Ranked: All 24 Russell Group universities by interest and finance costs – Oxford pays £36.8m

Oxford pays over five times more in interest and finance costs than Cambridge, despite both being old, wealthy universities

The University of Oxford paid £36.8m in interest and finance costs in 2024-25, the highest of any Russell Group university and over five times more than Cambridge, which paid just £6.4m, according to HESA data.
Although Oxford recorded the highest expenditure on interests and finance costs, it ended last academic year with £118.1m surplus. Cambridge, on the other hand, recorded an £8m deficit.
Other Russell Group universities that had comparatively high interest and finance costs last year were Manchester, spending £22.9m, Bristol at £21.8m and Imperial College London at £17.9m.
Queen’s University Belfast recorded the lowest figure of any Russell Group university at £2.1m, with Nottingham at £2.5m.
According to HESA, interest and finance costs cover interest payable on premises, residences and catering operations.

Ranked from highest to lowest, here’s how much every Russell Group university spent on interest and finance costs in 2024-25, according to HESA. Since Nottingham was not included in the HESA data, it has been pulled directly from its financial report.

  1. University of Oxford – £36.8m
  2. University of Manchester – £22.9m
  3. University of Bristol – £21.8m
  4. Imperial College London – £17.9m
  5. King’s College London – £14.9m
  6. University of Sheffield – £14.7m
  7. University of Edinburgh – £14.0m
  8. Cardiff University – £12.8m
  9. London School of Economics (LSE) – £12.6m
  10. University College London (UCL) – £12.4m
  11. University of Southampton – £11.9m
  12. University of Liverpool – £11.4m
  13. University of Leeds – £10.2m
  14. Durham University – £10.2m
  15. University of Birmingham – £8.5m
  16. University of Glasgow – £7.7m
  17. Queen Mary University of London – £7.4m
  18. University of Warwick – £6.7m
  19. University of Cambridge – £6.4m
  20. University of Exeter – £5.8m
  21. University of York – £5.5m
  22. Newcastle University – £5.3m
  23. University of Nottingham – £2.5m
  24. Queen’s University Belfast – £2.1m

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook

Featured image via Unsplash

More on: Russell Group University University rankings