Every September the Sunday Times produces a guide to UK Universities, and I was suggest you use this to help you decide which is the best university for this or that. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_styl e/education/sunday_times_university_guide/
IMHO people have a rosy view of their own university and rate it highly. And on that basis I'm bound to believe that Birmingham Uni is the dog's whatnims. The ST review considers a range of attributes and I believe it to be relatively comprehensive. It also recognises that some Faculties that universities are outstanding in their field although the Uni as a whole is not rated so highly.
HTH