The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a British 'Redbrick' university located in the city of Birmingham, England. Founded in Edgbaston in 1900 as a successor to Mason Science College, and with origins dating back to the 1825 Birmingham Medical School, it was the first British university to gain official royal charter in the 20th century. It is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and a founding member of Universitas 21. The student population includes around 16,500 undergraduate and 8000 postgraduate students, making it the largest university in the West Midlands region. As of 2006-07 it is the fourth most popular English university by number of applications. The annual income of the institution for 2007-08 was £411.6m, with an expenditure of £393.2m