Revealed: the top 3 most Instagrammable universities in the UK

The University of Oxford has recently been named as the most Instagrammable university in the UK. Findings were based on how many hashtagged posts each university in the UK had on Instagram.  Out of the 132 institutes, Oxford University came out on top with the most posts with hashtags on Instagram, with a total of 326,439.

Oxford's famous university library features heavily on the tagged posts on Instagram, as does the Radcliffe Camera and the picturesque college buildings such as Magdalen and Christ Church. The centuries-old buildings are often used in the backdrop of selfies or as the main focus of photographs on Instagram.

International education provider Oxford Royale Academy, who conducted the analysis, also found that the University of Cambridge had a big influence on social media. The second half of the world-renowned Oxbridge duo was found to have 223,484 hashtagged posts on Instagram, which was the second-highest amount.

The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest English-speaking in the world, having formed around 113 years after the University of Oxford. The institute is notoriously competitive to get into, with an acceptance rate of 21%.

Pembroke is one of the many colleges that feature on the University of Cambridge hashtag. It was first built in the 1300s and now is the focus of many photos on social media due to the asymmetric courtyards and beautiful gardens. Christopher Wren, one of England's most acclaimed architects, designed the college's chapel in the 1600s. which is why it is a popular focal point of photos.

The third most Instagrammable university in the UK is the London School of Economics and Political Science. It is part of the larger University of London. which is one of the oldest and largest universities in the UK.

There were 192,000 posts that contained hashtags linked to the London college. This was over 134,000 less than Oxford - the most Instagrammable university.

Top ten most Instagrammable universities in the UK

The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) was the last university to have over 100,000 hashtagged posts on Instagram. It was found to have a total of 103,000, which placed it as the fourth most Instagrammable university.

Coventry University was the fifth university to have the highest number of hashtags, with 96,978 posts. The nearby University of Birmingham ranked next, with a slightly lower hashtag count of 93,578.

Northern universities make up the second half of the top ten most Instagrammable universities list. The University of Glasgow was the only Scottish university to rank with 92,634 hashtags, whilst Newcastle University came in eighth place with a hashtag total of 83,466.

There were no Welsh or Northern Irish universities that had enough hashtags to be deemed one of the most Instagrammable universities in the UK.

The University of Leeds had 81,397 hashtagged posts on Instagram and the University of Manchester completed the top ten with 76,129 hashtags.

Of the top ten Instagrammable universities, 80% were found to be part of the Russel Group, which is an association of some of the most prestigious universities in the country. The University of Coventry and The University of the West of England were the only universities listed that aren't members of the Russel Group.

Universities often appear on social media due to the age category of the majority of students. A study by Sproutsocial found that 87% of Gen Z (18–24-year-olds) use social media. 93% of this number use Instagram and 88% use Snapchat.  

Many students like to post photos of themselves at the universities as they attend events, take classes or explore the buildings. It is also common for new students to tag the universities in posts on social media once they have been accepted.

Tourists are also drawn to university buildings due to the stunning architecture and the historic and cultural relevance. For example, many Harry Potter fans visit the University of Oxford to take photos of some of the locations that were used in the films.

The table below lists the ranking of the most Instagrammable universities, based on the number of hashtag posts they have on Instagram.

William Humphreys, CEO & Founder, Oxford Royale Academy (ORA) commented on the findings: “After the pandemic, with students having a difficult time studying at home or during the lockdown, returning to a beautiful campus is likely to boost spirits and create an ideal atmosphere for these young people’s development. This generation of students has grown up with social media as an integral part of their lives, so it is interesting to look at how universities rank outside of the traditional academic factors.”

What are the most Instagrammable university libraries?

The Instagram data found that most of the universities featured in the list also had photogenic university libraries. This is likely to have helped increase the number of hashtags that the universities had on the various social media platforms, including Instagram.

Most library-goers in the North of England will be familiar with John Rylands Library (University of Manchester). The gothic building is often listed amongst the likes of the Sir Duncan Rice Library (University of Aberdeen) and Senate House Library (University of London) as the most popular and beautiful university libraries in the UK.

The British Library of Political and Economic Science, also known as the LSE library, is the largest library in the world that is solely dedicated to the social sciences. Around 6,500 students and staff members from the London School of Economics and Political Science visit the university every day.

Another iconic building in the capital city is Maughan Library, which is the main library of King's College, London. Some of its architecture was based on the British Museum and was formerly used as the headquarters of the Public Record Office.