's College London5133=36=256328=
University of Leeds101–15093=155=141110
University of Liverpool101–150181165285042
London School of Economics151–2004427=41911
University of Manchester332755154025
Newcastle University201–300146201–250223526
University of Nottingham101–15096152=191818
University of Oxford741232
Queen Mary University of London151–200126110=418343
Queen's University Belfast301–400173=201–250375338
University of Sheffield101–15078=117=334521
University of Southampton101–15097122202430
University College London1581510227=
University of Warwick101–150627711=99
University of York301–400148128=302016=

Notes:

a Global ranking; latest available year

b National ranking; latest available year

c National ranking; latest available year

Selectivity

All but two of the universities in the Russell Group are part of the Sutton Trust's group of 30 highly selective universities, the Sutton Trust 30. The Sutton 13 group of the 13 most highly selective universities only includes one non-Russell Group member, the University of St Andrews. The top 10 by average UCAS tariff score of new undergraduate students in 2018–19 included four non-Russell Group universities: St Andrews, Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Dundee ; in 2015–16, using the old UCAS tariff, St Andrews was the only non Russell Group university in the top ten, placed fifth with an average score of 525. The average offer rate across 'high tariff' UK institutions was 73.4% in 2019. Offer rates include conditional and unconditional offers.
UniversityAverage Entry TariffaOffer Rate b
University of Birmingham15981.9
University of Bristol17074.9
University of Cambridge21229.0
Cardiff University15381.7
Durham University19280.4
University of Edinburgh18752.3
University of Exeter16392.8
University of Glasgow20069.0
Imperial College London19046.0
King's College London17170.3
University of Leeds16071.8
University of Liverpool14284.7
London School of Economics16841.4
University of Manchester16770.1
Newcastle University15286.5
University of Nottingham15181.1
University of Oxford20521.8
Queen Mary University of London14980.7
Queen's University Belfast15183.0
University of Sheffield15185.1
University of Southampton15578.3
University College London17558.6
University of Warwick16378.2
University of York15286.6

Notes:

a The average UCAS tariff achieved by new students entering the university in 2018–19. This is based on qualifications achieved, for example A-levels: A* = 56, A = 48, B = 40 UCAS points; AS level: A = 20, B = 16, C = 12.
b The average offer rate for 18-year-old June deadline applicants in 2019.

Finances

The Russell Group accounted for 49.1% of the income of the higher education sector in the UK in 2013–14, having risen from 44.7% of the total in 2001–02. Over the same period the total income of Russell Group universities rose by 69.9% in real terms, compared to a sector average of 54.4%. Russell Group universities are also seen as "particularly creditworthy" due to their membership of the group, allowing them to borrow money at low interest rates.
The total annual income for Russell Group members for 2016–17 was £16.67 billion of which £4.38 billion was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £15.90 billion. The table below is a record of each Russell Group member's financial data for the 2016–17 financial year.
UniversityGovernment Funding Body Grants Teaching Income Teaching Income as % of Total IncomeResearch Income Research Income as % of Total IncomeTotal Income Operating Surplus Surplus as % of Total IncomeEndowment Value Total Net Assets
University of Birmingham88.9243.639.4%155.425.1%617.953.38.63%112.61,227.6
University of Bristol78.7305.148.0%124.019.5%635.638.36.03%70.2890.8
University of Cambridge‡17826415.4%45826.7%1,714724.20%1,7284,298
Cardiff University58.425450.4%101.220.1%503.8—8.8—1.75%33.1722.9
Durham University39.4181.750.3%53.414.8%361.033.39.22%72.0401.5
University of Edinburgh191.8278.530.7%265.329.3%905.858.36.44%392.12,009.7
University of Exeter40.0219.255.0%70.217.6%398.99.62.41%37.2496.8
University of Glasgow160.4174.728.8%179.829.6%607.541.66.85%188.4791.2
Imperial College London143.1265.127.0%348.235.4%983.289.39.08%141.71,462.8
King's College London123.0300.038.6%192.624.7%778.214.01.80%213.5926.2
University of Leeds82.4323.048.4%131.119.6%667.211.21.68%72.7748.8
University of Liverpool77.2255.248.9%94.518.1%521.845.18.64%166.5651.4
London School of Economics26.3199.357.4%31.59.1%347.435.510.22%132.7510.0
University of Manchester133.9432.343.4%262.126.3%996.630.83.09%222.21,576.8
Newcastle University69.1216.846.1%107.622.9%470.713.62.89%75.2429.1
University of Nottingham90.1309.348.5%123.719.4%637.625.64.02%55.1405.5
University of Oxford‡194.6295.321.9%559.041.5%1,345.415.41.14%828.73,165.2
Queen Mary University of London68.2207.748.4%107.622.9%428.813.62.89%34.3472.0
Queen's University Belfast99.698.129.1%79.623.6%337.612.53.70%65.4409.3
University of Sheffield83.8281.745.8%155.925.4%614.7—10.7—1.74%42.2837.5
University of Southampton76.0246.342.2%136.323.3%584.046.27.91%12.9499.3
University College London194.6460.635.3%458.435.1%1,304.773.05.60%111.41,187.4
University of Warwick58.4287.549.9%120.320.9%576.238.66.70%4.8174.3
University of York40.9166.150.1%66.019.9%331.413.13.95%7.7339.8

Notes:
‡ exclusive of colleges

Aldwych Group

In response to the Russell Group's support for tuition fees, in 1994 the students' unions of the member universities formed the Aldwych Group as a parallel organisation to represent what they perceive to be the common interests of their students. It was established by Martin Lewis as a watchdog in response to the creation of the Russell Group. It now appears to be moribund, with the website not having been updated to reflect the 2012 changes in membership of the Russell Group and containing no news items or press releases.
The Aldwych Group was so called because it was established at a meeting at the London School of Economics and Political Science, which is located on Aldwych.
Aside from the unions of the Russell Group universities, the Aldwych Group was also observed by two other bodies:

'Elite' status questioned

In a statement to the Higher Education Policy Institute, David Watson of the University of Oxford suggested that the Russell Group's claim to represent 24 'leading universities' was "a real stretch". In the context of the Russell Group's reputation in the sector, he continued: "particularly dangerous, I think, is the bottom half of the Russell Group…The problem with the Russell Group is that it represents neither the sector as a whole , in many cases, the best of the sector". Performance in research intensity showed that there were dozens of other UK universities "above the bottom Russellers".
A Durham University academic, Vikki Boliver, published a report in 2015 claiming that the prestigious position of the Russell Group was not based on evidence, but rather successful marketing. Only the universities of Oxford and Cambridge were significantly more elite than the majority of "old" universities when a grouping analysis was performed using data on academic selectivity, research activity, teaching quality, socio-economic exclusivity and economic resources. The other 22 members of the Russell Group sit in a second tier of universities along with 17 other "old" universities, mostly comprising former members of the defunct 1994 Group. Another 13 "old" universities and 54 "new" universities made up a third tier, with a fourth tier of 19 "new" universities. Within each tier, the differences between the institutions were less significant than the differences between the tiers. This reflected an earlier result from 2010 that, when the "Golden Triangle" universities were omitted, the remaining members of the Russell Group were outperformed by the members of the 1994 Group.
Ant Bagshaw from the Wonkhe think-tank has criticised the use of Russell Group membership as a proxy for selectivity in official Department for Education reports and statistics, as better measures of selectivity are available from UCAS data. He states that the idea that "Russell Group membership is synonymous with 'best is "persistent, but unverified". He also notes that this may lead to less scrutiny of the performance of non-Russell Group selective universities with respect to widening participation and improving access.

Protectionism

The Institute of Economic Affairs has argued that the Russell Group acts out of protectionist interests. It is claimed that this will "restrict competition, discourage innovation and encourage inefficiency, thereby depriving students of lower prices and/or greater choice".

Tuition fees

The Russell Group has been prominent in recent years in the debate over the introduction of tuition fees, a measure which it has strongly supported – much to the dismay of the universities' students' unions. Indeed, members of the Group argued that even the fees proposed by the controversial Higher Education Bill would not be sufficient to cover the rising cost of undergraduate teaching, and successfully argued for the right to charge variable fees at much higher rates, so-called top-up fees.