Study in central England

Geographically, central England - also known as the English Midlands - spans Herefordshire and Shropshire in the west and over to Lincolnshire in the east, taking-in many of the country’s most beautiful and culturally important counties.

Since it was once the industrial centre of Britain - and the world - you’ll be surprised by the beauty of the English Midlands. Central to the global influence of the UK during the 18th and 19th centuries, the region’s rich heritage attracts students interested in business and industry as well as humanities and the arts.   

Learn about life through the ages with a cultural tour of the region

The epicentre of the English Midlands is the UK’s ‘second city’, Birmingham, a thriving and culturally diverse metropolis. The city’s Jewellery Quarter dates back more than 250 years and is still home to around 400 jewellery businesses and more than 200 listed buildings - a unique historic environment in England which has few, if any, parallels anywhere in Europe.

While one of the UK’s best-loved snacks - Cadbury’s chocolate - was first made in Birmingham in 1824, a gastronomic tour of the city will uncover dozens of world cuisines.  The city also hosts one of the largest celebrations of dance in the world - the biennial International Dance Festival Birmingham (IDFB).

Many other key places in central England boast significant attractions - in the year of London 2012, sports fans will delight in the fact that Much Wenlock, a small town in Shropshire, is home to the Wenlock Olympian Games.  Started in 1850 by Dr William Penny Brookes, credited as a founding-father of the modern Olympic Games, the Wenlock Games are still contested in the town every July.

Not far away is the UNESCO world heritage site of Ironbridge, the so-called birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.  Here, 10 award-winning museums line the valley beside the UK’s longest river, the River Severn, which is still spanned by the world's first iron bridge. Charles Darwin, the famous English naturalist grew up and searched for species in Shrewsbury, another nearby Shropshire town.

The county of Staffordshire is renowned for its ceramic heritage - six Staffordshire towns within the city of Stoke-on-Trent make up The Potteries, and brands created in the 19th century are still active there today, including Royal Doulton and Wedgwood. And you can see the magnificent £3.285m Staffordshire Hoard, the largest collection of Anglo Saxon gold ever found in Britain, at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

Historic Stratford-upon-Avon is where William Shakespeare was born, and if literature is your passion, head to Stoneleigh Abbey, also in Warwickshire, for a Jane Austen tour. Worcester Cathedral is one of the England’s most architecturally interesting religious buildings, and the National Space Centre in Leicester houses some of the UK’s most space-age constructions! A visit to the nearby market town of Melton Mowbray, famous for its traditional pork pies and cheese, is a must for ‘foodies’.

Learn about Lincoln’s Iron Age history - the city dates back to the 1st century BC - or take a day trip to Sherwood Forest, once the home of legendary outlaw Robin Hood. And a weekend spent trekking through the wilds of the Derbyshire Peak District, which has 1,600 miles of public footpaths, bridleways and tracks will give you a glimpse into the lives of some of English literature’s most-loved heroines - the park and is a hugely popular film, TV and literary location and credits include Chatsworth House, Haddon Hall, and Lyme Hall, which were used as backdrops for historical epics such as Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre.

This is Great Britain is our interactive guide to the diverse variety of amazing events taking place throughout the UK.  Check it out for news of what’s on in central England.

Study abroad in central England

A driving force behind the region’s continued success is its wealth of first-class educational institutions.

There are close relationships between local industry and businesses and the region’s educational sector, as well as many collaborative links with education providers and local communities. Such partnerships and the huge range of universities, colleges and courses, make central England a unique place to learn and start your career - and enhance your UK educational experience.

You can use the Education UK Search tool - to the top-right of the Education UK website - to find a place to study in an area of central England that interests you.

You can also use our own interactive map of the UK to explore the area – and hear what other international students think about living and studying in central England.