Ranked: All 128 UK universities from best to worst in 2026 — and where yours came in

The UK university rankings of 2026 are officially here, taking into account everything from student experience to likelihood of getting employment after graduating (or not).

Each year, the Daily Mail puts together a massive ranking of UK universities. The higher education cheat sheet is based on a number of factors, including teaching and research, the views of 357,000 final-year students, subjects, accommodation, and countless other factors.

This go around, there have been some surprises. Let’s jump right into the ranking.

1. Imperial College London – Its third year on the top spot, Imperial College London’s success is rooted in academic superiority and an unparalleled consistency in graduate jobs. Imperial recieved a record number of applications for courses beginning in September 2024, with 47 per cent of places awarded through UCAS going to international students.

2. University of Oxford – Though perhaps not surprising, nearly half of 2024’s student intakes got A*A*A* at A-level. The institution has a reputation to maintain, but the ranking noted the university’s dedication to increasing diversity, with 66.2 per cent of new 2024 students coming from state schools. 13.6 per cent also came from areas with low rates of participation in higher education.

3. University of Cambridge – Another university that’s made strides in diversifying its student body – without falling short of academic excellence – is Cambridge.

Credit: Geoff Robinson/Shutterstock

4. London School of Economics and Political Science – The 2026 UK university rankings noted how LSE graduates are well paid and in high demand, with a staggering number going on to run literal countries.

5. University College London – Ranked ninth in the world in the latest QS World University Rankings, UCL is highly competitive. Despite that, almost one in three students gained a place in 2024 via a contextual offer.

6. (Joint) University of Strathclyde – Sharing the sixth place on the UK university rankings for 2026 are the University of Strathclyde and the University of Warwick. Strathclyde is leading the way when it comes to engineering and tech.

6. (Joint) University of Warwick – With applications coming in at seven for every one place, the University of Warwick is leading the charge when it comes to STEM.

8. University of Bristol – Though Bristol is racking up highly competitive research grants, earning £300 million between 2023 and 2024 alone, the university is also working hard to make a Russell Group university education as affordable as possible.

9. University of Bath – Between state-of-the-art sport facilities and stellar opportunities in science, engineering and business, it’s not surprising that Bath is becoming more and more popular each year. Applications for admission in September 2024 were up by 11 per cent.

10. University of St Andrews – One of the hardest universities to get into in the UK, with 10 applications for every one place. After 50 years, the university is reimplementing its medical degree this September.

11. King’s College London – With one of the most socially inclusive and diverse student bodies of all Russell Group universities, King’s College London is a particular favourite of international students.

12. University of Dundee – Despite its stellar reputation in the fields of medicine and life sciences, the University of Dundee has fallen on hard times as of late due to ” failings in financial monitoring, management and governance.” The Mail said it’s still worth applying, though only with the understanding that the next year would be “difficult.”

13. University of Sheffield – After a two-year absence from the QS World University Rankings, Sheffield is back, baby! Its graduates are the 12th most-targeted by top employers.

14. Durham University – With the likes of Oxford and Cambridge prioritising a diverse array of students, the Mail’s ranking noted how Durham has become a hot spot for the privately educated. Now, private school pupils account for 37 per cent of the intake. Don’t let that put you off, though, because the university is continuing to expand at a rapid rate.

15. (Joint) Loughborough University – Loughborough should be on any budding sportsperson’s shortlist, that is, if you want to brush shoulders with Olympians. The answer is yes, you do, of course.

15. (Joint) Queen Mary University of London – Also tying for 15th is Queen Mary University of London. The ranking acknowledged the meeting of academic success and diversity, with three quarters of the intake drawn from ethnic minorities.

15. (Joint) University of Southampton – Applications are at a two-year high, in part due to the £600 million campus investment plan at Southampton.

18. University of Leeds – Another Russell Group entry, Leeds students are in high demand by employers by all accounts.

19. University of Manchester – Manchester broached the top 20 this year after a positive response in the NSS. Though Manchester has long been the most applied to uni in the UK, after seven consecutive years of increase, it came to an end in 2024 with a one per cent drop.

20. (Joint) University of Birmingham – Compared to stats from 2023, Birmingham accepted 1,500 more undergraduates in 2024. Despite the sheer size of its student body, the 2026 university rankings noted the personal touch from staff, with course leaders phoning undergraduates at the end of summer to welcome them.

20. (Joint) University of Edinburgh – Despite being the third most applied to university in the country, Edinburgh fell short in the NSS. Students ultimately ranked it in the bottom ten of teaching excellence, student experience, and student support.

22. (Joint) University of Glasgow – As the third-oldest university in the country, Glasgow’s reputation precedes it. A campus redevelopment to the sum of one billion is currently underway.

22. (Joint) University of Surrey – When it comes to university, how much money you’re going to make after graduating might factor into your choices. Well, Surrey bodies other Russell Group unis with starting salaries around the £30k mark. Four in every five students believe their career is on track just 15 months after graduating.

24. (Joint) Heriot-Watt University  – If you want a massive starting salary after graduating, and you’re interested in STEM, Heriot-Watt is the obvious choice.

24. (Joint) Queen’s University, Belfast – The Oxbridge of Northern Ireland, Queen’s is dominating when it comes to inclusion. 32 per cent of students are recruited from low-income backgrounds.

26. City St George’s, University of London – A new institution, at least compared to some of the dinosaurs on this list, this higher education option is a combo of two separate unis: City, University of London and St George’s, University of London.

27. University of Liverpool – Dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, architecture and engineering are some of the subjects the university is best known for, but the Mail’s ranking of 2026 UK universities also honoured the business and law courses.

28. (Joint) University of Exeter – Though Exeter does draw around half of its intake from the most affluent areas of the UK, it’s working to diversify away from the privately educated with bursaries, scholarships, and hardship support totalling £9 million.

28. (Joint) University of Nottingham – It is the third most-targeted university for leading graduate employers, particularly in the realms of engineering and other academic fields.

30. (Joint) Cardiff University – Another uni with record submissions last year, Cardiff’s rise in the National Student Survey has been a bright spot in the dark clouds of job losses and course closures.

30. (Joint) University of York – The Mail’s Community University of the Year, York’s culture is a massive selling point for prospective students.

32. Aston University – Aston was one of the few universities to win triple gold in the last Teaching Excellence Framework, which covers student experience, graduate outcomes and an overall rating.

33. University of East Anglia – big things are happening at East Anglia in the next few years: Expanding courses with foundation years, introducing a new dental school, and massive redevelopments of the site.

34. University of Leicester – In exchange for largely medium-tariff offers, Leicester offers cutting-edge scientific work and the chance for major discoveries. Innovation is paramount.

35. University of Aberdeen – After 530 years in the Biz, Aberdeen knows what it’s doing.

36. (Joint) Glasgow Caledonian University – Coming in joint 36th for the Mail’s 2026 UK university rankings, Glasgow Caledonian was also awarded University of the Year for Graduate Jobs.

36. (Joint) Lancaster University – Here, undergraduates join one of eight undergraduate colleges, which divide the 13,000 undergraduates into bite-sized communities. How fun!

38. Ulster University – Ulster is only getting more popular as the years roll on, having been named the Times Higher Education University of the Year for 2024.

39. Newcastle University – The Mail’s ranking said that Newcastle’s poor results in the National Student Survey resulted in its placement on this list.

40. Swansea University – Last year, admissions were at the lowest point in 10 years. Regardless, the uni’s commitment to making offers to all UK applicants whose predicted grades fall within the offer range makes it worth looking into.

41. University of Essex – A goldmine for the politically inclined, or what the Mail called “student radicalism”, Essex has generated a global reputation in politics and the social sciences.

42. University of Bradford – Declared the University of the Year for Social Inclusion.

43. (Joint) – Keele University – Keele gained an overall gold rating in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework in both 2023 and 2017.

43. (Joint) University of Plymouth – Big things on the horizon for Plymouth, with the Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise opening in September, and the Centre for Eyecare Excellence in 2027.

45. (Joint) Teesside University – Named the Mail’s Modern University of the Year.

45. (Joint) University of Reading – Reading is creating the global sustainability leaders of the future.

47. Harper Adams University – Far away from the bright lights of the city, Harper Adams is the go-to for anyone interested in agriculture or farming.

48. (Joint) Manchester Metropolitan University – Shortlisted for the University of the Year title after a massive jump in rankings, Manchester Metropolitan University admitted the largest number of students in 2024.

48. (Joint) Royal Holloway, University of London 

48. (Joint) University of Hull 

51. (Joint) Northumbria University

51. (Joint) University of Hertfordshire

51. (Joint) University of Portsmouth

54. London South Bank University

55. Edinburgh Napier University

56. (Joint) University of Staffordshire

56. (Joint) University of Suffolk

58. (Joint) University of Huddersfield

58. (Joint) University of Wolverhampton

60. (Joint) Robert Gordon University

60. University of Salford

60. University of Stirling

63. University of Sussex

64. Abertay University

65. (Joint) Edge Hill University

Most Read

Chris Watts makes gruesome admission of his crimes in detailed letters written from prison

The driver’s licenses Rue finds in Euphoria have a hidden meaning you definitely missed

Ranked: All 24 Russell Group universities by how much of their income they lost last year

65. (Joint) Nottingham Trent University

67. University of the West of England

68. (Joint) Coventry University

68. (Joint) University of Lincoln

70. (Joint) Oxford Brookes University

70. (Joint) Plymouth Marjon University

70. (Joint) University of West London

73. Liverpool John Moores University

74. (Joint) Aberystwyth University

74. (Joint) SOAS University of London

74. (Joint) University of Greenwich

77. Bangor University

78. University of Central Lancashire

79. (Joint) Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

79. (Joint) University of Kent

81. (Joint) Sheffield Hallam University

81. (Joint) University of Buckingham

83. University of Sunderland

84. University of the West of Scotland

85. St Mary’s University, Twickenham

86. University of South Wales

87. (Joint) Birmingham Newman University

87. (Joint) University of Brighton

89. (Joint) University of Chester

89. (Joint) University of Chichester

89. (Joint) University of Derby

89. (Joint) University of the Arts London

93. (Joint) Canterbury Christ Church University

93. (Joint) University of Cumbria

95. Kingston University

96. (Joint) Bournemouth University

96. (Joint) University of Worcester

98. (Joint) Brunel, University of London

98. (Joint) Cardiff Metropolitan University

100. (Joint) Birmingham City University

100. (Joint) Leeds Beckett University

102. Middlesex University

103. (Joint) Goldsmiths, University of London

103. (Joint) University of East London

103. (Joint) University of Gloucestershire

106. (Joint) Bishop Grosseteste University

106. (Joint) University of Bedfordshire

108. Arts University Bournemouth

109. (Joint) Anglia Ruskin University

109. (Joint) De Montfort University

109. (Joint) Wrexham University

112. (Joint) University of Greater Manchester

112. (Joint) University of Northampton

112. (Joint) University of Westminster

112. (Joint) University of Winchester

116. Norwich University of the Arts

117. Liverpool Hope University

118. Southampton Solent University

119. University of Roehampton

120. Bath Spa University

121. (Joint) Buckinghamshire New University

121. (Joint) University for the Creative Arts

123. University of Wales Trinity St David

124. (Joint) London Metropolitan University

124. (Joint) York St John University

126. Hartpury University

127. Royal Agricultural University

128. Arts University Plymouth

The 2026 UK university rankings had the following schools as unranked:

•  Birkbeck, University of London
• The Open University
• University of the Highlands and Islands

The full ranking and explanations can be read here.

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Xinhua/Shutterstock