redbrick university

noun

, (sometimes initial capital letters)

1. any new or little-known university, especially one built since World War II to educate students in industrial regions, emphasizing technical subjects rather than the classics, and often partially supported by government funds.
2. any university lacking the prestige of Oxford and Cambridge.

Word History and Origins

Origin of redbrick university¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Faye, a PhD student at a redbrick university, had been locked out of her building after saying goodbye to friends after a girls’ night in, in May 2013, when a male student appeared.

From The Guardian

I worked hard, got a good degree in English Literature from a redbrick university, and chose a teaching career. 

From The Guardian

A Manxman, of working-class background, he attended a redbrick university, Liverpool, when it was less fashionable to do so than today.

From The Guardian