10 UK unis that are way better than before, according to The Times’s ranking for 2026

Hey, not every uni in the UK is a downhill disaster, or is on the brink of closure, or is already crumbling into ruins as we speak! The Times’s new league tables show that several UK unis are actually improving. Well, that’s nice for them.

10 UK unis managed to rise by at least positions in The Times and The Sunday Times University Guide 2026. Some of these unis aren’t super famous, but are apparently thriving right now (well, they’re thriving compared to how they fared in last year’s ranking, anyway).  One Scottish uni managed to shoot up an impressive 39 places in just one year.

So, here are the 10 UK unis that improved by 15 (or more) places in The Times’s ranking for 2026:

Hartpury University and Hartpury College – up 15 places

You might not have heard of this one, as it specialises in agriculture, sport and horses. The Times and The Sunday Times ranked it 101st out of 130 unis, but did award it the title of Specialist University of the Year.

University of Hertfordshire – up 16 places

Hertfordshire Uni went from 83rd to 67th position. It scored extra well for the quality of its research.

Teesside University – up 20 places

Teesside Uni has such a dramatic entrance and I’m obsessed
(Credit: LTees)

The uni hopped from 104th to 84th place in The Times’s new league table. It’s safely above the worst unis in the UK that mill about at the bottom of the league table each year.  It didn’t excel in any particular area – it just did a lot better than last year overall.

Most Read

Lily Phillips shares utterly disgusting ‘before and after’ video and now I’m traumatised

I went on a night out with Bonnie Blue – it was uncomfortable and she’s dead behind the eyes

A dark TikTok D4vd reposted has resurfaced and the creator who made it has spoken out

Edge Hill University – up 21 places

The uni shot up from 84th to 63rd place. 77.6 per cent of grads got high-skilled jobs or went into further study. That’s higher than a lot of other unis with similar entry requirements.

Leeds Trinity University – up 22 places

Leeds Trinity is now ranked 90th out of 130 Uk unis. That’s still not great, but hey, it’s a lot better than last year!

Southampton Solent University – up 22 places

Great feedback from students boosted the uni up from 98th to 75th spot.

University of Bradford – up 25 places

Behold, Bradford Uni
(Credit: Chemical Engineer)

The Times now considers Bradford to be the 86th best UK uni, instead of the 111th. Bradford scored well for “people & planet” – that’s The Times’s indicator of how sustainable and inclusive a uni is.

University of Suffolk – up 27 places

Suffolk has advanced from being the seventh-worst uni in the UK to being the 97th best. Well, that’s good progress? Suffolk actually received the best score out of any UK uni for how satisfied students were with the teaching.

Canterbury Christ Church University – up 28 places

The uni clawed its way into the top 100, mostly thanks to its high scores for teaching quality and student experience. It’s now ranked as 81st.

Queen Margaret University – up 39 places

This Edinburgh uni went all the way up from a fairly abysmal 105th place to a perfectly respectable 66th place in just a year. It’s officially the most-improved of all 230 UK unis included in The Times’s university guide. Yay for them. The students seem to be getting brainier – sixth-formers with more UCAS points are applying, and grads are getting more firsts.

For more like this, follow The Tab on Instagram.

Featured image of Hartpury University by Bob Embleton. Featured image of the University of Hertfordshire by Mhardcastle .