The best UK universities 2021 – league table

Our league tables rank UK universities both nationally and in 70 subjects. You can sort each table on the measure relevant to you and compare universities.

Find a course at one of the top universities in the country.

2021	2020	Institution	Guardian score/100	Satisfied with course	Satisfied with teaching	Satisfied with feedback	Student to staff ratio	Spend per student/10	Average entry tariff	Value added score/10	Career after 15 months	Contin-uation
1	3	Oxford	100	n/a	n/a	n/a	10.3	10	203	7.1	93	99
2	2	St Andrews	98	94	93	80.8	11.2	7	211	6.3	84	97
3	1	Cambridge	95.4	n/a	n/a	n/a	11.2	9.9	212	5.4	93	99
4	5	Durham	81.5	86.1	85.3	71.8	14.7	5.9	188	7	89	98
5	19	London School of Economics	81	80.6	81.6	69.4	11.9	8.9	170	6.9	93	97
6	6	Bath	80.1	87.7	86.3	67	14.9	6.3	174	7.1	91	97
7	4	Loughborough	79.3	89.6	86.9	73.9	13.4	5.7	153	6.3	85	96
8	9	Warwick	77.1	86.2	85	71.6	13.8	7.3	172	6.3	88	96
9	7	Imperial College	74.4	81.6	83.6	60.7	11.1	8.8	190	5.6	96	95
10	7	Lancaster	73.1	86.9	85	70.1	12.5	8.1	150	5.2	84	96
11	23	Bristol	72	83.5	85.7	67.3	13.3	6.8	169	6.5	86	97
12	14	Glasgow	71	86.4	86.7	66.7	13.4	5.9	204	5.4	85	94
13	25	Edinburgh	70.9	77.9	82.9	60.1	11.9	8.6	187	6.7	84	97
14	22	UCL	70.1	81.2	82	64.7	10.4	7.4	175	6.2	89	96
15	51	Strathclyde	70	86.3	86	66.5	19.5	6.4	197	6.1	86	93
16	20	York	69.9	87.1	87.1	73.9	14.4	4.8	151	5	84	96
16	10	Exeter	69.9	86.6	85.7	70.6	15.6	3.7	164	6.1	85	97
18	11	Leeds	69.7	84.1	85.3	69.5	13.7	6.7	162	6.8	85	95
19	29	Dundee	68.4	88.9	87.5	72.2	14.3	5.9	175	4.9	88	94
20	34	Aberdeen	68.1	87.1	86.1	69.5	16.2	4.4	183	6.6	82	95
21	28	UWE Bristol	67.3	88.5	87.3	76.6	15.4	4.9	121	6.2	80	91
21	16	Birmingham	67.3	84.2	85	66.7	14.1	6.8	159	6.3	87	97
23	24	Southampton	67.1	84.8	84.8	71	13.3	5.9	153	7	84	94
24	31	Swansea	66.9	88.8	85.6	73.2	15	6.2	128	5.8	84	94
25	40	Manchester	66.6	82.4	82.8	67.9	13.1	8.3	165	5.7	85	96
26	15	Coventry	66.3	83.2	85.9	73.5	13.9	6.6	122	6.9	82	91
27	47	Northumbria	65.7	82.4	82.3	74.2	15.5	3.6	143	7.3	78	92
28	45	Stirling	65.6	84.5	85.3	75.5	16.2	3.8	165	4.9	81	91
29	73	Chichester	65.2	84.7	87.4	76.4	14.4	4.1	123	5.5	74	94
30	36	Aston	64.7	84	83.5	70	16.1	5.9	128	6.4	83	96
31	45	Sheffield	64.2	86.5	85.7	70.8	14.7	5.3	152	5.7	84	96
32	42	Royal Holloway	63.9	87.7	86.3	72.1	14.7	5.5	134	4.9	79	95
33	13	University for the Creative Arts	63.8	81.6	83.8	79	13.7	7.7	136	5	63	90
34	57	West London	63.6	87.3	88.6	79.5	15.2	6	122	6.2	72	88
35	61	Heriot-Watt	63.2	85	83.3	66.8	17.8	8.1	168	6.2	83	92
35	32	Keele	63.2	87.2	86.3	73.4	14.3	4.4	123	5.7	81	95
37	38	Cardiff	63.1	83.1	83.1	68.7	14.3	7.1	154	5.2	85	95
38	18	Nottingham	63	83.2	84.1	67.2	14.5	6.6	150	6	87	96
38	30	UEA	63	85.7	85.1	70.7	13.5	4.2	139	6.1	82	93
40	48	Kingston	62.8	81.6	81.9	73.5	16.8	6.5	117	6.9	75	92
41	12	Nottingham Trent	62.7	87.2	84.4	78.7	14.8	4.9	125	3.6	75	92
42	63	King’s College London	62.5	78.9	81.9	62.8	11.9	6.8	164	6.2	90	95
43	76	Robert Gordon	62.3	89.3	86.9	76.8	18.7	3.3	156	4.9	81	92
43	33	Oxford Brookes	62.3	81.7	80.8	68.8	14.7	5.7	122	6.9	81	95
45	39	University of the Arts London	61.9	70.9	76.1	75.1	13.7	10	136	6.2	65	91
46	53	Queen’s, Belfast	61.6	82.1	84	66.4	14.6	5.3	152	7	87	95
47	55	Sheffield Hallam	61.3	84.6	85.9	74.7	16.8	5.6	116	6.1	80	92
48	87	Abertay Dundee	61.2	88.1	88.7	80.8	21.2	2.1	142	7	71	89
49	54	Aberystwyth	61.1	90.6	90.4	84.3	16.8	4.8	123	4.8	71	92
50	86	Bolton	61	83.6	88.1	78.9	14.4	6.8	114	2.8	69	87
51	35	Newcastle	60.8	83.7	83.5	65.6	14.2	6	150	5.1	84	96
52	17	Lincoln	60.7	86.5	85.1	71.8	15.3	3.8	120	5	77	95
53	60	Plymouth	60.6	85	86.3	76	16.2	5.1	127	5.6	80	93
54	26	Surrey	60.4	81.1	81.5	64.3	15.8	5.6	147	5.4	87	95
55	37	Staffordshire	60.3	84.2	86.6	79.4	17.5	5.9	120	4.7	71	89
56	26	Derby	59.4	84	86.6	76.6	14.6	6.1	117	4.1	72	90
56	73	Bournemouth	59.4	79.5	81.8	70.8	17.6	4.2	115	6.7	81	93
56	57	Trinity Saint David	59.4	83.6	86.5	80.8	16.3	5.3	118	5.8	62	86
59	41	Sussex	59.3	82.8	82.5	67.1	17.4	6.5	142	4.6	80	95
59	50	Liverpool	59.3	84.9	84.5	72.1	14.4	7.4	143	5.4	83	96
61	59	Ulster	59	84.4	83.3	73.3	18.1	4	129	6.5	79	91
62	68	Reading	58.9	83.6	83.1	68.7	15.8	5	127	6.3	81	95
62	105	Edinburgh Napier	58.9	82.5	82.7	72.3	18.2	4.4	152	7.3	78	90
64	43	Huddersfield	58.5	80.5	81.5	75.1	15.5	4.4	128	6.1	75	91
65	84	Queen Margaret	58.4	82.2	84.9	73.5	19.5	2.2	144	6.4	74	90
66	21	Portsmouth	58.3	86	84.4	73.9	16.1	5.9	113	5.5	76	92
66	98	South Wales	58.3	82.5	84.5	76.9	14.4	4.6	120	4.9	73	91
68	83	Queen Mary	58.2	80.5	80.7	63.2	13	4.9	152	6.4	83	93
68	70	Teesside	58.2	82.6	85.6	78.1	18.2	5.2	118	6.1	82	89
70	79	Manchester Met	57.2	83.8	82.8	75	15	4.7	131	4.1	71	92
70	63	Liverpool John Moores	57.2	84	82.6	74	16.8	3.9	145	4.7	73	91
72	113	Cardiff Met	57.1	84.4	83.3	73.7	18.1	4.4	128	5.5	78	89
72	95	Hull	57.1	83.5	84.7	74.3	15.1	5.2	125	5.3	78	91
74	73	Solent	57	83	84.5	76.2	15.8	3.4	121	4.9	70	90
75	48	Edge Hill	56.8	79.7	81.6	73.7	14	3.5	130	4.6	75	92
76	78	Bangor	56.8	86.6	85.5	77.3	15.7	3.1	123	4.1	77	92
77	80	Glasgow Caledonian	56.6	83.7	84.3	72.9	21.4	2.6	158	7.3	77	91
77	84	Leicester	56.6	83.3	82.5	68.2	13.7	6.1	132	5.2	81	95
79	72	Central Lancashire	56.5	79.9	81.8	75	13.3	5.5	127	5.3	76	90
80	99	Anglia Ruskin	56.4	82.6	85.1	76.1	17.7	6.3	110	6.6	77	88
81	82	Chester	56.3	85.7	84.8	76.8	15.1	4.5	115	5.2	72	90
82	65	Kent	56.2	84	83.6	69.1	17	4.5	131	5	76	95
83	81	Birmingham City	56	81.4	83.3	75.5	16.6	6.4	123	5.4	75	90
84	43	Liverpool Hope	55.5	84.1	84.9	78.4	15	2	114	4.5	67	89
85	66	Essex	55.1	84.7	83.5	71.3	16.7	6.6	107	5.6	78	91
86	56	SOAS	54.5	78.4	83.2	67.5	11.6	8.9	158	4.9	71	87
87	88	Worcester	53.8	87.2	87.7	78.7	17.8	3.9	116	4.7	76	90
88	67	Gloucestershire	53.4	81.9	83.8	74.6	17.7	5	116	5.8	69	90
88	52	Falmouth	53.4	77.7	81.4	73.9	17.3	3.6	126	5.2	67	91
90	93	Northampton	53.1	80.3	82.2	73.9	16.2	8.5	100	5.1	74	88
91	107	York St John	52.8	85.6	86.2	80.2	18	3.1	103	4.7	71	93
92	120	Bucks New University	52.4	75	79.5	71.3	16.5	7.6	110	5.1	74	89
93	68	London South Bank	52.3	81.6	81.9	72.8	16.3	5.5	103	5.2	75	88
94	96	Winchester	51.7	82.6	85	74.2	16.5	2.9	110	5	71	92
95	90	Greenwich	51.3	80.5	80.7	73.3	17.8	3.7	122	6.2	77	90
95	97	City	51.3	77.2	77.6	66.3	17.3	7.5	136	5.6	81	90
97	119	Suffolk	51	79	84	73.5	16.7	5.8	105	5.1	80	86
98	116	Cumbria	50.6	79.2	82.4	73.5	15.7	4.5	120	3.9	78	91
99	71	Bradford	50.5	77.1	79.3	67.6	18	3.1	124	6.6	79	91
100	89	Sunderland	50.2	82.2	83.5	72.6	15.5	6.6	112	4.5	72	88
101	77	St Mary’s, Twickenham	49.8	83.9	85.2	72.4	18	2.6	110	6	74	89
102	114	Brighton	49.3	78.2	82.2	70.1	17.5	3.9	114	4.8	80	90
103	92	Hertfordshire	49	82.8	82.8	71.5	14.8	4.1	107	3.9	75	91
103	91	Salford	49	79.3	80.4	74.7	16.5	3.3	127	4.5	78	89
105	99	Goldsmiths	48.7	73.7	79.4	66.4	14.9	4.6	127	5.2	69	88
106	118	Leeds Beckett	48.2	84.8	84.2	74.6	19.2	4.1	107	5.2	73	86
107	112	Glyndwr	47.1	77.1	84.1	75.2	19.4	2	112	5	73	88
108	110	Newman	46.9	86.9	86.9	76.6	17.1	3.7	110	3.7	68	88
109	107	Bath Spa	46.7	77.2	80.1	71.1	17.2	4.2	111	6.5	68	92
110	99	Brunel	46.2	78.7	77.7	64.2	17.7	4.2	119	5	79	93
111	109	Middlesex	45.3	76.7	77.5	69.9	17	4.8	115	4.5	68	89
112	104	East London	45.2	79.2	82	71.9	19.7	2.4	109	6	66	89
112	115	Wolverhampton	45.2	81.7	84.3	74.6	17.2	5.5	107	4.5	70	86
114	117	Canterbury Christ Church	45.1	79.9	84.1	72.6	15.6	3.4	105	4.2	75	87
115	94	Leeds Trinity	44.6	78	79	73	21	3.6	104	7	71	87
116	103	Roehampton	43.2	80	80.7	71.8	14.8	5.8	102	3.5	67	89
117	102	Westminster	42.3	78.7	79.2	68.5	20.9	4.4	119	3.8	69	92
118	111	London Met	41.5	79.3	82.1	74.5	17.8	6	96	4.3	66	80
119	61	De Montfort	40.6	81.1	80	71.1	19.6	3.2	110	5	76	90
120	106	West of Scotland	40	84.5	85.7	74.2	22.6	3.3	129	5.1	74	88
121	121	Bedfordshire	30.1	76.2	82.3	71.3	19.7	4.9	101	3.9	74	79

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