Open days are the best way to choose a university, and they tend to fall on the same few weekends, so planning matters. These eight are among the most visited. Each runs its own dates, so book places where needed.
Choosing a university is one of the biggest decisions a young person makes. A prospectus and a website can only tell you so much, and nothing beats walking around a campus, seeing the halls of residence and talking to students and lecturers. Most universities hold open days in the summer and the autumn, and many also offer campus tours at other times of year.
1. University of Oxford
Colleges, libraries and the Radcliffe Camera. Open days usually run in early summer and September. Oxford city guide.
Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, with teaching there from at least the end of the eleventh century. It is made up of more than thirty colleges, each with its own buildings, students and traditions. Students live, eat and are taught in their colleges, as well as in the university’s departments.
On an open day, colleges open their doors, and students show visitors around. You can see the dining halls, the libraries and the gardens, and ask questions about the courses. Departments hold talks about their subjects.
The city is busy on open days, so plan how to get there and around. Many colleges are close together in the centre, and walking between them is the best way to see them. The Bodleian Library, the Radcliffe Camera and the Bridge of Sighs are all nearby.
2. University of Cambridge
King’s College Chapel, the Backs and punting on the Cam. Cambridge city guide. Cambridge was founded in 1209 by scholars who left Oxford, and it is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world.
Like Oxford, Cambridge is made up of colleges, around thirty of them, each with its own character. King’s, Trinity and St John’s are among the grandest, with buildings stretching down to the river. The Backs, where the colleges’ gardens run down to the Cam, are one of the most beautiful sights in England.
On open days, colleges and departments welcome visitors, with tours and talks. Many open days are in early summer. Check the dates and book where needed.
After the open day, take a punt along the Backs, or walk through the colleges to the Mathematical Bridge at Queens’. The city centre is compact and easy to walk around. Cambridge station is a short journey from the centre.
3. University of St Andrews
Scotland’s oldest university, by the sea in a small historic town. It was founded in 1413, and it is the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. Its students make up a large part of the town’s population.
St Andrews is a small, close-knit university, with many traditions. Students wear red gowns on special occasions, and on May Day some take a dawn dip in the sea. Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, met as students here.
The town is also famous as the home of golf, with the Old Course on the edge of the town. The ruined cathedral and castle overlook the sea. West Sands, a long beach, was used in the opening scenes of the film Chariots of Fire.
St Andrews is about an hour and a half from Edinburgh by car. The nearest railway station is at Leuchars, a few miles away. See our Scottish cities guide.
4. University of Edinburgh
A campus woven through a capital city. Edinburgh city guide. Founded in 1583, it is one of Scotland’s ancient universities and one of the largest in the UK.
The university’s buildings are spread across the city, from the grand Old College near the Royal Mile to George Square and the King’s Buildings campus to the south. Its former students include Charles Darwin, who studied medicine there, and Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. It is known for its medicine, science and humanities.
On an open day, you can explore the campus and the city together. Edinburgh is a wonderful place to be a student, with its castle, its festivals and its lively atmosphere. The city is compact enough to walk around.
Edinburgh is very busy in August, during the festivals, so check open day dates and plan ahead. Waverley station is in the centre of the city. Edinburgh Airport is about twenty minutes from the centre by car, depending on traffic.
5. Durham University
Colleges around a cathedral and castle on a river bend. Durham city guide. Founded in 1832, Durham is often described as the third oldest university in England, after Oxford and Cambridge.
Like Oxford and Cambridge, Durham is a collegiate university, and every student belongs to a college. University College is housed in Durham Castle, so some students live in a Norman castle. The castle and the cathedral together are a World Heritage Site.
Durham is a small city, and the university is a big part of it. The River Wear loops around the peninsula where the cathedral and castle stand, and the riverside paths are beautiful. Rowing is popular on the river.
Durham station is on the East Coast Main Line, with trains to London, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The walk from the station to the centre is short but steep. On open days, the city is busy with visitors.
6. University College London
In Bloomsbury, a walk from the British Museum. Founded in 1826, UCL was the first university in England to admit students regardless of their religion. It was also among the first in England to admit women on equal terms with men.
UCL’s main building, with its grand portico and dome, is on Gower Street. The university’s buildings are spread across Bloomsbury, one of the most elegant parts of London, with its garden squares. The British Library and the British Museum are close by.
Visitors can see the auto-icon of Jeremy Bentham, the philosopher associated with the university’s founding, which is his preserved skeleton, dressed in his clothes, on display in a glass case. It is one of the strangest sights in London. Students have many stories about it.
UCL is a short walk from Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, which makes it easy to reach from across the country. Open days are busy, so book ahead. London has many other universities to visit on the same trip.
7. The University of Manchester
A big campus along Oxford Road in a city students love. The University of Manchester is one of the largest universities in the UK, with tens of thousands of students from around the world. It was formed in 2004 from the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST, but its roots go back to the nineteenth century.
Manchester has a remarkable record of discovery. Ernest Rutherford carried out his pioneering work on the atom here, and in 1948 the university’s researchers ran the world’s first stored-program computer, known as the Baby. In 2004, Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov isolated graphene here, a discovery that won them the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The university’s main campus stretches along Oxford Road, south of the city centre, with the grand Victorian Gothic Main Building, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, at its heart. The Manchester Museum, the Whitworth art gallery and the John Rylands Library on Deansgate all belong to the university. They are among the best things to see in the city.
Oxford Road is one of the biggest student areas in Europe. Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music are also on Oxford Road, and the University of Salford is a short journey away. With so many students, the city has a huge choice of places to eat, drink and hear music.
Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations are a short walk from the campus, and buses run along Oxford Road every few minutes. Student areas such as Fallowfield and Withington are a short bus ride south. Manchester Airport is about twenty five minutes away by car, depending on the traffic.
On an open day, the campus is busy with families from across the country. Leave time to explore the city too, from the Northern Quarter to Castlefield. See our Manchester guide and places to eat in Manchester.
8. University of Bristol
On a hill above a lively, creative city. Bristol city guide. The university began as University College, Bristol in 1876, and it received its royal charter in 1909.
Its most famous building, the Wills Memorial Building, has a tall Gothic tower at the top of Park Street, one of the city’s landmarks. The university’s buildings are spread across Clifton and the area around Park Street. Clifton, with its Georgian terraces, is one of the most attractive parts of the city.
Bristol is a lively city for students, with a famous music scene, street art and a busy harbourside. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, spans the Avon Gorge nearby. There is plenty to see after the open day.
Bristol Temple Meads station is a short journey from the university. The walk up Park Street is steep, so wear comfortable shoes. Bristol Airport is about half an hour away by car.
Three open days in one weekend
Open days are long and tiring, and trains between university towns are not always direct. Book a car between them at a fixed price, and the whole family can talk it over on the way.
Plan the route before you go, grouping universities that are close together. Oxford and Cambridge are a couple of hours apart by car, while Durham, Newcastle and York are within easy reach of each other. Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield are all close together in the North.
Book accommodation early, as hotels in university towns fill up on open day weekends. Bring comfortable shoes, a bottle of water and a list of questions. Take notes and photos, as the universities soon blur together.
For a day of visits with several stops, a car by the hour can wait for you at each one. See 10 ways to use a car by the hour.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Get a fixed price for the journey.