QS World University Rankings 2026: University of Manchester vs Manchester Metropolitan

The University of Manchester has placed at 35th in the QS World University ranking for 2026, dropping down a place from the previous years list.

The prestigious list ranks over 1500 higher education institutes worldwide, assessing them on factors including academic reputation, diversity and employment outcomes.

Rival uni Manchester Metropolitan placed at 643, dropping down 33 spots from last year.

Both universities were given high scores for sustainability, with UoM achieving an impressive 91.9, against MMU’s score of 78.

Speaking on the achievement, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester said: “These results reinforce our global standing and reflect the world-leading work taking place across the University.

“Although we want to see improvement in our overall ranking, I am pleased with the progress we’ve made in areas that matter deeply to us – our international reach, our research excellence and our commitment to sustainability.”

In last years ranking, Manchester Met won “Most improved in the United Kingdom”, for their efforts to boost internationalisation metrics.

The QS World University Rankings are widely regarded as the most comprehensive global rankings of universities. It assesses institutions on a range of criteria, including academic reputation, employer reputation and outcomes, the academic-to-student ratio, the number of international staff and students, international research partnerships, and sustainability efforts. This assessment is based on 1.5 million academic nominations and 520,000 employer nominations.

It comes a week after the Complete University Guide published their own league tables, with UoM dropping six spots to place 28th in the UK.

Manchester Met climbed narrowly into the top 50, rising to number 50. Student satisfaction was 79 per cent, compared to a 74 per cent satisfaction rate at University of Manchester.