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Russell Group
Formation1994; 30 years ago (1994)
TypeAssociation of United Kingdom-based universities
Headquarters
Region served
United Kingdom
Membership
Key people
Websiterussellgroup.ac.uk Edit this at Wikidata

The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public research universities in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in Cambridge and was established in 1994 to represent its members' interests, principally to government and Parliament. It was incorporated in 2007.[2] Its members are often perceived as the UK's most prestigious universities, but this has been disputed.[3]

As of 2017, Russell Group members receive over three-quarters of all university research grant and contract income in the United Kingdom.[4] Russell Group members award 60% of all doctorates gained in the United Kingdom.[4] In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, Russell Group universities accounted for 65% of all world-leading (4*) research conducted in the UK, and 91% of the Russell Group's research was judged to be world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*).[5] Of the 21 Russell Group universities that have entered the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF), 10 hold gold awards (48%), 10 silver (48%) and one bronze (5%),[6] compared to proportions across all 274 higher education providers with full awards of 28% gold, 50% silver and 22% bronze,[7] and proportions across 139 universities and alternative providers with university status of 40% gold, 50% silver and 10% bronze.[8] Their graduates hold 61% of all UK jobs that require a university degree, despite being only 17% of all higher education graduates.[9][10]

The Russell Group is named after the location of the first informal meetings of the Group, which took place at the Hotel Russell in Russell Square, London.[11]

History

The Russell Group of universities was formed in 1994 by 17 British research universities – Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, 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 (now Universities UK) in nearby Tavistock Square, close to the University of London buildings and, particularly, Senate House.[11][12] With the exception of Warwick (established in the 1960s), the founder members of the group were all universities or university colleges prior to World War I, including most of Britain's ancient universities and "redbrick universities". In 1998, Cardiff University and King's College London joined the group.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15] In November 2006, Queen's University Belfast was admitted as the twentieth member of the group.[16] 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.[16]

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.[11] All of the new members had previously been members of the 1994 Group of British universities.[11]

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.[17] 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'.[18]

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."[2]

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.[19]

Russell Group chairs 2000–2023[19]
Name Dates Institution
Sir Colin Lucas 2000–2003 Oxford
Professor Sir Michael Sterling 2003–2006 Birmingham
Professor Sir Malcolm Grant 2006–2009 UCL
Professor Michael Arthur 2009–2012 Leeds
Professor Sir David Eastwood 2012–2015 Birmingham
Professor Sir David Greenaway 2015–2017 Nottingham
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli 2017–2020 Glasgow
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell 2020–2023 Manchester

Members

The Russell Group currently has twenty-four members,[12] 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).

University[20] Year of joining Undergraduate students (2022/23)[21] Postgraduate students (2022/23)[21] Total students (2022/23)[21] Total academic staff (2018/19)[22] TEF award[23]
University of Birmingham 1994 23,155 12,605 35,760 4,020 Gold
University of Bristol 1994 20,035 7,340 27,375 3,285 Silver
University of Cambridge 1994 12,860 8,475 21,340 6,215 Gold
Cardiff University 1998 23,755 9,505 33,260 3,330 Silver
Durham University 2012 14,730 4,790 19,520 1,720 Gold
University of Edinburgh 1994 23,060 12,310 35,375 7,310 N/A
University of Exeter 2012 20,320 6,615 26,935 2,810 Gold
University of Glasgow 1994 21,165 11,300 32,465 4,275 N/A
Imperial College London 1994 10,475 8,925 19,400 4,055 Gold
King's College London 1998 19,370 13,740 33,110 4,390 Silver
University of Leeds 1994 25,955 10,370 36,330 3,785 Gold
University of Liverpool 1994 22,690 6,910 29,600 3,005 Silver
London School of Economics 1994 5,160 6,895 12,050 1,725 Bronze
University of Manchester 1994 26,630 13,855 40,485 5,080 Silver
Newcastle University 1994 21,300 6,775 28,070 3,010 Gold
University of Nottingham 1994 25,980 8,860 34,840 3,495 Gold
University of Oxford 1994 15,270 10,640 25,910 6,905 Gold
 Queen Mary University of London 2012 14,825 6,840 21,665 3,235 Silver
Queen's University Belfast 2006 18,310 6,605 24,915 1,905 N/A
University of Sheffield 1994 19,100 10,955 30,055 3,495 Silver
University of Southampton 1994 14,705 7,960 22,665 2,735 Silver
University College London 1994 19,715 21,380 41,095 7,700 Silver
University of Warwick 1994 17,635 9,190 26,825 2,635 Silver
University of York 2012 14,075 5,715 19,790 1,935 Gold

Notes:
Member institution of the University of London, awarding its own degrees

Status

Research

In 2022/23, following the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the English universities of the Russell Group saw their share of recurring research funding from Research England drop by 2.71 percentage points from the 2021/22 funding (based on the previous 2014 REF) to 68.21 per cent, although most institutions saw a rise in actual funding levels due to an overall increase in funding. The top 19 English institutions in terms of funding continued to all be from the Russell Group, with the top 20 being rounded off, as before, by Lancaster. The LSE was, as in previous REF rounds, the exception, ranking 31st in terms of funding (down from 23rd in 2021/11) and seeing a nine per cent fall (£1.7 million) in its allocation.[24]

In 2015/16, following the 2014 REF, the 19 English universities with HEFCE research funding allocations (excluding transitional funding) in excess of £20 million were all members of the Russell Group. The only English Russell Group institution to receive an allocation below £20 million was the LSE (£18.6 million), which ranked 22nd behind the Universities of Leicester and Lancaster (both on £19 million).[25]

In 2010/11, 19 of the 20 UK universities with the highest income from research grants and contracts were members of the Russell Group.[26] In terms of total research funding allocations from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in 2007/8, the top 15 universities were all Russell Group institutions.[27] 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.[27]

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 (e.g. science, technology and medicine tend to attract more money).

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 (21st) and the LSE (27th), while the other two universities to have since joined were York (22nd) and Exeter (25th).[28] 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.[29]

Rankings

In 2023, all eight UK universities in the ARWU top 100, sixteen of the seventeen in the QS top 100 (the other place being occupied by the University of St Andrews), and all ten in the THE top 100 are members of the Russell Group. The Russell Group provides seven of the top ten in the Complete, Guardian, and Times/Sunday Times.

University ARWU 2022 (Global)[30] QS 2023 (Global)[31] THE 2023 (Global)[32] Complete 2023 (National)[33] Guardian 2023 (National)[34] Times/Sunday Times 2023 (National)[35]
University of Birmingham 101–150 91 108= 14 27 20=
University of Bristol 81 61= 76 15 16= 15
University of Cambridge 4 2 3= 2 3 3
Cardiff University 151–200 166 187= 26 35= 25
Durham University 301–400 92 198= 6 6 6
University of Edinburgh 35 15 29 12 12 10
University of Exeter 101–150 163 137= 19 15 13
University of Glasgow 101–150 81 82= 23 11 14
Imperial College London 23 6= 10 5 5 5
King's College London 48 37 35 22 29 26
University of Leeds 151–200 86 128= 16 20 23
University of Liverpool 101–150 190 176= 21 40 33=
London School of Economics 101–150 56 37 3 4 4
University of Manchester 38 28 54= 17 30= 24
Newcastle University 201–300 122 139= 36 63= 33=
University of Nottingham 101–150 114 130 25 63= 30
University of Oxford 7 4 1 1 2 1
Queen Mary University of London 201–300 125= 124= 35 54 36
Queen's University Belfast 301–400 233= 198= 24 46 28
University of Sheffield 101–150 96= 114= 28 30= 20=
University of Southampton 151–200 78 108= 13 16= 16
University College London 18 8 22 9 9 7
University of Warwick 101–150 64 104= 10 8 9
University of York 401–500 162 139= 20 21 17

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 30 (the absent members being Queen Mary University of London and Queen's University Belfast).[36] The Sutton 13 group of the 13 most highly selective universities only includes one non-Russell Group member, the University of St Andrews.[37] The top 10 by average UCAS points of new undergraduate students in 2020–21 included two non-Russell Group universities: St Andrews (1st; 209 points) and Strathclyde (joint 2nd with Cambridge; 207 points).[38] The top 10 by lowest offer rate to new undergraduate students in 2022-23 included three non-Russell Group universities: St Andrews (3rd; 24.7%), St George's (9th; 40.0%) and University of the Arts London (10th; 43.2%). The average offer rate, including conditional and unconditional offers, across 'higher tariff' UK institutions (as defined by UCAS) was 55.5% in 2022.[39]

University Average Entry Tariffa[38] Offer Rate (%)b[39]
University of Birmingham 158 61.3
University of Bristol 167 52.2
University of Cambridge 207 21.8
Cardiff University 148 68.2
Durham University 187 48.0
University of Edinburgh 190 29.7
University of Exeter 162 63.3
University of Glasgow 204 61.0
Imperial College London 198 30.1
King's College London 165 39.3
University of Leeds 159 47.3
University of Liverpool 144 69.2
London School of Economics 193 26.1
University of Manchester 165 51.5
Newcastle University 148 78.1
University of Nottingham 152 67.7
University of Oxford 201 19.2
Queen Mary University of London 145 61.4
Queen's University Belfast 148 68.5
University of Sheffield 149 74.7
University of Southampton 155 69.2
University College London 189 29.5
University of Warwick 167 62.0
University of York 149 78.7

Notes:
a The average UCAS tariff achieved by new undergraduate students entering the university in 2020–21. This is based on qualifications achieved, for example A-levels: A* = 56, A = 48, B = 40 UCAS points; IBO Certificate in Higher Level: H7 = 56, H6 = 48, H5 = 32.[40]
b The average offer rate for June deadline undergraduate applicants (all ages) in 2022.

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%.[41] 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.[42]

The total annual income for Russell Group members for 2020–21 was £20.30 billion of which £4.77 billion was from research grants and contracts, with an operating surplus of £1.15 billion. Russell Group universities hold a total endowment value of £6.18 billion (exclusive of colleges) and net assets of £31.52 billion. The table below is a record of each Russell Group member's financial data for the 2020–21 financial year.

University Government funding body grants (£m) Teaching income (£m) Teaching income as % of total income Research income (£m) Research income as % of total income Total income (£m) Operating surplus (£m) Surplus as % of total income Endowment value (£m) Total net assets (£m)
University of Birmingham[43] 93.1 389.6 50.3% 168.3 21.7% 774.1 35.6 4.60% 134.5 1,252.2
University of Bristol[44] 119.9 349.8 46.5% 176.4 22.6% 752.0 85.3 11.34% 91.3 1,190.1
University of Cambridge[45] 212.9 332.1 16.5% 580.4 28.8% 2,019.1 119.8 5.93% 2,031.0 5,283.0
Cardiff University[46] 109.5 306.9 50.9% 112.6 18.7% 603.4 31.3 5.19% 45.5 678.7
Durham University[47] 43.0 241.3 61.4% 51.2 13.0% 393.2 19.8 5.04% 98.2 476.6
University of Edinburgh[48] 236.3 435.0 37.0% 324.0 27.6% 1,175.6 130.0 11.0% 565.2 2,406.2
University of Exeter[49] 59.4 287.5 57.2% 94.6 18.8% 503.1 —9.7 —1.93% 49.5 513.5
University of Glasgow[50] 198.4 288.9 35.7% 173.3 21.4% 809.4 116.3 14.4% 225.2 1,008.0
Imperial College London[51] 156.0 383.5 35.8% 363.0 33.9% 1,072.0 23.1 2.15% 202.1 1,878.8
King's College London[52] 145.5 505.5 50.5% 187.9 18.8% 1,002.0 36.4 3.63% 300.6 1,489.2
University of Leeds[53] 96.2 405.7 54.0% 130.1 17.3% 751.7 —8.1 —1.08% 90.5 737.5
University of Liverpool[54] 78.7 303.7 50.8% 112.5 18.8% 597.4 29.0 4.85% 190.2 801.5
London School of Economics[55] 37.0 250.7 64.1% 32.8 8.4% 391.1 56.9 14.6% 240.8 757.2
University of Manchester[56] 138.1 577.9 52.5% 237.0 21.5% 1,101.6 63.6 5.77% 242.2 1,857.3
Newcastle University[57] 81.2 276.3 52.8% 99.6 19.0% 523.6 4.7 0.90% 101.8 503.2
University of Nottingham[58] 102.0 387.7 55.9% 114.9 16.6% 694.0 14.0 2.02% 72.3 524.4
University of Oxford[59] 203.8 418.5 18.6% 647.8 28.8% 2,249.8 95.0 4.22% 1,149.0 5,071.8
Queen Mary University of London[60] 76.0 272.9 53.3% 114.7 22.4% 512.5 71.3 13.9% 41.3 533.5
Queen's University Belfast[61] 109.9 143.4 36.2% 88.6 22.4% 395.8 22.3 5.63% 70.0 536.4
University of Sheffield[62] 96.1 370 49.9% 163.0 22.0% 741.0 32.4 4.37% 46.7 1,229.8
University of Southampton[63] 84.2 237.0 43.3% 119.7 21.9% 547.7 5.0 0.91% 14.9 499.4
University College London[64] 221.4 732.9 46.1% 475.7 29.9% 1,591.7 109.8 6.90% 163.3 1,613.7
University of Warwick[65] 66.8 389.7 55.8% 139.8 20.0% 698.2 76.7 11.0% 7.0 384.1
University of York[66] 47.5 229.1 56.8% 69.8 17.3% 403.6 —6.3 —1.56% 8.0 289.5

Notes:
exclusive of colleges

Criticisms

'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 [nor], 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".[67]

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 (University of Aberdeen, University of Bath*, University of Dundee, University of East Anglia*, Goldsmiths*, Heriot-Watt University, University of Kent, Lancaster University*, University of Leicester*, Loughborough University*, University of Reading*, Royal Holloway*, University of St Andrews*, SOAS*, University of Strathclyde, University of Surrey* and University of Sussex*), mostly comprising former members of the defunct 1994 Group (shown by asterisks). 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.[68][69] This reflected an earlier result from 2010 that, when the "Golden Triangle" universities (defined in the study as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, LSE, and UCL) were omitted, the remaining (then) members of the Russell Group were outperformed by the (then) members of the 1994 Group.[70]

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.[71]

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".[72]

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.[citation needed]

Sustainability

The twenty-four universities in the Russell Group are responsible for around half of the Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions of the UK university sector.[73][better source needed] The Group as a whole has been criticised for an inconsistent and inadequate response to the need to identify emissions and take reduction measures.[74] An Environmental Sustainability Network was announced by the Russell Group in December 2019;[75] as of November 2021 no outcomes from this had been announced.

Widening access

Analysis by the Labour Party in 2018 found that the number of students from disadvantaged areas has only increased by one percentage point since 2010.[76]

In 2015, Durham academic Vikki Bolívar published a paper, Lies, damned lies, and statistics on widening access to Russell Group universities, criticising the statistical analysis in the Russell Group publication Opening Doors. This had said that "real progress has been made over the last few years" in widening access, but Bolívar highlighted four areas where the statistics used to justify this claim were misleading. She also pointed out that there was "a growing body of statistical research evidence which indicates that one important barrier to widening access at Russell Group universities is that applicants from less advantaged social backgrounds are less likely to be offered places at these universities than comparably qualified applicants from more advantaged social groups" that had not been mentioned in the Russell Group report.[77]

UCAS statistics on offers to applicants from low/high participation neighbourhoods (2022)[78]
POLAR4 Q1 (lowest participation 20% neighbourhoods) POLAR4 Q5 (highest participation 20% neighbourhoods)
University Offer rate differencea Flagb % of all offers Offer rate differencea Flagb % of all offers
Birmingham +2.3 + 9.2 +0.9 + 39.8
Bristol +5.6 + 7.3 -1.9 - 48.3
Cambridge +1.2 5.4 -0.2 50.2
Cardiff -1.6 9.4 +0.6 + 37.4
Durham +37.4 + 12.3 -12.7 - 38.4
Edinburgh +6.8 + 6.1 -1.4 - 49.9
Exeter +7.9 + 6.9 -3.2 - 46.3
Glasgow +3.2 + 5.8 +0.3 47.6
Imperial +6.8 + 7.4 -2.1 - 44.0
King's +6.6 + 7.1 -1.4 - 41.3
Leeds +8.9 + 10.4 -2.2 - 42.1
Liverpool +1.0 10.9 +0.7 + 37.9
LSE +21.6 + 9.0 -4.3 - 44.0
Manchester +4.9 + 10.3 -0.4 40.2
Newcastle -0.2 9.3 +0.4 41.5
Nottingham +1.0 8.6 +0.6 + 42.8
Oxford +8.3 8.2 -2.2 - 47.2
Queen Mary +1.0 5.0 -0.2 37.5
Queen's Belfast -3.5 - 9.4 +0.8 38.5
Sheffield -1.6 - 10.8 +0.9 + 37.7
Southampton -0.4 7.9 +0.9 + 41.3
UCL +4.9 + 6.3 -0.2 48.9
Warwick +2.0 + 7.0 +0.5 43.8
York +0.8 10.3 +0.1 37.9
All higher tariff providers +4.4 + 8.6 -1.0 - 42.1
All UK providers 0.6 11.6 -0.2 32.0

a – difference between the actual offer rate and the offer rate expected if predicted grades and subject choice were the only factors
b – indicates significantly higher (+), significantly lower (-) or no significant difference from expected rate (blank)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Disclaimer". Russell Group. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b "About". Russell Group. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  3. ^ Paul Blackmore (29 March 2016). "Universities vie for the metric that cannot be measured: prestige". The Guardian. The Russell Group has successfully stage-managed the position that it is seen as comprising the best universities. Some are and some aren't, but by and large this is nonsense. However, parents increasingly say they want their child to go to one.
    Pre-92 head.
  4. ^ a b "Profile" (PDF). Russell Group. June 2017. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Russell Group universities produce more world-leading research than ever before". The Russell Group. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  6. ^ Eleanor Busby (6 June 2018). "Elite universities improve teaching scores after requesting to be judged again in government rankings". The Independent.
  7. ^ "TEF outcomes". Office for Students. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  8. ^ Seeta Bhardwa (19 June 2019). "What is the TEF? Results of the teaching excellence framework 2019". Times Higher Education.
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  18. ^ Camilla Turner (23 May 2019). "Bright teenagers risk having university plans 'scuppered' by bad A-levels advice, Russell Group warns". Daily Telegraph.
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  38. ^ a b "Complete University Guide 2023 – Entry Standards". Retrieved 2 February 2023.
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  41. ^ Chris Havergal (9 December 2015). "Russell Group 'pulls further away' in funding race". Times Higher Education.
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