Glasgow best for students

A poll by the internet search engine Yell.com found that the city offered the most "student lifestyle facilities" such as pubs, clubs and takeaway shops per head of population.

Glasgow was ranked fifth overall in the United Kingdom and beat off competition from St Andrews and Edinburgh to secure the top spot north of the Border.

Dan Guy, president of Glasgow University's student representative council, said it was in the ideal location to offer superb extra-curricular as well as academic facilities.

He said: "The West End of Glasgow is a very vibrant community with a lot of resources for students, which is why it's such a brilliant place to study.

"There's no point in choosing a university that doesn't have any amenities and places such as pubs and clubs for you to enjoy yourself.

"The local community has a great deal to offer and everyone, both students and non-students, contribute to a great atmosphere."

A spokeswoman for Glasgow University also welcomed the findings.

She said: "A large part of the student experience of university life now happens outside of academia.

"We recognise that employers look for outgoing individuals with life experience outside of lectures and tutorials.

"Students are encouraged to extend their achievements and widen their experience by participating in the full range of societies and activities that Glasgow has to offer.

"A choice of two lively student unions, a student-run newspaper, radio station and TV channel form a central part of the student social scene here. Glasgow is clearly thriving, socially and academically."

Organisers of the survey took a list of Britain's top 20 universities and searched the postcodes of the areas where more students socialised to find the number of pubs, nightclubs, off-licences, pizza delivery outlets, takeaway shops and fancy dress hire stores before working out the students-per-business ratio.

The university with the lowest number of students to each business came out on top.

The London School of Economics was named as the best in the UK, followed by King's College London and the universities of Bath, Newcastle and Durham.

Glasgow University was found to have one student lifestyle facility for every 145 students, St Andrews - which came out ninth overall - had one for every 214 students and Edinburgh University - 19th overall - had one for every 321 students.

Alex Yabroff, president of the student association at St Andrews, said: "Considering we are in the middle of nowhere, we have a very lively and cosmopolitan atmosphere.

"We're a small university and when you combine that with the fact we're in the East Neuk of Fife, I suppose we've done well.

"But if the people that did the survey came and spent a weekend here, I'm sure they would have put us even higher."

Ruth Cameron, president of the Edinburgh University student association, said: "Edinburgh is a fantastic place to be at university.

"The student experience is about far more than pubbing and clubbing though.

"While these things interest some people, the diversity of the student community at Edinburgh, in terms of international students, mature students and postgrads, means that a good night out can also mean going to the theatre, taking part in a political debate, or watching comedy.

"At Edinburgh University we have nearly 200 societies, so whether students are interested in belly dancing or bongo drumming, there will always be something to cater for their tastes."

A spokeswoman for the university added: "This survey shows that students at the University of Edinburgh not only enjoy academic life, but are also able to take advantage of all the facilities the city has to offer."