The Russell Group unis that have got worse this year, according to the Complete Uni Guide

Every single year uni rankings come out and your uni boasts about it moving up in the most niche ways, like continuation (what does this even mean?) or random subjects like agriculture. But how many Russell Group unis are actually going downhill and steadily slipping down the rankings year by year?

Well, the Complete University Guide 2025 is out and this means we can see how each uni’s position has changed since last year. We already know the Russell Group unis which have risen up the rankings the most this year but what about the unis that are just getting worse?

The Russell Group unis that stayed in the same position from last year are:

• University of Oxford

• University of Cambridge

• London School of Economics

• University College London

• University of Bristol

• University of York

• King’s College London

But with seven unis slipping down the rankings, these are the Russell Group universities that have got worse this year, according to the Complete University Guide:

7. University of Leeds – down one place

It might have only moved down one place, but in the 2025 rankings, Leeds is 23rd, compared to last year’s 22nd.

6. University of Nottingham – down two places

Moving down two places from last year, Nottingham has gone from 28th to 30th in this year’s rankings.

5. University of Glasgow – down two places

Also down two places, Glasgow went from 26th to 28th in this year’s Complete University Guide.

4. University of Manchester – down three places

The fourth least improved Russell Group in the last year, Manchester moved down three places to 22nd in this year’s ranking.

3. University of Edinburgh – down three places

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12th in the 2024 rankings, Edinburgh has moved down three places to 15th this year.

2. University of Southampton – down three places

The second least improved Russell Group, last year, Southampton was ranked 17th, but it has moved down three places this year to 20th.

1. University of Cardiff – down six places

And officially moving down the rankings the most in a year, Cardiff is 27th in the 2025 Complete University Guide 2025, moving down six places from last year’s position of 21st.

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