The nation's university students have protested that their famous drink and drugs lifestyle is a myth - but they do admit to a liking for Spaghetti Bolognese!
More than 4,000 students and ex-students who use Friends Reunited to keep in touch with each other took part in the website's survey of student life through the ages.
It was carried out as Friends Reunited announced the first-ever league table of Britain's friendliest universities. Hull heads the top 100 as the university whose ex-students stay in touch with each other the most through the Friends Reunited service. Famous Hull students include film director Anthony Minghella, Coronation Street actor Sally Lindsay and author Roger McGough.
University students representing every decade back to the 1930s took part in the Friends Reunited poll. It revealed that:
Steve Pankhurst, Friends Reunited co-founder, said: "The swinging Sixties is the time most students would like to have been at university. But people who were actually there at the time say that getting a good education was far more important to them than having a wild social life!"
In the debate to decide on the all time classic university meal, baked beans on toast was out in front until the first half of the Sixties, but spaghetti Bolognese drew level from 1965 and then romped away. So in the overall honours, Spag Bol is the all-time classic student meal, ahead of baked beans on toast and take-way pizza.
The Friends Reunited survey also charts the rise and rise of lager and the sudden arrival of spirits on the student bar scene. In the Sixties, six out of 10 students stuck to bitter - or drunk cider. Lager sneaked into second place in the Eighties and is now the favourite student drink ahead of vodka and gin, with bitter in third place.
London University's Goldsmiths College, where ex-students include comedian Julian Clary, artist Damien Hirst and inventor of the mini-skirt Mary Quant, took second place in the University Friendship table.
Leicester's De Montfort University, attended by actor Charles Dance, is third, Manchester Metropolitan (Steve Coogan, Mick Hucknall, Bryan Robson) is fourth and the University of Leicester (Bob Mortimer, Tony Underwood, Sue Cook) fifth.
Friends Reunited can be found at www.friendsreunited.co.uk
For case studies or to receive more information about Friends Reunited and the University Friendship League Tables please contact Carolynne Bull-Edwards or Victoria Reed on 01883 717468 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk
The full top 100 list is attached.
Case studies and quotes from ex-students are available.
The University Friendship League Tables have been formulated by analysing data from the Friends Reunited website to give each university a 'friendliness' rating. This is determined by the average number of emails sent by each ex-student to their uni mates and the average number of students who send messages. Friends Reunited has looked only at the number of messages sent, not at the contents, which remain confidential. Only people who actively use the site to correspond with other members are taken into account. Visits by those who are 'just looking' to see who from their university is registered are not included.
Friends Reunited was launched in October 2000 by North London based husband and wife team Julie and Steve Pankhurst so that people could get in contact with their old school friends. A combination of word of mouth and immense media attention has propelled the site to phenomenon status, expanding beyond the school friends proposition to include workplaces, teams/clubs and streets. The site has over 12 million members, representing 43% of the adult internet population in the UK.
| University | Former students registered | Total messages sent | Average messages sent per student | Friendliness Rating |
| University of Hull | 14,072 | 46,257 | 3.29 | 91.3% |
| Goldsmiths College - London University | 6,204 | 26,504 | 4.27 | 89.4% |
| De Montfort University | 12,953 | 41,006 | 3.17 | 89.3% |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | 11,486 | 35,562 | 3.10 | 88.2% |
| Leicester University | 13,723 | 45,025 | 3.28 | 86.9% |
| Aston University | 10,436 | 31,499 | 3.02 | 86.1% |
| University of Birmingham | 17,993 | 50,377 | 2.80 | 85.1% |
| Edinburgh University | 11,205 | 35,466 | 3.17 | 82.0% |
| Glasgow University | 11,830 | 31,426 | 2.66 | 81.3% |
| University of Newcastle upon Tyne | 12,513 | 36,364 | 2.91 | 81.0% |