05.06.2006
The University of Brighton is Britain's third most friendly place to study and the friendliest university in the south, according to a unique league table of the country's higher education institutions.
It was only narrowly pipped to second place by Newcastle upon Tyne University.
This is the first time that Brighton has featured in the top ten of friendly universities, a ranking compiled each summer by the website Friends Reunited.
The league table is the only one of its kind because it grades the UK's higher education establishments not by academic results but by their 'friendliness rating'.
Friends Reunited created the University Friendship League Table by analysing emails sent between the site's 12 million members who are ex-students of Britain's universities and colleges.
Alumni relationship manager Faye Brown with the plaque and marketing colleagues
Professor Julian Crampton, vice chancellor at the University of Brighton, said, "These results confirm what we've always thought - that Brighton offers a great student experience, both academically and socially."
"I am delighted that the unique atmosphere of friendship and community, of which we are so proud at the university, has provided a basis for so many friendships that have lasted beyond graduation. These friendships often play an important role in the learning process."
The university's sporting reputation and vibrant society network are responsible for the ease with which people can make friends, according to Becca Mann, president of the Students' Union.
She said, "Brighton is a very cosmopolitan city and is accepting of people from all backgrounds and cultures and people's experiences and friendships here obviously last well beyond their student life."
Faye Brown from the university's Alumni Association said: "The people you meet at university are often friends for life and so it's great that Brighton students are keeping up the valuable contacts they make while they're here. The Alumni team is here to help organise reunions and networking events, as well as offer advice and tips on tracing old friends."
Former student, Dan Bennett said: "I found the University of Brighton to be a very open, friendly and supportive place to be. It's not elitist. My experiences at Brighton have stood me in good stead for future years and I'm still in touch with many of my friends from university."
The importance of friendliness compared to academic performance is increasing, judging by the results of the Friends Reunited research.
It revealed that while students are still chiefly guided in their choice of university by the type of course on offer, they are now around 10 times more likely than their grandparents to be influenced by the campus social life.
Michael Murphy, chief executive of Friends Reunited said, "This explains why a place renowned for its busy social scene like Brighton scores so highly when it comes to being friendly. This is not surprising as it's often described as the social capital of England."
About University Friendship League Tables
The University Friendship League Tables have been formulated by analysing data from the Friends Reunited website to give each university a 'friendliness' rating. This is determined by the average number of emails sent by each ex-student to their uni mates and the average number of students who send messages. Friends Reunited has looked only at the number of messages sent, not at the contents, which remain confidential. Only people who actively use the site to correspond with other members are taken into account. Visits by those who are 'just looking' to see who from their university is registered are not included.
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
