I was no longer interested in the highest-paid job, the fanciest title or the most prestigious university.

It may be that you can find a place at a more prestigious university given your actual grades, and it is worth researching the possibilities.

He then moved to a less prestigious university, which he considered a serious demotion.

It would be almost impossible for him to be accepted by the prestigious university in the first place.

You secure a place at a prestigious university to study for an archaeology degree.