University Rankings

In spite of UK education is collectively renowned for its high quality, innovative teaching and academic excellence, individual universities have their own merits, and are vary in key performance and strength of individual subjects, as well as entry standards, staff/student ratio, academic facilities expenditure, research quality, completion rates and career destinations, etc. This gives reasons for university rankings.

In general, the higher ranking of the institution the better it may be regarded by the future employers. An international survey by the Times found that university rankings and reputation were most important to students based in China, nominated as the top priority by 37.8%, followed by India and the Middle East, but 65.1% participants considered the subject rankings were more important compared with 34.9% who in favour of institutional rankings.

In our opinions, for those international students coming to study in the UK from a rather complementary education system, such as China, the subject strength of a university should be treated as the most important factor in deciding on a course, because ultimately, it is what a student studies that matters to his/her passion, dreams and future career. Thus, it is vital for parents or students look beyond the university league tables while choosing a university, and look in details of the particular course at that particular university in a particular city that could directly affect the student’s university experience and learning outcome.

The following table compares the three UK national university league tables for 2025  – The Guardian University League Table, The Times University Guide, and The Complete University Guide.

• 2025 Rankings Comparison
• The Guardian vs The Times 2023-24
• The Guardian vs The Times 2018-19

• UK University	The Times Rank 2025	The Guardian Rank 2025	CUG Rank 2025
  London School of Economics	1	4	3
  St Andrews	2	2	4
  Oxford	3	1	2
  Cambridge	4	3	1
  Durham	5	6	7
  Imperial College London	6	5	5
  University College London	7	9	9
  Bath	8	7	8
  Warwick	9	8	10
  Loughborough	10	10	6
  Bristol	11	16	16
  Lancaster	12	11	10
  Exeter	13	18	14
  Sheffield	14	20	18
  Aberdeen	15	12	41
  Glasgow	16	14	28
  Edinburgh	17	15	15
  York	17	25	17
  Southampton	19	22	20
  Strathclyde	20	17	32
  Surrey	21	19	12
  Birmingham	22	36	13
  Liverpool	23	27	19
  King's College London	24	28	24
  Reading	24	35	35
  Queen's Belfast	26	43	25
  Leicester	27	34	36
  Manchester	27	31	22
  Leeds	29	37	23
  Newcastle	30	63	26
  Nottingham	30	62	30
  Cardiff	32	46	27
  University East Anglia	33	45	21
  Royal Holloway, London	34	52	38
  Aston	35	21	39
  Dundee	36	52	51
  Swansea	37	29	37
  Sussex	38	68	47
  Queen Mary London	39	74	50
  Kent	40	60	52
  University of the Arts London	41	13	29
  Nottingham Trent	42	49	45
  Northumbria	43	38	34
  Glasgow Caledonian	44	46	75
  Ulster	45	24	42
  Essex	46	23	30
  Manchester Metropolitan	46	57	56
  Aberystwyth	48	66	42
  City, London	49	38	39
  Oxford Brookes	50	38	46
  Heriot-Watt	51	66	42
  St Mary's, Twickenham	52	75	72
  Harper Adams	53	-	33
  Coventry	54	42	67
  Portsmouth	55	41	49
  Lincoln	56	50	48
  Keele	57	72	61
  West London	57	30	58
  Edinburgh Napier	59	96	86
  Hull	60	75	73
  Robert Gordon	61	95	91
  Chichester	62	26	79
  Stirling	63	94	53
  Bangor	64	73	68
  SOAS London	65	90	71
  Cardiff Metropolitan	66	82	62
  Liverpool John Moores	66	54	81
  UWE Bristol	68	64	75
  St George's, London	69	-	69
  Plymouth	70	84	65
  Brighton	71	86	70
  Salford	72	83	73
  Falmouth	73	92	64
  Abertay	74	79	99
  Plymouth Marjon	75	-	115
  Bath Spa	76	108	104
  Derby	77	54	95
  Arts University Bournemouth	78	100	93
  Huddersfield	78	68	65
  Goldsmiths, London	80	109	60
  Norwich University of the Arts	81	-	82
  Bournemouth	82	105	55
  Hertfordshire	83	75	84
  Edge Hill	84	44	54
  Sheffield Hallam	84	75	63
  Bishop Grosseteste	86	-	122
  University for the Creative Arts	87	89	85
  Leeds Beckett	88	102	75
  Chester	89	46	56
  Birmingham Newman	90	71	124
  Gloucestershire	90	100	88
  Leeds Arts	92	-	111
  York St John	93	96	101
  Liverpool Hope	94	86	83
  South Wales	94	51	95
  Central Lancashire	96	104	87
  Kingston	97	60	88
  Solent	98	86	102
  Worcester	99	112	88
  London South Bank	100	59	114
  Staffordshire	101	58	97
  Greenwich	102	117	110
  Winchester	103	115	103
  Teesside	104	68	100
  Queen Margaret, Edinburgh	105	91	97
  Sunderland	105	33	75
  Birmingham City	107	102	92
  Brunel London	107	120	79
  Canterbury Christ Church	109	107	109
  Trinity Saint David	110	80	117
  Bradford	111	81	106
  Leeds Trinity	112	105	116
  De Montfort	113	118	105
  Buckingham	114	-	126
  Wrexham	115	111	130
  Hartpury	116	-	-
  Middlesex	117	113	113
  Roehampton	118	110	93
  Bolton	119	32	108
  Westminster, London	120	119	118
  West of Scotland	121	121	128
  Bucks New University	122	65	106
  Wolverhampton	123	85	111
  Suffolk	124	99	58
  Northampton	125	113	120
  East London	126	56	125
  London Metropolitan	127	93	127
  Cumbria	128	116	123
  Bedfordshire	129	122	129
  Anglia Ruskin	130	98	121
  Royal Agricultural	131	-	119

• Institution	The Guardians	The Times
  University of St Andrews	1	40
  University of Oxford	2	1
  University of Cambridge	3	2
  London School of Economics	4	7
  Imperial College London	5	3
  Durham University	6	26
  University of Bath	7	43
  University of Warwick	8	11
  University College of London	9	4
  Loughborough University	10	52
  University of Glasgow	11	10
  University of Edinburgh	12	5
  University of Aberdeen	13	25
  Lancaster University	14	15
  University of Exeter	15	19
  University of Bristol	16	9
  University of Southampton	16	13
  University of Strathclyde	16	66
  University of the Arts London	19	107
  University of Leeds	20	17
  University of York	21	21
  Aston University	22	56
  University of West London	23	159
  University of Surrey	24	41
  University of the West of England	24	67
  Swansea University	26	46
  University of Birmingham	27	12
  University of East Anglia	27	38
  King’s College London	29	6
  University of Manchester	30	8
  University of Sheffield	30	14
  Keele University	32	75
  Royal Holloway, University of London	33	53
  University of Lincoln	34	60
  University of Leicester	35	22
  Cardiff University	35	24
  University of Chichester	37	113
  Ulster University	38	88
  University of Bolton	38	111
  University of Liverpool	40	23
  Aberystwyth University	40	68
  University of Essex	42	48
  Oxford Brookes University	42	87
  University of Dundee	44	37
  Heriot-Watt University	45	73
  Queen’s University Belfast	46	27
  Northumbria University	46	76
  University of Derby	48	80
  University for the Creative Arts	49	117
  University of Sunderland	50	34
  Coventry University	51	93
  Glasgow Caledonian University	52	81
  University of South Wales	53	33
  Queen Mary University of London	54	16
  University of Kent	55	51
  Edge Hill University	55	94
  Kingston University	55	95
  City, University of London	58	50
  University of Stirling	59	55
  University of Hull	59	74
  University of Reading	61	28
  Nottingham Trent University	62	77
  University of Nottingham	63	18
  Newcastle University	63	20
  University of Plymouth	63	63
  University of Sussex	66	42
  University of Portsmouth	67	64
  Staffordshire University	68	103
  University of Suffolk	69	155
  Arts University Bournemouth	70	106
  Buckinghamshire New University	70	112
  St Mary’s University, Twickenham	70	153
  Cardiff Metropolitan University	73	29
  University of Hertfordshire	74	82
  University of Chester	74	102
  University of Wales Trinity Saint David	74	158
  York St John University	77	163
  University of Huddersfield	78	83
  Sheffield Hallam University	78	99
  Teesside University	80	35
  University of Bradford	80	70
  Bangor University	82	57
  Edinburgh Napier University	83	59
  Manchester Metropolitan University	84	85
  Abertay University	85	104
  SOAS University of London	86	78
  Liverpool John Moores University	87	61
  University of Gloucestershire	88	121
  University of Salford	89	98
  Bath Spa University	89	109
  Queen Margaret University	89	141
  University of Brighton	92	92
  Robert Gordon University	93	32
  Wrexham Glyndwr University	94	161
  University of Northampton	95	138
  London South Bank University	96	84
  Falmouth University	97	119
  University of Greenwich	98	72
  Liverpool Hope University	99	130
  Birmingham City University	100	69
  Solent University, Southampton	101	151
  Leeds Beckett University	102	96
  University of Worcester	102	160
  University of Central Lancashire	104	30
  London Metropolitan University	104	135
  Goldsmiths, University of London	106	71
  University of Wolverhampton	106	90
  Bournemouth University	108	44
  Anglia Ruskin University	109	47
  University of Winchester	110	100
  Middlesex University	111	62
  University of Roehampton	111	97
  University of East London	113	31
  Leeds Trinity University	113	129
  University of Cumbria	115	118
  University of Westminster	116	36
  Brunel University London	116	58
  Canterbury Christ Church University	116	101
  University of the West of Scotland	119	89
  De Montfort University	120	79

• Rank	The Guardian University League Table	The Times Complete University Guide
  1	Cambridge	Cambridge
  2	Oxford	Oxford
  3	St Andrews	St Andrews
  4	Durham	London School of Economics
  5	Bath	Imperial College London
  6	Imperial College	Durham
  6	Loughborough	University College London
  8	Warwick	Warwick
  9	Lancaster	Lancaster
  10	Surrey	Loughborough
  10	UCL	Bath
  12	Coventry	East Anglia (UEA)
  13	Exeter	Surrey
  14	Leeds	Exeter
  15	Birmingham	Leeds
  15	London School of Economics	Birmingham
  17	York	Bristol
  18	UEA	Nottingham
  19	Nottingham	Sussex
  20	Sussex	York
  21	University of Creative Arts	King's College London
  22	Kent	Manchester
  23	Glasgow	Edinburgh
  24	Dundee	Newcastle
  25	SOAS	Kent
  26	Heriot-Watt	Southampton
  27	Bristol	Reading
  28	Manchester	Glasgow
  29	Reading	Heriot-Watt
  30	Edinburgh	Leicester
  30	Newcastle	Dundee
  32	City	Sheffield
  32	Falmouth	Essex
  34	Nottingham Trent	Queen Mary, University of London
  35	Southampton	Royal Holloway, University of London
  36	Keele	Queen's, Belfast
  37	Portsmouth	Cardiff
  38	Queen's, Belfast	SOAS University of London
  39	King's College London	Stirling
  40	Royal Holloway	Aberdeen
  40	Sheffield	Liverpool
  42	Cardiff	City, University of London
  43	Leicester	Coventry
  44	Queen Mary	Swansea
  45	Swansea	Strathclyde
  46	Aberdeen	Harper Adams
  47	Lincoln	Brunel University London
  48	Essex	Keele
  48	Northumbria	Aston
  50	Oxford Brookes	Lincoln
  51	Aston	Goldsmiths, University of London
  52	Strathclyde	Nottingham Trent
  52	UWE Bristol	St George's, University of London
  54	Derby	University for the Creative Arts
  54	Stirling	Northumbria
  56	Edge Hill	Portsmouth
  56	Liverpool Hope	Bournemouth
  58	West London	Bradford
  59	University of the Arts London	Liverpool Hope
  60	Huddersfield	West of England, Bristol
  61	Bournemouth	Arts University Bournemouth
  62	Robert Gordon	Manchester Metropolitan
  63	Bangor	Falmouth
  64	Gloucestershire	Edge Hill
  64	Goldsmiths	Bangor
  66	Abertay Dundee	Oxford Brookes
  67	Central Lancashire	Cardiff Metropolitan
  67	Liverpool	Aberystwyth
  67	Staffordshire	Sheffield Hallam
  70	Middlesex	Roehampton
  71	Sunderland	Ulster
  72	Anglia Ruskin	Huddersfield
  72	Brunel	Middlesex
  72	Chichester	Hull
  75	Bradford	Robert Gordon
  76	Manchester Met	Liverpool John Moores
  77	Chester	Plymouth
  78	Plymouth	Buckingham
  79	Teesside	Hertfordshire
  80	Liverpool John Moores	Glasgow Caledonian
  81	Aberystwyth	West London
  81	Kingston	De Montfort
  83	Edinburgh Napier	University of the Arts, London
  84	Hull	Norwich University of the Arts
  85	Sheffield Hallam	Winchester
  86	Bolton	Chichester
  87	Cardiff Met	Gloucestershire
  88	Worcester	Abertay
  89	Glasgow Caledonian	Brighton
  90	Winchester	Bath Spa
  91	Brighton	Chester
  92	London South Bank	Queen Margaret
  93	Roehampton	Greenwich
  94	De Montfort	Edinburgh Napier
  95	Greenwich	Central Lancashire
  96	Ulster	Westminster
  97	Bath Spa	Derby
  98	Bedfordshire	Salford
  99	Salford	Birmingham City
  100	Queen Margaret	West of Scotland
  101	Birmingham City	Teesside
  102	Hertfordshire	Sunderland
  103	Southampton Solent	Kingston
  104	West of Scotland	Worcester
  105	Northampton	Staffordshire
  105	St Mary's UC, Twickenham	Canterbury Christ Church
  107	East London	Royal Agricultural University
  108	Westminster	London South Bank
  109	Canterbury Christ Church	Bedfordshire
  110	Newman University	South Wales
  111	Leeds Trinity	Northampton
  112	Trinity Saint David	Leeds Trinity
  113	Birkbeck	Newman
  114	Leeds Met	East London
  115	UC Suffolk	Bishop Grosseteste
  116	South Wales	Birkbeck, University of London
  117	London Met	Southampton Solent
  118	Cumbria	Anglia Ruskin
  119	York St John	University of Wales Trinity Saint David
  120	Bucks New University	St Mary's, Twickenham

The Guardian’s rankings are based on the following eight different criteria:

1. “Entry score” (17%);
2. “Feedback” – as rated by graduates of the course (5%);
3. “Job prospects” (17%);
4. “Overall quality” – final-year students opinions about the overall quality of their course; 
5. “Spending per student” (17%);
6. “Staff/student ratio” (17%);
7. “Teaching quality” – as rated by graduates of the course (10%);
8. “Value added” (17%) – compares students’ degree results with their entry qualifications.

 The Times university rankings are based on the following nine different criteria:

1. “Completion” – the percentage of students who manage to complete their degree;
2. “Entry standards” – the average UCAS tariff score;
3. “Facilities spending” – the average expenditure per student on sports, careers services, health and counselling;
4. “Good honours” – the percentage of students graduating with a first or 2.1;
5. “Graduate prospects” – the percentage of UK graduates in graduate employment or further study;
6. “Library and computing spending” – the average expenditure on library and computer services per student;
7. “Research”;
8. “Student satisfaction”;
9. “Student-staff ratio”.

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