Independent UK University Rankings · 2025

British universities,
measured by official data.

A six-dimension assessment of 141 UK universities built exclusively from government and regulatory datasets. Teaching and student satisfaction come from the National Student Survey, graduate employment and earnings from Department for Education tax records, research from REF 2021, and global standing from four world ranking systems. TEF 2023 ratings are shown on each university page but kept out of the score, since TEF covers English providers only. No surveys of our own. No advertising. No guesswork.

141

Universities assessed

141

Scored

Official dimensions

Aug 2026

Last verified

What this is

An open, source-transparent index. Every score traces to a named official dataset with its retrieval date.

What we exclude

Reputation surveys, university marketing, sponsorship and any self-reported figure that can't be verified.

How to read it

Scores are normalised 0–100 across six dimensions. A dash (—) means an official figure isn't yet published — we never impute.

The Ranking

Overall score · 2025

#	University	Overall
🥇	Imperial College London London · Russell Group	91.7/100
🥈	University of Oxford Oxford · Russell Group	91.1/100
🥉	University of Cambridge Cambridge · Russell Group	91.1/100
4	London School of Economics and Political Science London · Russell Group	90.3/100
5	University College London London · Russell Group	89.8/100
6	University of Warwick Coventry · Russell Group	89.6/100
7	University of Bristol Bristol · Russell Group	89/100
8	King's College London London · Russell Group	88.6/100
9	Durham University Durham · Russell Group	88.5/100
10	University of Nottingham Nottingham · Russell Group	87.6/100
11	University of Birmingham Birmingham · Russell Group	87.5/100
12	University of Bath Bath	87.4/100
13	University of St Andrews St Andrews	87/100
14	University of Sheffield Sheffield · Russell Group	86.7/100
15	Queen Mary University of London London · Russell Group	86.7/100
16	University of Southampton Southampton · Russell Group	86.5/100
17	University of Exeter Exeter · Russell Group	86.5/100
18	University of Manchester Manchester · Russell Group	86.2/100
19	University of Leeds Leeds · Russell Group	85.7/100
20	University of Edinburgh Edinburgh · Russell Group	85.5/100
21	Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne · Russell Group	85.4/100
22	University of Surrey Guildford	85.4/100
23	University of Glasgow Glasgow · Russell Group	85/100
24	University of Liverpool Liverpool · Russell Group	85/100
25	Cardiff University Cardiff · Russell Group	84.4/100
26	University of Aberdeen Aberdeen	84.1/100
27	Loughborough University Loughborough	84/100
28	University of York York · Russell Group	83.7/100
29	Lancaster University Lancaster	83.7/100
30	University of Leicester Leicester	83.2/100
31	University of Strathclyde Glasgow	83/100
32	University of Sussex Brighton	82.8/100
33	University of Reading Reading	82.5/100
34	University of Dundee Dundee	82/100
35	Aston University Birmingham	81.9/100
36	City, University of London London	81.6/100
37	University of East Anglia Norwich	81.1/100
38	Royal Veterinary College London	79.5/100
39	University of Kent Canterbury	78.4/100
40	University of Essex Colchester	78/100
41	Brunel University London London	77.8/100
42	Swansea University Swansea	77.3/100
43	Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh	77/100
44	Royal Holloway, University of London Egham	76.6/100
45	Keele University Keele	76.4/100
46	Oxford Brookes University Oxford	76/100
47	Bournemouth University Poole	75.1/100
48	University of Portsmouth Portsmouth	74.7/100
49	SOAS University of London London	74.5/100
50	Nottingham Trent University Nottingham	73.9/100
51	University of the West of England Bristol	73.8/100
52	Coventry University Coventry	73.6/100
53	University of Hertfordshire Hatfield	73.6/100
54	University of Brighton Brighton	73.5/100
55	Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh	73.3/100
56	Birkbeck, University of London London	73.1/100
57	University of Hull Hull	72.9/100
58	London South Bank University London	72.9/100
59	University of Stirling Stirling	72.8/100
60	Northumbria University Newcastle upon Tyne	72.8/100
61	Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow	72.8/100
62	Robert Gordon University Aberdeen	72.7/100
63	University of Greenwich London	72.4/100
64	University of Plymouth Plymouth	71.9/100
65	Kingston University Kingston upon Thames	71.6/100
66	University of Lincoln Lincoln	71/100
67	Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester	70.7/100
68	University of the West of Scotland Paisley	70.2/100
69	Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge	70.1/100
70	Bangor University Bangor	69.9/100
71	Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool	69.8/100
72	Middlesex University London	69.8/100
73	Goldsmiths, University of London London	69.5/100
74	Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth	69.1/100
75	University of Westminster London	69.1/100
76	Teesside University Middlesbrough	69.1/100
77	The Open University Milton Keynes	68.9/100
78	Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield	68.4/100
79	University of Salford Salford	68.2/100
80	University of Huddersfield Huddersfield	67.9/100
81	University of Bradford Bradford	67.8/100
82	De Montfort University Leicester	67.6/100
83	Leeds Beckett University Leeds	67.3/100
84	University of Roehampton London	66.2/100
85	Birmingham City University Birmingham	66/100
86	University of Derby Derby	64.2/100
87	London Metropolitan University London	63/100
88	University of Central Lancashire Preston	62.9/100
89	University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton	62/100
90	St George's, University of London London	84.5/100
91	Harper Adams University Newport	78.1/100
92	Courtauld Institute of Art London	76.1/100
93	St Mary's University, Twickenham London	75.9/100
94	Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury	73.7/100
95	Abertay University Dundee	73.7/100
96	Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe	71.9/100
97	Royal College of Music London	71.3/100
98	Royal Academy of Music London	71.3/100
99	Royal Agricultural University Cirencester	71.1/100
100	Edge Hill University Ormskirk	71/100
101	University of Winchester Winchester	70.9/100
102	Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff	70.9/100
103	University of Bedfordshire Luton	70.7/100
104	University of Northampton Northampton	70.5/100
105	Guildhall School of Music and Drama London	70.5/100
106	University of Chichester Chichester	70.3/100
107	University of Worcester Worcester	70.2/100
108	Queen Margaret University Edinburgh	69.8/100
109	University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness	68.9/100
110	Solent University Southampton	68.6/100
111	Bath Spa University Bath	68.4/100
112	University of Suffolk Ipswich	68.3/100
113	University of South Wales Pontypridd	68.1/100
114	York St John University York	67.9/100
115	Liverpool Hope University Liverpool	67.6/100
116	Royal Northern College of Music Manchester	67.5/100
117	Arts University Bournemouth Poole	67.3/100
118	University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham	67.2/100
119	University of Chester Chester	67.2/100
120	Falmouth University Falmouth	67/100
121	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow	66.9/100
122	University of Sunderland Sunderland	66.8/100
123	Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent	66.3/100
124	Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London	66.2/100
125	Norwich University of the Arts Norwich	65.3/100
126	University of Wales Trinity Saint David Carmarthen	65.2/100
127	University of Cumbria Carlisle	64.9/100
128	University for the Creative Arts Farnham	64.9/100
129	Leeds Trinity University Leeds	64.9/100
130	Newman University Birmingham	64.3/100
131	Wrexham University Wrexham	61.4/100
132	University of Bolton Bolton	61.3/100
133	Queen's University Belfast Belfast · Russell Group	82.3/100
134	University of Buckingham Buckingham	78.8/100
135	Ulster University Coleraine	75.3/100
136	University College Birmingham Birmingham	66.6/100
137	Cranfield University Cranfield	65.6/100
138	London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London	85.3/100
139	University of London London	65/100
140	Institute of Cancer Research London	89.5/100
141	Royal College of Art London	74.8/100

Showing the 141 universities with at least one official figure. Overall is the equal-weight mean of the dimensions available for that institution, normalised 0–100; universities are ranked within coverage tiers, so a school scored on more dimensions ranks ahead of one scored on fewer. Every institution is also listed in the full A–Z index below.

Six Dimensions

One official source each

Teaching

How final-year students rate teaching on their course and the academic support behind it.

SourceNational Student Survey 2025

Student Satisfaction

How final-year students rate their course, teaching and academic support, sector-benchmarked.

SourceNational Student Survey 2025

III

Graduate Employment

Share of graduates in sustained employment or further study five years on, from tax and benefit records.

SourceLEO provider level data 2022/23

Graduate Earnings

Median earnings five years after graduating, tracked through tax records, shown as a percentile across the index.

SourceLEO provider level data 2022/23

Global Standing

Position across four major international ranking systems, combined into a single standardised figure.

SourceFour global ranking systems

Research

Quality and impact of research output, from the sector's formal peer-reviewed assessment.

SourceResearch Excellence Framework 2021

All 141 Universities

A–Z directory

Imperial College London 1

University of Oxford 2

University of Cambridge 3

London School of Economics and Political Science 4

University College London 5

University of Warwick 6

University of Bristol 7

King's College London 8

Durham University 9

University of Nottingham 10

University of Birmingham 11

University of Bath 12

University of St Andrews 13

University of Sheffield 14

Queen Mary University of London 15

University of Southampton 16

University of Exeter 17

University of Manchester 18

University of Leeds 19

University of Edinburgh 20

Newcastle University 21

University of Surrey 22

University of Glasgow 23

University of Liverpool 24

Cardiff University 25

University of Aberdeen 26

Loughborough University 27

University of York 28

Lancaster University 29

University of Leicester 30

University of Strathclyde 31

University of Sussex 32

University of Reading 33

University of Dundee 34

Aston University 35

City, University of London 36

University of East Anglia 37

Royal Veterinary College 38

University of Kent 39

University of Essex 40

Brunel University London 41

Swansea University 42

Heriot-Watt University 43

Royal Holloway, University of London 44

Keele University 45

Oxford Brookes University 46

Bournemouth University 47

University of Portsmouth 48

SOAS University of London 49

Nottingham Trent University 50

University of the West of England 51

Coventry University 52

University of Hertfordshire 53

University of Brighton 54

Edinburgh Napier University 55

Birkbeck, University of London 56

University of Hull 57

London South Bank University 58

University of Stirling 59

Northumbria University 60

Glasgow Caledonian University 61

Robert Gordon University 62

University of Greenwich 63

University of Plymouth 64

Kingston University 65

University of Lincoln 66

Manchester Metropolitan University 67

University of the West of Scotland 68

Anglia Ruskin University 69

Bangor University 70

Liverpool John Moores University 71

Middlesex University 72

Goldsmiths, University of London 73

Aberystwyth University 74

University of Westminster 75

Teesside University 76

The Open University 77

Sheffield Hallam University 78

University of Salford 79

University of Huddersfield 80

University of Bradford 81

De Montfort University 82

Leeds Beckett University 83

University of Roehampton 84

Birmingham City University 85

University of Derby 86

London Metropolitan University 87

University of Central Lancashire 88

University of Wolverhampton 89

St George's, University of London 90

Harper Adams University 91

Courtauld Institute of Art 92

St Mary's University, Twickenham 93

Canterbury Christ Church University 94

Abertay University 95

Buckinghamshire New University 96

Royal College of Music 97

Royal Academy of Music 98

Royal Agricultural University 99

Edge Hill University 100

University of Winchester 101

Cardiff Metropolitan University 102

University of Bedfordshire 103

University of Northampton 104

Guildhall School of Music and Drama 105

University of Chichester 106

University of Worcester 107

Queen Margaret University 108

University of the Highlands and Islands 109

Solent University 110

Bath Spa University 111

University of Suffolk 112

University of South Wales 113

York St John University 114

Liverpool Hope University 115

Royal Northern College of Music 116

Arts University Bournemouth 117

University of Gloucestershire 118

University of Chester 119

Falmouth University 120

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 121

University of Sunderland 122

Staffordshire University 123

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 124

Norwich University of the Arts 125

University of Wales Trinity Saint David 126

University of Cumbria 127

University for the Creative Arts 128

Leeds Trinity University 129

Newman University 130

Wrexham University 131

University of Bolton 132

Queen's University Belfast 133

University of Buckingham 134

Ulster University 135

University College Birmingham 136

Cranfield University 137

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 138

University of London 139

Institute of Cancer Research 140

Royal College of Art 141

Common Questions

How is UniRank.uk different from other UK league tables?

Most UK league tables blend their own reputation surveys with weighted indicators chosen by the publisher. UniRank.uk uses only official government and regulatory data, publishes every weight and source, and leaves a dimension blank rather than estimating a missing figure.

Why does a university show a dash on some dimensions?

A dash means that official dataset has no current figure for that institution — either because the dataset has not been ingested yet, or because the institution genuinely is not covered (postgraduate-only institutions are not surveyed by the NSS, for example). We never impute or carry forward old numbers. The overall score is the mean of whatever dimensions are available, and universities are ranked within coverage tiers so a school scored on fewer dimensions cannot outrank one scored on more.

What does 'Russell Group' mean and does it affect the score?

The Russell Group is a self-selected association of 24 research-intensive UK universities. Membership is shown as context only — it carries no weight in the score. Ranking is determined entirely by the six official dimensions.

Which dimensions matter most for international students?

It depends on your goal. Global Standing helps with recognition back home, Research Quality signals supervision strength for postgraduate study, and Teaching and Student Satisfaction speak to the day-to-day experience. Graduate Earnings (LEO) and Graduate Employment (HESA) are the strongest career signals but are not yet scored here. The methodology page breaks down each source.

How often is the data updated?

Each dimension refreshes when its official source publishes — typically annually. The index header always shows the data year and the last verified date so you know exactly how current each figure is.

About UniRank.uk

UniRank.uk is an independent data project that evaluates UK universities using only official, publicly available government and regulatory datasets. We don't run our own surveys, accept advertising, or take sponsorship from universities.

Our six dimensions — Teaching, Student Satisfaction, Graduate Employment, Graduate Earnings, Global Standing and Research — each draw from a single distinct official source. Where data is unavailable, we leave the dimension blank rather than impute, so the index never flatters an institution on borrowed numbers.

Every methodology decision is published in full, and every data point carries its original source and retrieval date.

Editorial standards

Data year2024/25
Sources6 official
Self-run surveysNone
AdvertisingNone
Imputed scoresNone
Last verifiedJun 2026
EditorEleanor Hartley

British universities,measured by official data.