These 14 UK unis dramatically plummeted in the Complete University Guide for 2026

The new Complete University Guide for 2026 is out, and several famous UK unis went down loads of places in the league tables. Some unis even dropped 10 or more places within a year. Yikes. Here are the UK unis that really plummeted in the Complete University Guide this year.

=12. Birmingham City University – down 10 places

This uni scored pretty low for research intensity and facilities

=12. Glasgow Caledonian University – down 10 places

This uni went from 75th to 85th position. The uni has a really high student to staff ratio. There are 23 students at Glasgow Caledonian University for each member of staff. I bet it’s tough to get a good seat in lecturers.

=12. University of Plymouth – down 10 places

Plymouth plummeted in the Complete University Guide from 65th to 75th spot. The uni had a pretty low student satisfaction score, of just 3.04 out of 5.

=10. Goldsmiths, University of London – down 11 places

Only 64 per cent of Goldsmiths grads felt their careers were on track. This might explain why Goldsmiths suddenly dropped from 60th to 71st position.

=10. Ulster University – down 11 places

Well, it’s still in the top half? Ulster went from 42nd to 53rd.

9. University of West London – down 12 places

This uni dropped from 58th to 72nd place. The University received a very low score of 0.13 out of one for research intensity.

8. Harper Adams University – down 14 places

Harper Adams is that mysterious farming uni in the middle of nowhere.

7. De Montford University – down 15 places

Just 68 per cent of grads landed grad jobs or signed up for a procrastination Master’s. This might explain why the uni dropped from 105th place to 120th.

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6. Bournemouth University – down 17 places

At least the beach at Bournemouth is nice?

Erm, I don’t think Bournemouth University is having a great time right now. The staff are striking over proposed job cuts, and now the uni has gone from 55th to 72nd in the Complete University Guide.

=4. University of Brighton – down 18 places

This uni went from 70th to 88th position. Erm, I guess the Brighton students can cheer themselves up with a nice trip to the beach?

=4. University of Chester – down 18 places

Chester dropped from 60th place to 78th.

3. City St George’s, University of London – down 19 places

The one pretty building at City

City, University of London merged with St George’s, University of London to form an even bigger uni with an even longer name. This new uni dropped from 39th place to 58th.

2. Sheffield Hallam University – down 21 places

Sheffield Hallam didn’t spend nearly as much money on facilities as other unis did, which might be why its ranking went from 63rd to 84th in just a year.

1. University for the Creative Arts – down 26 places

This uni got a pretty low student satisfaction score of 2.97 out of five. It plummeted from 85th to 111th.

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Featured image of Goldsmiths University by Alex Blandford.