A study by The Times shows that 65.1% participants considered the subject rankings were more important compared with 34.9% who in favour of university rankings.
More importantly, the reputations of most universities are subject-based apart from some exceptional universities, such as Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, UCL, and Imperial. Thus, it is vital for parents or students look beyond the university rankings and look in details of the particular course at particular university in a particular city that will directly affect the student’s ultimate learning outcome and university experience.
The following searchable table provides an overview of The Guardian and The Times league tables for overall rankings and the top 8 subjects.
Overall Rank 2025 UK University Business & Management Computer Science Economics Elec. Engineering Accounting & Finance Law Media Medicine 1 Oxford 2 3 1 - - 3 - 2 2 St Andrews 1 2 2 - - - 1 7 3 Cambridge - 1 3 - - 1 - 4 4 London School of Economics 5 - 5 - 1 4 - - 5 Imperial College - 4 - 8 - - - 3 6 Durham 14 11 4 - 5 6 - - 7 Bath 3 10 19 23 13 - - - 8 Warwick 4 21 8 - 2 11 5 21 9 University College London 14 8 16 3 3 2 - 11 10 Loughborough 11 24 39 24 23 - 4 - 11 Lancaster 9 13 12 39 7 20 25 28 12 Aberdeen 8 61 13 31 4 16 - 1 13 University of the Arts London 42 - - - - - 70 - 14 Glasgow 27 19 31 27 16 8 - 13 15 Edinburgh 7 6 34 12 8 10 - 6 16 Bristol 12 7 27 13 18 17 - 9 17 Strathclyde 17 33 38 2 30 28 - - 18 Exeter 25 35 33 19 19 34 14 25 19 Surrey 29 22 26 21 39 29 43 - 20 Sheffield 51 9 44 6 40 23 - 30 21 Aston 32 12 17 28 46 43 - 38 22 Southampton 53 26 48 6 32 18 47 22 23 Essex 67 32 7 20 50 34 71 - 24 Ulster 59 30 18 14 12 50 56 - 25 York 49 55 30 52 - 21 41 - 26 Chichester 97 - - - - - 20 - 27 Liverpool 18 39 10 41 11 37 42 27 28 King's College London 13 18 15 56 24 7 31 29 29 Swansea 39 29 25 26 36 44 13 16 30 West London 31 75 - - 17 42 - - 31 Manchester 10 14 46 15 9 24 - 26 32 Bolton - 57 - 62 36 107 - - 33 Sunderland 40 17 - 44 42 74 3 18 34 Leicester 87 87 47 40 60 22 16 10 35 Reading 21 76 59 - 26 48 - - 36 Birmingham 36 15 21 35 26 38 - 32 37 Leeds 26 88 31 1 35 60 16 17 38 City, London 24 45 64 46 14 56 - - 38 Northumbria 42 46 - 60 29 27 61 - 38 Oxford Brookes 61 64 58 25 45 90 8 - 41 Portsmouth 66 57 24 45 33 55 25 - 42 Coventry 54 49 57 18 48 78 6 - 43 Queen's, Belfast 58 53 69 9 56 25 11 19 44 Edge Hill 27 31 - - 10 83 48 - 45 University East Anglia 29 25 23 - 34 52 36 23 46 Cardiff 49 66 45 4 63 40 10 15 46 Chester 23 80 - - 15 47 - - 46 Glasgow Caledonian 40 79 - 48 53 62 - - 49 Nottingham Trent 22 33 27 56 19 63 50 - 50 Lincoln 59 78 35 58 98 91 29 - 51 South Wales 102 26 - 53 91 19 55 - 52 Dundee 46 5 67 40 31 26 - 12 52 Royal Holloway, London 37 50 50 - 49 98 23 - 54 Derby 74 97 43 38 47 33 18 - 54 Liverpool John Moores 33 57 - 50 6 92 46 - 56 East London 35 80 - 8 43 89 2 - 57 Manchester Metropolitan 72 56 62 5 64 66 21 - 58 Staffordshire 82 86 - 67 - 95 7 - 59 London South Bank 42 83 6 30 40 54 15 - 60 Kent 19 52 42 55 53 36 65 - 60 Kingston 76 26 56 46 67 58 19 - 62 Nottingham 33 66 22 10 36 31 69 36 63 Newcastle 65 70 64 40 21 39 22 14 64 UWE Bristol 63 40 52 44 65 87 58 - 65 Bucks New University 105 41 - - 95 58 - - 66 Aberystwyth 57 91 - - 25 87 27 - 66 Heriot-Watt 77 42 9 17 57 - - - 68 Huddersfield 90 72 19 22 88 103 60 - 68 Sussex 48 53 61 16 59 46 71 - 68 Teesside 94 106 - 37 66 85 12 - 71 Birmingham Newman University - - - - - - - - 72 Keele 38 84 41 - 62 71 35 8 73 Bangor 82 68 55 11 22 14 44 - 74 Queen Mary London 81 23 49 32 70 12 9 24 75 Hertfordshire 69 101 36 47 74 82 - - 75 Hull 82 88 - 63 78 74 64 - 75 Sheffield Hallam 42 42 29 62 84 53 51 - 75 St Mary's, Twickenham 86 - - - - 69 77 - 79 Abertay 96 38 - - - 61 - - 80 Trinity Saint David 112 20 - 3 - 30 - - 81 Bradford 97 61 54 42 73 94 33 - 82 Cardiff Metropolitan 100 61 53 - 86 65 - - 83 Salford 62 100 - 34 83 84 32 - 84 Plymouth 71 105 68 36 61 68 - 34 85 Wolverhampton 6 65 - 66 51 81 - - 86 Brighton 73 74 11 48 55 101 79 - 86 Liverpool Hope 89 37 - - 28 102 38 - 86 Solent 56 99 - 20 81 5 39 - 89 University for the Creative Arts 51 - - - - - - - 90 SOAS 80 - 40 - 52 76 - - 91 Queen Margaret, Edinburgh 85 - - - - - 76 - 92 Falmouth 101 - - - - - 62 - 93 London Met 47 69 - - 87 49 68 - 94 Stirling 63 16 13 - 75 45 36 - 95 Robert Gordon 77 77 - 33 76 96 54 - 96 Edinburgh -pier 55 60 - 59 72 57 75 - 96 York St John 93 102 - - 76 50 24 - 98 Anglia Ruskin 106 93 - - 93 93 49 30 99 Suffolk - 85 - - - - - - 100 Arts University Bournemouth - - - - - - - - 100 Gloucestershire 77 109 - - 43 13 45 - 102 Birmingham City 111 47 66 43 71 105 30 - 102 Leeds Beckett 88 71 51 - 79 104 27 - 104 Central Lancashire 70 108 - - 80 64 - 35 105 Bournemouth 104 44 71 51 97 41 53 - 105 Leeds Trinity - - - - - 9 66 - 107 Canterbury Christ Church 115 111 - - 99 67 39 - 108 Bath Spa 91 47 - - - - 52 - 109 Goldsmiths 99 92 62 - - - 57 - 110 Roehampton 107 51 - - 69 100 74 - 111 Wrexham 75 110 - - - 31 - - 112 Worcester 68 72 - - 58 86 34 - 113 Middlesex 108 94 60 - 94 70 83 - 113 Northampton 110 90 - - 68 108 62 - 115 Winchester 113 82 - - 95 98 78 - 116 Cumbria 92 - - - - 15 - - 117 Greenwich 116 95 70 25 90 79 80 - 118 De Montfort 103 96 72 51 89 73 67 - 119 Westminster 108 104 37 29 81 72 59 - 120 Brunel London 94 98 73 61 85 97 82 - 121 West of Scotland 117 103 - - 92 106 73 - 122 Bedfordshire 118 107 - 54 100 77 81 - - Buckingham 14 - - - - 79 - 37 - St George’s, London - - - - - - - 33 - The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts 19 - - - - - - - Overall Rank 2025 Institution Accounting & Finance Business & Management Computer Science Economics Elec. Engineering Law Media Medicine 1 London School of Economics 20 15 30 43 27 11 - 10 2 St Andrews - 103 47 - - 34 - - 3 Oxford 41 45 28 - - 69 72 - 4 Cambridge 95 94 98 - - 95 72 33 5 Durham - - - - - - - - 6 Imperial College London 34 30 41 27 44 26 - 30 7 University College London 54 43 57 - - 66 59 - 8 Bath 7 3 9 24 21 - - - 9 Warwick - 83 89 - - - 61 - 10 Loughborough 92 116 79 - - 88 85 - 11 Bristol 24 23 5 18 23 28 - 22 12 Lancaster 88 97 56 68 43 96 49 - 13 Exeter - - - - - - - - 14 Sheffield - - - - - - - - 15 Aberdeen 73 111 66 - - - - - 16 Glasgow 92 89 71 55 - 47 33 - 17 Edinburgh 74 65 82 - - 85 - - 17 York 83 87 95 39 60 92 75 37 19 Southampton 19 21 11 18 17 14 - 9 20 Strathclyde 62 71 44 69 40 91 83 - 21 Surrey - - - - - 77 - 39 22 Birmingham - 88 74 - - - - - 23 Liverpool - - 3 3 1 2 - 7 24 King’s College London 97 82 108 - - 100 40 - 24 Reading 33 27 36 33 19 23 6 13 26 Queen’s, Belfast 89 79 110 - - - - - 27 Leicester 47 46 101 - - 80 18 38 27 Manchester 45 52 66 - - 87 79 - 29 Leeds - 105 - - - - 87 - 30 Newcastle 5 15 51 56 51 47 10 - 30 Nottingham 58 64 64 57 45 60 24 - 32 Cardiff - 109 - - - 68 - - 33 East Anglia 87 100 90 66 42 80 78 - 34 Royal Holloway, London 70 62 105 - 58 74 58 - 35 Aston 18 36 16 52 - 20 - 2 36 Dundee 9 12 17 8 - 5 - - 37 Swansea 30 27 46 25 - 37 29 24 38 Sussex 85 85 95 - - 98 50 - 39 Queen Mary London 50 65 86 - - 63 28 - 40 Kent 16 12 11 22 16 8 - 7 41 the Arts London 30 48 32 - 53 31 13 - 42 Nottingham Trent 57 78 41 37 28 42 26 17 43 Northumbria 14 9 25 15 17 15 8 - 44 Glasgow Caledonian - 46 85 - - - 69 - 45 Ulster 8 19 6 14 10 3 - 3 46 Essex 39 52 58 - 37 22 11 - 46 Manchester Metropolitan 81 67 102 - - 44 11 - 48 Aberystwyth - 107 97 69 - - 39 - 49 City, London 55 89 79 53 36 57 - - 50 Oxford Brookes - - - - - - - - 51 Heriot-Watt - - - - - - - - 52 St Mary’s, Twickenham 26 25 49 28 14 - - - 53 Harper Adams 62 67 87 41 61 57 53 - 54 Coventry 77 77 61 50 39 82 52 - 55 Portsmouth 52 48 48 23 - 64 56 16 56 Lincoln - - 2 - 3 - - 4 57 Keele 61 58 93 45 - 54 38 17 57 West London 49 52 49 49 49 27 69 - 59 Edinburgh -pier 6 7 14 37 31 9 17 22 60 Hull 64 100 81 64 - 54 64 - 61 Robert Gordon 17 15 21 10 32 15 13 15 62 Chichester 11 15 34 13 8 29 9 27 63 Stirling - - - - - - - - 64 Bangor 79 98 88 62 45 71 45 - 65 SOAS London - 106 - - - - 60 - 66 Cardiff Metropolitan 43 44 34 63 - 35 7 5 66 Liverpool John Moores 67 58 74 54 - 64 55 - 68 the West of England 10 14 23 11 15 33 18 31 69 St George’s, London - 100 105 - - 88 66 - 70 Plymouth 46 48 53 - 38 59 33 - 71 Brighton 91 96 104 - - 94 88 - 72 Salford 1 5 - 2 - 4 - - 73 Falmouth 90 91 98 58 56 90 54 - 74 Abertay 15 10 20 12 25 - 1 - 75 Plymouth Marjon 11 11 10 26 10 39 - 21 76 Bath Spa 51 37 44 48 23 44 27 - 77 Derby 75 71 73 67 - 72 80 - 78 Arts Bournemouth 23 34 37 34 22 32 5 20 78 Huddersfield 92 114 102 71 - 99 86 - 80 Goldsmiths, London 35 48 40 - 30 35 31 - 81 Norwich the Arts - - 107 - - - - - 82 Bournemouth 32 27 19 9 9 23 35 36 83 Hertfordshire 37 42 62 43 48 38 23 - 84 Edge Hill - 2 1 4 2 7 - 1 84 Sheffield Hallam 56 61 64 42 - 67 57 - 86 Bishop Grosseteste 59 57 72 51 35 52 - 34 87 University for the Creative Arts - - - - - - 82 - 88 Leeds Beckett 41 56 52 46 52 49 47 - 89 Chester - 67 - - - - 43 - 90 Birmingham Newman 47 55 21 21 12 18 68 14 90 Gloucestershire 13 35 29 31 13 20 - 11 92 Leeds Arts 28 24 43 35 - 43 - - 93 York St John 40 41 39 - 33 53 16 - 94 Liverpool Hope 79 99 76 - - 83 67 - 94 South Wales - 117 - - - - - - 96 Central Lancashire 36 40 24 40 33 46 18 - 97 Kingston 67 79 98 - 45 76 21 - 98 Solent 26 31 7 15 7 10 3 26 99 Worcester 76 73 78 58 57 93 50 - 100 London South Bank 72 85 - 60 - 54 - - 101 Staffordshire - 103 109 - - 60 65 - 102 Greenwich 84 75 66 - 59 51 75 - 103 Winchester 25 22 18 32 4 25 30 29 104 Teesside - 4 4 5 - - - 6 105 Queen Margaret, Edinburgh - - - - - - - 28 105 Sunderland - 112 - - - 74 84 - 107 Birmingham City 96 115 62 - - 102 46 - 107 Brunel London 29 32 59 30 - 30 15 - 109 Canterbury Christ Church 4 6 15 7 5 6 2 - 110 Wales Trinity St David - 118 112 - - - - - 111 Bradford 98 107 76 - - 79 48 24 112 Leeds Trinity 22 20 27 15 20 15 - - 113 De Montfort 44 32 26 36 - 40 25 32 114 Buckingham 37 39 30 47 26 41 21 19 115 Wrexham 81 73 70 - 54 100 35 - 116 Hartpury - 62 60 - - - 42 - 117 Middlesex 67 60 55 61 49 50 44 - 118 Roehampton 85 94 69 - - 97 63 - 119 Bolton 21 26 38 20 29 13 37 - 120 Westminster 3 8 13 6 6 1 - 12 121 the West of Scotland - 79 114 - - - - - 122 Buckinghamshire New - 91 84 - - - - - 123 Wolverhampton 2 1 8 1 - 12 4 35 124 Suffolk 77 91 83 - - 69 31 - 125 Northampton 64 83 91 65 55 77 40 - 126 East London 64 110 111 - - 72 72 - 127 London Metropolitan 70 75 94 - - 60 80 - 128 Cumbria 52 70 53 - - 84 75 - 129 Bedfordshire - - 113 - - - - - 130 Anglia Ruskin - 38 32 28 41 18 62 - 131 Royal Agricultural 60 113 91 - - 86 71 - 2023 Institution Finance Business Economics Computer Law Biomedical Medicine Engineer 1 St Andrews - 2 1 3 - - 5 - 2 Oxford - 1 2 2 2 1 6 - 3 Cambridge - - 3 1 1 - 1 - 4 London School of Economics 1 4 4 - 3 - - - 5 Imperial College - - - 4 - - 4 3 6 Durham 8 16 7 6 6 - - - 7 Bath 5 6 21 17 - 13 - 14 8 Warwick 2 3 5 27 9 2 29 - 9 UCL 11 5 10 7 4 - 18 13 10 Loughborough 26 7 37 14 - - - 15 11 Glasgow 6 8 11 8 5 - 10 6 12 Edinburgh 4 11 27 5 8 6 3 2 13 Aberdeen 2 11 16 27 11 - 2 - 14 Lancaster 15 19 29 13 19 4 24 30 15 Exeter 13 22 30 18 37 18 23 27 16 Bristol 29 15 40 12 17 - 12 28 16 Southampton 28 30 34 33 26 - 28 1 16 Strathclyde 10 14 14 22 40 25 - 5 19 University of the Arts London - 69 - - - - - - 20 Leeds 9 10 15 57 13 46 19 8 21 York - 45 35 19 22 - - 29 22 Aston 46 27 33 16 32 15 32 26 23 West London 22 21 - 69 55 - - - 24 Surrey 40 45 38 30 43 42 - 10 24 UWE Bristol 79 26 43 38 66 14 - - 26 Swansea 60 74 23 25 34 3 7 33 27 Birmingham 18 27 20 27 27 8 27 22 27 University of East Anglia 14 17 18 - 18 28 22 - 29 King's College London - 9 26 44 7 11 26 56 30 Manchester 17 19 51 15 23 11 30 12 30 Sheffield 39 75 50 11 53 - 31 19 32 Keele 63 80 31 20 42 31 9 - 33 Royal Holloway 34 40 32 34 78 - - - 34 Lincoln 60 42 36 48 73 28 - - 35 Cardiff 23 32 68 53 33 - 15 16 35 Leicester 63 87 58 20 15 - 16 - 37 Chichester - 77 - - - - - - 38 Bolton 19 - - 36 43 - - - 38 Ulster 21 68 42 25 48 10 - 17 40 Aberystwyth 12 34 - 42 90 - - - 40 Liverpool 16 38 23 35 51 19 13 37 42 Essex 46 71 22 65 45 - - 34 42 Oxford Brookes 73 57 69 39 54 34 - - 44 Dundee 23 27 60 32 12 16 11 - 45 Heriot-Watt 33 85 9 9 - - - 21 46 Northumbria 48 71 - 64 50 27 - 43 46 Queen's, Belfast 54 84 47 92 30 25 21 7 48 Derby 73 79 - 90 60 - - 18 49 University for the Creative Arts - 13 - - - - - - 50 Sunderland 35 62 - 50 34 21 - - 51 Coventry 51 35 57 77 103 - - 42 52 Glasgow Caledonian 36 33 - 47 62 52 - 57 53 South Wales 42 59 - 72 46 - - 48 54 Queen Mary 54 55 53 23 10 - 20 24 55 Edge Hill 77 39 - 39 85 - - - 55 Kent 32 31 41 61 24 - - 54 55 Kingston 69 80 16 41 91 32 - - 58 City 30 18 72 51 58 - - 45 59 Hull 63 47 13 95 67 37 - 50 59 Stirling 62 50 6 24 39 - - - 61 Reading 23 24 48 93 52 42 - - 62 Nottingham Trent 44 35 52 63 74 38 - 40 63 Newcastle 31 70 67 54 28 8 17 38 63 Nottingham 36 25 45 31 38 - 34 9 63 Plymouth 53 83 74 85 55 35 25 19 66 Sussex 45 53 64 78 57 23 - - 67 Portsmouth 48 43 28 69 68 30 - 49 68 Staffordshire 58 116 - 65 95 - - - 69 Suffolk - - - 83 80 - - - 70 Arts University Bournemouth - - - - - - - - 70 Bucks New University 71 117 - 82 64 - - - 70 St Mary's, Twickenham - 64 - - 75 - - - 73 Cardiff Met 36 54 25 93 - 20 - - 74 Chester 42 40 - 52 72 49 - - 74 Hertfordshire 68 80 8 96 71 33 - 23 74 Trinity Saint David - 94 - 58 - - - - 77 York St John 83 71 - 106 62 - - - 78 Huddersfield 40 48 39 72 97 - - 11 78 Sheffield Hallam 84 51 62 46 64 39 - 41 80 Bradford 88 49 49 37 58 48 - 39 80 Teesside 66 97 - 86 82 5 - 36 82 Bangor 7 60 - 56 36 7 - 32 83 Edinburgh Napier 98 56 - 72 16 - - - 84 Manchester Met 89 85 71 71 75 40 - 4 85 Abertay - 113 - 45 60 17 - - 86 SOAS - 75 65 - 40 - - - 87 Liverpool John Moores 19 96 - 61 99 - - 25 88 Gloucestershire 52 65 - 109 49 - - - 89 Bath Spa - 23 - 67 - - - - 89 Queen Margaret - 98 - - - - - - 89 Salford 87 35 62 88 92 36 - 58 92 Brighton 56 88 12 58 85 50 - 51 93 Robert Gordon 80 57 - 97 77 53 - 55 94 Glyndwr - 107 - 108 - - - - 95 Northampton 59 109 - 80 83 - - - 96 London South Bank 27 98 44 107 70 - - 31 97 Falmouth - 91 - - - - - - 98 Greenwich 66 106 61 84 79 - - 46 99 Liverpool Hope 71 52 - 9 102 - - - 100 Birmingham City 82 95 55 75 89 56 - 35 101 Solent 95 63 - 91 28 - - - 102 Leeds Beckett 85 89 46 49 95 51 - 47 102 Worcester 50 67 - 99 20 - - - 104 Central Lancashire 99 65 - 100 47 21 37 59 104 London Met 90 44 - 75 25 - - 52 106 Goldsmiths - 90 54 78 - - - - 106 Wolverhampton 86 92 - 97 88 - - - 108 Bournemouth 78 93 70 88 87 47 - - 109 Anglia Ruskin 76 101 - 104 92 45 36 - 110 Winchester 80 105 19 58 104 - - - 111 Middlesex 90 107 55 87 100 - - - 111 Roehampton 57 110 - 101 81 44 - - 113 East London 73 100 65 54 98 - - - 113 Leeds Trinity - 102 - - 31 - - - 115 Cumbria - 114 - - 14 - - - 116 Brunel 94 77 75 68 101 - - 44 116 Canterbury Christ Church 96 115 - 105 94 - - - 116 Westminster 93 111 59 103 84 55 - 53 119 West of Scotland 97 112 - 81 105 24 - - 120 De Montfort 70 103 73 101 69 54 - 60 121 Bedfordshire 92 118 - 110 106 - - -
