Foreign students who wish to study for a degree in the United Kingdom have over one hundred universities to choose from. This can be a daunting challenge; students from overseas are often perfectly familiar with the concept of differentiating between well-known, highly-respected universities and institutions which are held in lower esteem, yet have limited knowledge of how British universities might be categorized. This essay will explain how the UK’s higher education institutes can be divided into three basic categories so that the reader might be better informed in making the decision about where to apply.