Uh-oh! Seven Russell Group unis are getting worse, according to the Guardian’s rankings

If you feel oddly competitive about your uni’s rank, then you’re in luck! The Guardian has released their annual league tables of UK unis. I’m afraid seven iconic Russell Group unis did much worse in the Guardian’s rankings this year than they did last year. One uni somehow fell down 18 spots. Yikes.

The rankings in the Guardian University Guide 2026 are based on lots of factors, such as how many students drop out and get grad jobs. You can read about how all the other Russell Group unis fared in this year’s rankings here.

Imperial College London – down one place

Durham University beat Imperial this year, and bumped it down one spot to sixth place. The Durham students were more satisfied with the feedback they got from lecturers than the Imperial students were.

University College London (UCL) – down one place

The University of the Arts London (UAL) shot up the Guardian’s rankings into the top 10 this year. This meant UCL dropped from ninth to tenth place.

Perhaps the University of the Arts students could beautify this fugly UCL building?

Queen’s University Belfast – down two places

Keele University and the University of South Wales both scored way higher than last year, and this bumped Queen’s down to 45th place.

University of Manchester – down four places

Manchester dropped from 31st to 36th position. Manchester Metropolitan University actually had a fab year in the rankings. Very positive feedback from students helped the uni shoot up from 57th to 33rd place. So, Manchester Met is now ranked higher than the University of Manchester.

University of Glasgow – down ten places

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Erm, Glasgow really flopped this year. The uni plummeted ten whole places, from 14th to 24th. Glasgow students were less satisfied with their feedback than students at other Russell Group unis were.

Sh, nobody tell the Glasgow girlies their uni flopped in the league table

University of York – down 13 places

The Guardian did consider York the 25th best uni in the UK, but this year it’s plummeted to 38th. Maybe the ghost of Long Boi has cursed the uni from beyond the grave? York students aren’t buzzing about their feedback and assessments.

Newcastle University – down 18 places

Well, surely dropping 18 places in one year is an achievement in itself? Newcastle managed to go from 63rd last year, to 81st this year. That’s really very low, considering there are 123 UK unis included in the league table. Newcastle University has officially replaced Queen Mary University of London as the worst Russell Group uni (according to the Guardian, anyway. I’m sensing Newcastle students might disagree).

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