London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE vs University of Nottingham - UoN vs University of Derby - UoD vs Bournemouth University - BU vs University of Plymouth

Side-by-side comparison from 745 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Le Cordon Bleu Paris (4.70)
London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE: wins 2/7 categories
University of Nottingham - UoN: wins 1/7 categories
University of Derby - UoD: wins 2/7 categories
Bournemouth University - BU: wins 0/7 categories
University of Plymouth: wins 0/7 categories
University of Chester: wins 0/7 categories
Le Cordon Bleu Paris: wins 2/7 categories
Comparing
Best programme: Economics
Nottingham, The United Kingdom
4.30
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171 reviews
×
Best programme: Chemical Engineering
Derby, The United Kingdom
4.40
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34 reviews
×
Best programme: Computer Engineering and Computer Science
Bournemouth, The United Kingdom
4.10
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142 reviews
×
Best programme: Accounting and Finance
Plymouth, The United Kingdom
4.20
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29 reviews
×
Best programme: Animal Science
Chester, The United Kingdom
4.20
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38 reviews
×
Best programme: Accounting and Finance
4.70
Top
Read more reviews
9 reviews
×
Best programme: Culinary Arts
Category ratings
Facilities
4.04
4.35
4.32
4.09
4.21
4.05
4.56
Win
Location
4.78
Win
4.42
4.21
4.03
4.43
4.23
4.78
Professors
4.26
4.09
4.30
4.12
4.11
4.42
4.67
Win
Internationality
4.80
Win
4.18
4.21
4.16
3.93
3.99
4.67
Student life
3.63
4.55
Win
4.03
4.20
4.39
3.97
4.00
Value
4.04
4.11
4.21
Win
4.03
4.11
4.05
4.00
Accommodation
3.78
3.92
4.03
Win
3.91
3.64
4.00
3.22
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Expert and experienced faculty
  • +Supportive and collaborative community atmosphere
  • +Diverse and flexible learning and assessment methods
  • +Excellent campus facilities and supportive faculty.
  • +Strong academic programmes with a focus on practical skills and cultural understanding.
  • +Vibrant student life with diverse societies and convenient city access.
  • +Excellent lecturers and quality education
  • +Strong student support and feeling heard
  • +Modern facilities and practical, employability-focused learning
  • +Excellent and supportive faculty
  • +Modern facilities and campus resources
  • +Practical, employability-focused programmes
  • +Engaging and supportive lecturers with real-world expertise
  • +Modern, well-equipped facilities and strong academic programs
  • +Vibrant city location and convenient student amenities
  • +Engaging curriculum with practical applications and hands-on learning
  • +Supportive and approachable lecturers passionate about teaching
  • +Friendly environment and strong sense of community
  • +exceptional quality of teaching and knowledgeable, approachable instructors
  • +strong emphasis on precision, quality, and professional skill development
  • +welcoming environment and supportive alumni network
Cons
  • -Poor teaching quality and lack of structure in academic programs.
  • -Inadequate support services and limited social opportunities.
  • -High fees with perceived low value and administrative issues.
  • -Limited module choices despite high tuition fees.
  • -Inconsistent teaching quality and lecturer availability, including frequent reliance on pre-recorded materials.
  • -Misleading course promises and unexpected shifts to online learning.
  • -Poor industry preparation and misleading advertising.
  • -Inconvenient transport and outdated facilities.
  • -Lack of practical application and awareness of available resources.
  • -Administrative & management issues are a common source of frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance are frequently criticized.
  • -Lack of effective communication and support from staff is a significant complaint.
  • -Poor quality teaching and unhelpful instructors.
  • -Lack of social integration and pressure to conform.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and technology hinder the learning experience.
  • -Lack of career support and industry relevance leads to dissatisfaction.
Rating summary
What students say

Perceived strengths of this institution lie significantly in its **Location** and **Internationality**, both receiving top marks. Conversely, **Student Life** emerges as the area with the lowest reported satisfaction. Ratings for Facilities, Professors, Accomodation, and Value fall within a moderate to good range, indicating generally positive feedback across these aspects.

This institution receives outstanding reviews for its student life, scoring a remarkable 4.55. Location also garners high praise at 4.42, closely followed by facilities at 4.35. Conversely, accommodation presents a weaker area with a rating of 3.92. Other aspects like professors, internationality, and value fall within a solid range, indicating a generally positive university experience.

With most categories scoring well above 4.0, this university demonstrates robust strengths, particularly in **Facilities** (4.32), closely followed by **Professors** (4.30). **Location**, **Internationality**, and **Value** also received consistently high marks at 4.21. The areas with the most room for improvement, though still rated positively, are **Student Life** and **Accomodation**, both hovering around the 4.03 mark.

The university garners positive feedback across numerous aspects, with Student Life achieving the highest rating at 4.2. Professors and Internationality also score well. In contrast, Accomodation presents the lowest score at 3.91, indicating it's the area with the most room for improvement. Facilities, Location, and Value are all rated around 4.0.

Overall, the university garners solid reviews. Its **location** is particularly lauded, receiving the highest score. **Student life** and **facilities** also rate highly, indicating a vibrant and well-equipped campus environment. Conversely, **accommodation** stands out as the weakest area, suggesting room for improvement in student housing. Ratings for professors, internationality, and value fall within the good to very good range.

This institution receives particularly strong marks for its **Professors**, who are rated highly. **Student Life** presents the lowest score among the surveyed aspects. Other areas like Facilities, Location, Accomodation, Internationality, and Value are generally well-regarded, falling within a positive range. The overall sentiment suggests a well-rounded university experience with a particular strength in its academic staff.

This institution receives high marks for its Location, scoring 4.78, and for its Professors and Internationality, both at 4.67. Facilities also rate well at 4.56. Student Life and Value are both solid at 4.00. The weakest area is Accomodation, which received a rating of 3.22.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Most reviews (~74%) are positive, praising academic reputation, expert faculty, and excellent resources. A small percentage (~3.4%) express dissatisfaction with lecturing quality, course structure, or career services.

University reviews are overwhelmingly positive (~90%), with students praising supportive faculty, excellent facilities, and enjoyable campus life. The single negative review mentioned curriculum limitations.

Most reviews (around 91%) are highly positive, praising incredible lecturers, top-notch facilities, and strong support. A small percentage (around 3%) mentioned issues like inconsistent grading or lecturers not showing up.

With a 4.08/5 average rating, ~98.6% of reviews are positive, praising modern facilities, supportive staff, and strong academic programs. A small minority (1.4%) noted issues with practical application and transport.

~83% of 29 reviews are positive (4-5 stars). Students praise the university's location, modern facilities, and supportive staff. No negative feedback was recorded.

Approximately 74% of reviews are positive, highlighting well-designed courses and supportive lecturers. A small minority of feedback, around 2.6%, expressed dissatisfaction with the academic program and social environment.

All 9 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.67/5. Students highlight exceptional teaching quality and knowledgeable instructors, along with impeccable facilities. The curriculum and emphasis on precision are frequently praised.

Rating distribution
5★
34%
42%
56%
24%
38%
42%
67%
4★
44%
48%
32%
62%
41%
37%
33%
3★
19%
10%
9%
13%
21%
18%
0%
2★
2%
1%
3%
1%
0%
3%
0%
1★
1%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Great Experience

LSE is a great place to create life-long connections and friends. There's a certain sense of community that is special to the university. The staff are hands-on and approachable. The facilities are modern and well-equipped.

great uni

The university of Nottingham is a fantastic Russell Group university. Even speaking objectively, the university has a reputation for academic excellence; accordingly, it is ranked 66 in the world and 10 in the UK for employability according to QS 2022 rankings. In my experience, I can see why this is the case! I can only speak for the Faculty of Arts, but the staff are great and the content they teach is generally very interesting. The lectures are well prepared, and the powerpoint slides are always provided to students - many lecturers also record their lectures for those that can’t attend. Reading lists for each module are comprehensive, with core readings, recommended readings, and further readings available, alongside many other online resources to help with your studies. My biggest piece of advice is to take full advantage of what is available to you, especially the brains of your professors! They are there to help and will happily meet with you to discuss your work; they have always been quick to respond to my own queries on email and friendly and helpful in person. As is to be expected at uni, you will not be spoon fed. While I stand-by the fact that the lectures here are interesting, you are expected to go above and beyond with your reading and research. Sometimes the lectures may not even have any relevance to the assignments; do not make the mistake of thinking the lecture materials are all you need for your courseworks. In my first year a professor reminded me that I am meant to be a full-time student, which means I need to study like one! This means at least a few hours of work outside of lectures or seminars a day - of course in first year this isn’t as necessary but in second and third year I would try to take this advice on board if you want to do well. In relation to lectures and university staff, be aware that there are a lot of strikes ongoing, and so lots of teaching and some assignments are likely to be impacted. This seems to be a nationwide issue, but staff in the Faculty of Arts here often partake in the strikes. Nottingham is a super sporty university! There are a huge number of sports and societies to get involved with, make sure you go to the freshers fair to check out all your options and sign up to trial anything that might interest you. Don’t overlook the importance of these as a source of entertainment and places to meet new people. However, I will say is that there is a big drinking culture that is especially evident in sports teams so if that doesn’t appeal to you then its something to be wary of. As far as I can tell though, this isn’t limited just to UON, and many big universities have this culture. Furthermore, uni sports are pretty expensive. If you are part of a team you will have to pay a membership subscription, some sports require you to have a sports village pass, and will have to pay for kits/uniform. Even when trying new sports or wanting to play for fun instead of for competition, you will have to pay £5-10 per session. at the moment, only catered halls are available on campus, with self-catered halls being a little more further out, although all are within a reasonable distance. If I could repeat first year, I would pick one of the catered halls - I think the shared dining halls encourage more social interaction, the fantastic facilities on campus are much more easily accessible, and of course there is the added bonus of not having to cook or clean up! Finally, the surrounding areas are lovely. The main campus is absolutely gorgeous and green, with tons of wildlife. Keep an eye out for the bunnies! There are free hopper buses between University park, Jubilee and Sutton Bonnington. Beeston and Lenton in particular have wonderful student communities, where most students will live in their second and third years, but the city as a whole feels very student-oriented given the presence of two huge universities.

Derby is Lovely

Derby is amazing, they are super organized and is great with communication. They ensure that all their students feel heard, safe, and involved in everything. I'm in my second year, and I have no complaints thus far.

3D Computer Animation - Little value for fees

I studied the MA 3D Computer Animation at BU. If you are an international student I can't warn you enough about how studying there can be one of the worsts mistakes that you can make in your life. They cherry pick the stories of success. They use the names of the bigs studios for advertising, implicitly or explicitly. They use BFX as an advertising tool for the courses at BU. They say that they will prepare you for the industry in completion of the course, this is absolutely false in my experience. The MA is an introductory course condesed in one year. For an astronomical fee you will learn the basics of the tools and techiques. Things are taught in a rushed manner and sometimes in a mediocre way. Most of the people end the course with the same artistic level that they begin with. You will learn higher education skills that are transfarable to the practice of the profession or other aspects of life. But the price is absolutely not worth it. You can learn the basics of the software and basic techniques from free sources or from a paid source that is an infinitesimal fraction and provide the same or more value. And you can for sure learn the higher education skills that are the most valuable part of the course creating projects by yourself. Most of the international racialized students that I know didn't get into the industry and we were very dissapointed, some of us to the point of depression. It felt like a scam. The teachers don't have a good artistic level and there was a teacher that had a very abussive behaviour. Also, you have to consider that the industry is very discriminatory despite what they say. So if you don't have a European or Canadian passport you will have a difficut time getting a job even in a small studio. The majority of the people working in the studios are white Europeans and North Americans. If you mix a discriminatory industry with a student debt you have a horrible situation. Many of the students that later had success in the industry took further online reputed education like iAnimate or AnimSchool. If you want to become an animator go for this option. Having a MA will give you zero employability advantage. Buy a good computer, get a good subscription, get good online education, do projects by yourself and get feedback. I write this as a way of denouncing my experience there but also to warn you. If you are lucky, you will read this. I would say avoid the MA 3D Computer Animation, and if you don't trust me ask other people I am confident that more people will have the courage to say it. I ended up with an unpayable debt for the minuscule value that I got.

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Student in 2013

I really enjoyed my time at LCB! I've found that my skills when I entered the work force were much higher than others. I think though there was a big portion missing in recipe development and composition. True- we did learn it through memorizing the recipes, but we really were missing classes on how different ingredients affect the final textures.. how you can change them... etc. That I still am not an expert in .. and I create recipes! Ouf! Also, I don't know if you still do a month of sugar work... but that really wasn't necessary and should be either cut or minimized to just 2 lessons. It's such a niche skill to know that I would have really preferred more technical skills. I loved the old location. The "rumors" I'm getting about the new location are that it's not as good, unfortunately - that i's become more of a money focused/marketing machine. I really hope that this image can be fixed as I love LCB and enjoyed my time there! Oh also - there should be more help for students to get jobs and featuring old students accomplishments - from cookbook launches to new bakeries so that current and old students can support them.

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