Undergraduate students attending on-campus courses will study for at least three years to obtain their bachelors degree. However, in Scotland an Honours degree course takes four years to complete.

Universities in the UK fall into different categories:

• New Universities are institutions that had previously been categorized as polytechnics (institutes specializing in technology) as recently as 1992.
• Universities established in the 1960s are known as 'Plate Glass Universities'.
• Red Brick universities were institutes founded in the early 20th century, and in some cases the late 19th century.
• Ancient universities are universities founded prior to the 19th century.

An institute can only call itself a university in the UK after being instituted by Royal Charter (basically this is an official recognition by the State). Only universities can award a degree (whether it be bachelor, master or other).

British universities are very highly respected internationally. A diversity of vital research programmes helps to maintain this well deserved reputation. Ancient institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge have long maintained high positions in the rankings of the world's finest universities.

Distance and online learning in the UK has grown steadily in recent years. The country's Open University (a university specializing in distance learning) was founded in the late 1960s, and has become a widely recognised name within the UK. Because of the advances of the Internet it has become far easier for universities to reach more students wishing to study at home. For that reason an increasing number of universities and other institutions in the UK are now offering some form of academic course online.