This study compares the survival rates of USOs formed by universities in the UK's West Midlands region between 1983 and 2013 with those from existing studies in the literature. Data were collected from a range of secondary sources to enhance the accuracy of the USO dataset. Survival rates were found to be significantly lower than in previous studies despite the existence of prominent research universities within the region. It is proposed that the difference is in part methodological with the current study including USOs that may have been omitted using different methodologies that rely on institutional memories.