Durham University rises one spot in the Guardian University Guide 2026

Durham University has risen one place in the Guardian University Guide 2026.

Ranking 5th on the table, Durham was only beaten by Oxford, the University of St Andrews, Cambridge and the London School of Economics (LSE).

This ranking follows a strong run of results for the university in previous tables, with Durham in the top five of both the Complete University Guide and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Up from 2025’s spot at 4th, the university also had 15 of its subject areas rank in the top five.

In theology and religious studies, the Guardian’s guide gave the subject a perfect score of 100 out of 100. Oxford University came in at second, with Durham 41.4 points above it.

Durham was also chosen as the country’s top theology department by the Complete University Guide earlier this year.

The university was ranked second best in the country for English and biology, trailing only Oxford and Cambridge respectively in the two departments.

In accounting and finance, the uni came in at third, with Warwick and Bath taking first and second place. In marketing and public relations, Durham was beaten only by Plymouth and Derby. Meanwhile, for criminology, only University College London (UCL) and Loughborough scored higher, according to the Guardian’s metrics.

Durham had a strong showing across the board with 16 subjects ranked in the top five and a further nine ranked in the top 10. This included fourth place for the uni’s law school, behind LSE and the joint runners-up, Oxford and Cambridge.

The guide offers students and their families detailed insights to support university choices, ranking 66 subjects and assessing performance across student and post-graduate life.

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It draws on eight key measures, from entry standards, student continuation rates, and satisfaction with teaching quality and class size, to graduate outcomes, such as the proportion securing graduate-level jobs or pursuing further professional or higher education within 15 months of graduation.