Slay! These are the Russell Group universities giving the most millennial vibes

You better hope your uni isn’t on this list


Choosing where you want to go to uni boils down to a number of different factors. Does it offer the course you want? Is it a good distance from home? Does it give chronic millennial vibes? From SU club nights to unhealthy addictions to Comic Sans, so many Russell Group universities are stuck in the past and as Gen Z, it’s just quite cringe.

Here’s an observational ranking of the most millennial Russell Group unis that nobody asked for, but which everyone will agree with.

8. Nottingham 

Millennials are still reminiscing about that one time they went to a bar that served craft beers in mason jars, and the Nottingham bar scene has struggled to move on. That being said, there are a number of new indie bars and live music events which look promising for student life. Here’s to hoping. 

7. Edinburgh 

The coffee culture in Edinburgh is strong – and that’s why it’s made it as one of the most millennial unis on the list, for research has shown that millennials average 1.3 cups of coffee a day, compared with Gen Z’s meagre 0.5 cups. Edinburgh is home to 576 coffee shops, making it one of the largest coffee capitals in the UK, second only to London.

6. Exeter 

When I asked my friend where she thought Exeter should go, she said she had no idea because Exeter feels different from the rest – “more mature”. Well, I think that sums it up, really. No offence, Exeter, but you all seem to take yourselves very seriously – a trait that is millennial to the core. 

5. Birmingham 

Birmingham is kind of an odd one for me, because I think it is somehow extremely millennial and also extremely gen Z. The nightlife scene in Birmingham is fun and relevant, but there’s just something about the energy of the SU that screams millennial. Why does it look like a big barn? 

4. Lincoln

The obsession with ducks down in Lincoln is part cute, part psychotic. Quack is a way of life down there and collecting little rubber ducks is a niche student hobby. TheIf this doesn’t scream millennial, I don’t know what does.

3. Cardiff

Cardiff students go wild for a night out in their students’ union club. I get that SU clubs were huge back in the day, but haven’t we moved on now? Uni cities across the country have created a banging nightlife scene, but Cardiff students just won’t let YOLO go.

2. Warwick

Warwick literally has a “Skool Dayz” night out, where everyone dresses in school uniform and dances to Mamma Mia. Plus, it’s literally in coventry. Lying about yourself to save face has millennial written all over it.

1. York 

Sorry, York students, but I’m going to have to put you guys in first place. When I think of York, I think of avocado toast and reminiscing about the good ol’ pre-influencer Instagram days. The whole vibe of the place just screams, “I miss the early 2010s.” 

The campus has this kind of laid-back, “let’s grab a latte and talk about the meaning of life” mentality. Even, the vibe of the city itself, with those picturesque medieval streets—it’s like it was designed for a vintage filter and a three-paragraph Facebook post. 

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