A new study has revealed that University of Cambridge as the most Instagrammable university in the UK. University of Oxford came close behind in second place, whilst Coventry University was third.
Cybersecurity experts at VPNOverview analysed how many times the 100 highest rated UK universities have been hashtagged in public posts on Instagram.
University of Cambridge ranked at the top of the list with a total of 184,963 public hashtags posts across Instagram. Many of the top posts feature picturesque shots of campus buildings and the surrounding city of Cambridge.
The second-oldest university in the UK, Cambridge is renowned for its worldwide academic achievement, managing more than 150 departments, faculties, and other institutions. Notable former students include Tom Hiddleston, David Attenborough and King Charles III.
University of Oxford comes in second place with a total of 163,445 hashtagged posts across Instagram. Many of the top posts feature the grounds and architecture of various buildings from the university itself, alongside the surrounding city of Oxford.
University of Oxford is believed to be the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in continuous operation and holds a very prestigious reputation. The grounds of the university were also used as filming locations throughout the Harry Potter films. Former students include Oscar Wilde, JRR Tolkien, Gemma Chan, and Hugh Grant.
Coventry University ranks in third place with 161,452 hashtags on Instagram posts. Many of the top posts include graduation celebrations and examples of the various societies on offer, alongside pictures of the city.
Coventry University is the larger of two universities in the city, the other being the University of Warwick. It is the UK's fourth largest university and has two principal campuses, with its central location in Coventry and a secondary campus in London for business and management courses.
University of Birmingham ranked fourth in the list with a total of 142,536 public hashtags posts across Instagram. It is the seventh largest university in the UK and has one of the largest international student communities in the UK, with over 10,000 students from 150 countries.
University of Glasgow ranked fifth with a total of 130,400 public hashtags posts across Instagram. It is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and is the most Instagrammable university from Scotland on the list.
Other universities that made the top ten include University of Manchester, University of Leeds, Newcastle University, University of Sheffield, and King's College London.
A spokesperson for VPNOverview commented: “While prospective students often apply for universities based on their academic reputation, the visual appeal of the buildings and campus also play an important role in creating an enjoyable university experience.
“The University of Cambridge receives 1.3 million searches each year worldwide, with America and India accounting for nearly half of all searches. This highlights the importance of encouraging social media engagement using identifying hashtags to be able to reach as many people as possible, therefore creating further publicity.”
Rank |
UK University |
Hashtag used |
Total number of Instagram hashtags |
1. |
University of Cambridge |
#universityofcambridge |
185,071 |
2. |
University of Oxford |
#universityofoxford |
163,561 |
3. |
Coventry University |
#coventryuniversity |
161,538 |
4. |
University of Birmingham |
#universityofbirmingham |
142,536 |
5. |
University of Glasgow |
#universityofglasgow |
130,400 |
6. |
University of Manchester |
#universityofmanchester |
129,748 |
7. |
University of Leeds |
#universityofleeds |
119,728 |
8. |
Newcastle University |
#newcastleuniversity |
107,011 |
9. |
University of Sheffield |
#universityofsheffield |
101,349 |
10. |
King's College London |
#kingscollegelondon |
101,341 |
11. |
University of Nottingham |
#universityofnottingham |
96,134 |
12. |
University of Edinburgh |
#universityofedinburgh |
92,526 |
13. |
Durham University |
#durhamuniversity |
91,620 |
14. |
Cardiff University |
#cardiffuniversity |
85,889 |
15. |
Imperial College London |
#imperialcollegelondon |
82,793 |
16. |
University of York |
#universityofyork |
78,953 |
17. |
Northumbria University, Newcastle |
#northumbriauniversity |
78,851 |
18. |
University of Warwick |
#universityofwarwick |
74,623 |
19. |
University of Bristol |
#universityofbristol |
72,294 |
20. |
University of Bath |
#universityofbath |
71,329 |
21. |
University of Surrey |
#universityofsurrey |
70,838 |
22. |
Loughborough University |
#loughboroughuniversity |
67,871 |
23. |
Kingston University |
#kingstonuniversity |
66,511 |
24. |
Lancaster University |
#lancasteruniversity |
66,272 |
25. |
University of Essex |
#universityofessex |
64,315 |
26. |
University of Liverpool |
#universityofliverpool |
63,025 |
27. |
UCL (University College London) |
#universitycollegelondon |
61,004 |
28. |
University of Leicester |
#universityofleicester |
57,214 |
29. |
Falmouth University |
#falmouthuniversity |
57,033 |
30. |
University of Southampton |
#universityofsouthampton |
55,514 |
31. |
University of Exeter |
#universityofexeter |
55,444 |
32. |
Aston University, Birmingham |
#astonuniversity |
51,571 |
33. |
University of Hertfordshire |
#universityofhertfordshire |
51,323 |
34. |
Bangor University |
#bangoruniversity |
50,019 |
35. |
Nottingham Trent University |
#nottinghamtrentuniversity |
49,295 |
36. |
University of Aberdeen |
#universityofaberdeen |
48,892 |
37. |
University of Kent |
#universityofkent |
48,699 |
38. |
Bournemouth University |
#bournemouthuniversity |
47,927 |
39. |
University of East Anglia |
#universityofeastanglia |
47,104 |
40. |
Swansea University |
#swanseauniversity |
45,528 |
41. |
University of Lincoln |
#universityoflincoln |
45,514 |
42. |
Heriot-Watt University |
#heriotwattuniversity |
44,549 |
43. |
Ulster University |
#ulsteruniversity |
44,506 |
44. |
University of Sussex |
#universityofsussex |
43,172 |
45. |
Birmingham City University |
#birminghamcityuniversity |
42,164 |
46. |
University of the Arts London |
#universityoftheartslondon / #universityofartslondon |
41,935 |
47. |
Aberystwyth University |
#aberystwythuniversity |
40,783 |
48. |
University of Portsmouth |
#universityofportsmouth |
40,752 |
49. |
Leeds Arts University |
#leedsartsuniversity |
40,615 |
50. |
Keele University |
#keeleuniversity |
38,826 |