Google Reveals Most Searched for Universities | The Knowledge Academy

Choosing a university can feel like an overwhelming decision.

First, there is location to consider (approximately 106 universities in England alone!) Secondly, an abundance of subjects to study. There’s the traditional Math, English, and Sciences but also unusual degrees – like Puppetry Design and Performance, Ethical Hacking, Contemporary Circus Performance, and Cake Technology (yes, really!) Plus there are optional choices like choosing to study a course alongside your degree - such as an SEO Masterclass.

Of course, some might question are university degrees still worth it?  But if you are certain you would like to go to university, there's more choice than ever before, so it's well worth doing your homework.

To help streamline the process, theknowledgeacademy.com has revealed the most searched-for Russell Group University in the UK and the most searched-for Ivy League University in the US, in the hope it will show which are the most popular universities in each country.

What do 'Russell Group' and 'Ivy League' mean?

Russell Group

The Russell Group is a self-selected association of 24 public research universities in the UK, including universities such as University of Birmingham, London School of Economics and Political Science and University of York. They are among the most popular UK universities.

Ivy League

The term Ivy League is used to refer to 8 schools, a group of elite colleges known for their high academic and teaching performance. This includes universities such as Brown University, Dartmouth College and Yale University. They are among the most popular universities in America.

The most searched-for Russell Group University in the UK:
 

The Highlights:

University of Manchester and University of Sheffield top the table. In fact, 94,100 curious Brits search for these universities every month. This place them thousands of searches ahead of academic leaders Oxford and Cambridge.

In the battle between titans Cambridge and Oxford, University of Cambridge has the edge by 380 searches (74,380 monthly searches for University of Cambridge; 74,000 monthly searches for University of Oxford.)

University of Nottingham (91,500 searches), University of Birmingham (91,410 searches) and University of Edinburgh (76,400 searches) make the top 5.

Midway in the table, we find King’s College London with a monthly search volume of 61,230.

Interestingly, other schools located in the capital don’t fare as well. In fact, search volumes for University College London (23,180), Queen Mary University of London (22,340) and London School of Economics and Political Science (20,600) are among the lowest.

Queen’s University Belfast is the least searched-for Russell Group University in the UK.

The most searched-for Ivy League University in the US:
 

The Highlights:

New York City’s Columbia University tops the table. 321,700 interested Americans search for this university every month, placing it far ahead of universities like Harvard and Cornell.

71,780 less Americans search for Harvard University (249,920 monthly searches) and even fewer search for Cornell University (208,230).

Brown University (171,920 searches) and Princeton University (169,660 searches) make the top 5.

In 6^th place is Yale University, with a monthly search volume of 168,950, followed by the University of Pennsylvania in 7^th (139,660).

Dartmouth University, based in New Hampshire, is the least searched-for Ivy League University in the US.

To continue streamlining your university choices, why not also look at the most and least popular undergraduate courses.