Northumbria ranks over 30 places higher than Newcastle in the Guardian University Guide 2026

Northumbria University has overtaken Newcastle University in the 2026 Guardian University Guide, coming in at 47th place.

Newcastle has fallen 18 spots since the 2025 ranking, landing at 81st. Meanwhile, Northumbria dropped from 38th last year, but still leapt 34 places ahead of Newcastle.

According to the main table, student feedback appears to be Northumbria’s biggest win, with 80.6 per cent of students satisfied compared to 72.2 per cent at Newcastle.

Career prospects remain close. Fifteen months after graduation, 84 per cent of Newcastle graduates are in employment or further education, just three per cent higher than Northumbria’s 81 per cent.

Aside from career prospects, Newcastle only significantly outperformed Northumbria in the categories of entry standards and continuation rates. Average UCAS points for Newcastle entrants are 143, compared to 128 at Northumbria, and 93.4 per cent of Newcastle first years progress to second year, against 87.1 per cent at Northumbria.

In every other category Northumbria either scored higher or was within one percentage/point of Newcastle. Student satisfaction with teaching, for example, is very close with 83.9 per cent at Northumbria and 83.2 per cent at Newcastle.

Northumbria also placed ahead of Nottingham and Royal Holloway.

A Newcastle University spokesperson said:

“There are a range of ranking exercises for universities – they each use different criteria and positions fluctuate year on year. We are proud to be consistently ranked among the top 200 universities in the world for our education and research.

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“We were also named top UK university for student life in both the What University Student Choice Awards and the University Compare Ranking 2026, both of which are based on the views and experiences of our past and present students.”

The top three positions in the ranking were claimed by Oxford, followed by St Andrews and then Cambridge.

The Guardian University Guide helps prospective students decide where to study by assessing the overall student experience. It ranks universities using eight measures, including satisfaction with teaching and feedback, student to staff ratio and average spend per student.

Northumbria University was approached for comment.