The most oversubscribed Russell Group unis in 2026, that everyone’s desperate to infiltrate

If you’re desperate to worm your way into a Russell Group uni and brag about it on LinkedIn, you might want to study the application stats. Some Russell Group unis are way more oversubscribed than others. If you want to go to the Uni of Manchester, the odds may not be in your favour.

The most oversubscribed of all the Russell Group unis in 2026 is the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). This uni is a bit small, but plenty of students are desperate to go there. 13.2 people apply for each place.

The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford aren’t as oversubscribed as you might think. Cambridge and Oxford get surprisingly few applications compared to lesser-known UK unis. This is because schools are reluctant to help pupils with Oxbridge applications who have a low chance of getting in. Plus, nobody is sticking down Oxford to fill up their UCAS form.

These stats all come from UCAS, and refer to undergrads from the 2025 admissions cycle. That’s the most up-to-date information available. The number of students “accepted” at each uni is the number who actually ended up going. Approximately a third of Scottish students don’t apply to unis through UCAS (but most other students do).

So, here are the most oversubscribed Russell Group unis, based on how many people apply for each place:

24. Queen’s University Belfast – 3.6 applicants per place

You’d think more students would want to study at this Instagrammable campus

18,265 students applied and 5,120 were accepted

23. University of York – 4.6 applicants per place

31,615 students applied and 6,900 were accepted

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22. University of Glasgow – 5.2 applicants per place

33,075 students applied and 6,360 were accepted

21. University of Exeter – 5.3 applicants per place

48,110 students applied and 9,120 were accepted

10. Newcastle University – 5.3 applicants per place

35,605 students applied and 6,780 were accepted

19. Durham University – 5.4 applicants per place

36,675 students applied and 6,845 were accepted

18. University of Liverpool – 5.5 applicants per place

46,895 students applied and 8,575 were accepted

17. Cardiff University – 5.9 applicants per place

43,480 students applied and 7,405 were accepted

16. University of Warwick – 6.2 applicants per place

45,475 students applied and 7,355 were accepted

15. University of Cambridge – 6.3 applicants per place

23,100 students applied and 3,670 were accepted

14. University of Nottingham – 6.3 applicants per place

You may also have to fend off geese to get to the Uni of Nottingham

54,205 students applied and 8,610 were accepted

13. University of Leeds – 6.6 applicants per place

64,535 students applied and 9,750 were accepted

12. University of Southampton – 6.6 applicants per place

41,370 students applied and 6,280 were accepted

11. University College London (UCL) – 6.8 applicants per place

77,535 students applied and 11,470 were accepted

10. University of Birmingham – 7.1 applicants per place

61,160 students applied and 8.670 were accepted

9. Queen Mary University of London – 7.1 applicants per place

41,780 students applied and 5,920 were accepted

8. University of Sheffield – 7.6 applicants per place

44,650 students applied and 5,890 were accepted

7. University of Bristol – 7.7 applicants per place

A rather crowded Uni of Bristol graduation ceremony

62,830 students applied and 8,175 were accepted

6. University of Edinburgh – 8.2 applicants per place

66,340 students applied and 8,080 were accepted

5. King’s College London (KCL) – 8.5 applicants per place

70,970 students applied and 8,375 were accepted

4. Imperial College London – 8.6 applicants per place

30,020 students applied and 3,495 were accepted

3. University of Manchester – 8.6 applicants per place

93,195 students applied and 10,785 were accepted

2. University of Oxford – 10.9 applicants per place

24,400 students applied and 2,240 were accepted

1. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – 13.2 applicants per place

27,115 students applied and 2,060 were accepted

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