Students at these 23 UK unis get better teaching than at Russell Group unis in 2025

Should’ve gone there instead


Russell Group unis are supposedly extra academic, and the lecturers there are meant to be extra good at teaching… right? But this year’s Complete University Guide shows that a lot of students at Russell Group unis aren’t all that satisfied with their teaching. In fact, there 23 other UK unis where students think they get better teaching than the Russell Group uni students.

In the new Complete University Guide for 2026, researchers analysed a load of data from the National Student Survey and scored each UK uni for how satisfied the students are with their teaching. The highest ranked Russell Group unis in this department are the University of Sheffield and the University of Warwick, which both scored 3.17 out of 4. Yay for them. But 23 far less famous UK unis actually got a better student satisfaction score than Sheffield and Warwick did.

According to the Complete University Guide, students are the most pleased with their teaching at the University of St Andrews. That’s not actually a Russell Group uni (although it’s old and pretty and perceived as posh). Three much less well known UK unis – Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, Wrexham University and Plymouth Marjon University – almost scored as high as St Andrews. Slay.

So, here are the UK unis were students are more satisfied with their teaching than at Russell Group unis in 2025.

=18. Robert Gordon University – scored 3.18

=18. London Metropolitan University – scored 3.18

=18. Lancaster University – scored 3.18

=18. Coventry University – scored 3.18

coventry university library

The library looks like a cross between a castle and a waffle and I don’t know how to feel about this
(Credit: Keith Williams)

=18. University of Greater Manchester – 3.18

=18. University of Surrey – scored 3.18

17. Middlesex University – scored 3.19

=15. University of Aberdeen – scored 3.20

=15. University of West London – scored 3.20

14. University of Roehampton – scored 3.21

=12. St Mary’s University, Twickenham – scored 3.22

=12. Abertay University – scored 3.22

11. Aberystwyth University – scored 2.23

10. Liverpool Hope University – scored 3.24

Behold, part of Liverpool Hope Uni

Behold, part of Liverpool Hope Uni
(Credit: Rodhullandemu)

=7. University of Sunderland – scored 3.26

=7. University of East London – scored 3.26

=7. Birmingham Newman University – scored 3.26

6. University of Wales Trinity Saint David – scored 3.27

5. Arts University Plymouth – scored 3.29

=3. Plymouth Marjon University – scored 3.0

=3. Wrexham University – scored 3.0

2. Bishop Grosseteste University – scored 3.31

1. University of St Andrews – scored 3.32

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Featured image of the University of East London by Secretlondon.

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