Erm, Glasgow Caledonian University is actually one of the hardest unis to get into
Cali is up there with Oxbridge and St Andrews for lowest acceptance rates.
Your chances of getting into uni can vary wildly depending on where you apply. Some places seem pretty generous with their offers, while others will reject applicants like it’s their full-time hobby.
The toughest UK uni to get into right now actually isn’t Oxbridge, despite their whole intimidating libraries and centuries-old prestige thing. That crown goes to London School of Economics and Political Science, which only offered places to 15.8 per cent of applicants in the latest admissions cycle. Brutal.
A lot of people assume the most selective universities are all part of the Russell Group, but the stats say otherwise. A few universities outside that club are quietly rejecting more than half of the people who apply. Looking at you, University of the Arts London, University of St Andrews and Wrexham University.
The numbers come from UCAS and cover the 2025 admissions cycle — aka the freshers currently roaming campuses with tote bags and mild confusion about their timetable.
And then there’s the slightly unexpected entry: Glasgow Caledonian University.
Yes, really.
According to the figures, the uni sits comfortably among the UK’s top 30 most selective institutions, with an offer rate of 66.4 per cent. That means around one in three applicants doesn’t get in. Not exactly the “just rock up and they’ll let you in” vibe some people like to joke about.
We wont be hearing anymore Cali slander for a while, they’ve sure shown the ‘uni of’ lot and Strathy folk.
So, here are the 30 hardest UK universities to get into:
30. Keele University – 68.3 per cent
29. University of Hertfordshire – 68.0 per cent
28. University of Lancashire – 67.0 per cent
27. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh – 67.0 per cent
26. University of Leeds – 66.5 per cent
25. University of Chichester – 66.4 per cent
24. Glasgow Caledonian University – 66.4 per cent
via Wikimedia Commons
23. Queen Mary University of London – 66.3 per cent
22. Health Sciences University (formerly AECC University College) – 65.8 per cent
21. University of Dundee – 65.2 per cent
20. University of Sunderland – 64.9 per cent
19. University of Bath – 64.7 per cent
18. City St George’s, University of London – 64.0 per cent
17. University of Manchester – 62.8 per cent
16. University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) – 62.5 per cent
15. London South Bank University – 62.1 per cent
14. University of Suffolk – 58.6 per cent
13. University of Strathclyde – 57.8 per cent
12. Leeds Arts University – 56.5 per cent
11. University of Buckingham – 52.5 per cent
10. University of Edinburgh – 51.8 per cent
9. King’s College London (KCL) – 50.5 per cent
8. University of the Arts London (UAL) – 47.3 per cent
via Wikimedia Commons
7. University College London (UCL) – 44.2 per cent
6. Wrexham University – 43.7 per cent
5. University of St Andrews – 39.7 per cent
4. Imperial College London – 25.3 per cent
3. University of Cambridge – 21.4 per cent
2. University of Oxford – 16.1 per cent
1. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – 15.8 per cent
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Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
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