Ranked: Russell Group unis by student social life – Oxford and Cambridge miss the top 20 again

Leeds and Birmingham are the highest-ranked Russell Group universities for clubs and societies in StudentCrowd’s latest rankings, with Oxford and Cambridge failing to appear in the top 20.

Cambridge topped the Complete University Guide’s 2027 league tables overall, yet failed to make the top 20 for clubs and societies – with Oxford and Manchester also absent.

The top 20 Universities for Clubs and Societies in the StudentCrowd University Awards are decided by real student reviews. The category highlights the universities where students feel there are the best opportunities to make friends, develop new skills and get involved outside of their degree.

Among the top 20 were 17 Russell Group universities. BPP University, University of Strathclyde and Bath were the only non-Russell group universities that made the list, ranking seventh, 14th and 16th respectively.

Here are all 17 Russell Group universities that made the top 20 in the StudentCrowd Awards for clubs and societies 2026, ranked by their position in the overall top 20. Three non-Russell Group universities also featured: BPP at seventh, Strathclyde at 14th and Bath at 16th.

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1. University of Leeds, rank one, score 4.6/5
2. University of Birmingham, rank two, score 4.58/5
3. University College London, rank three, score 4.57/5
4. University of Sheffield, rank four, score 4.56/5
5. Queen’s University Belfast, rank five, score 4.54/5
6. University of Warwick, rank six, score 4.53/5
7. University of Glasgow, rank eight, score 4.51/5
8. University of Bristol, rank nine, score 4.49/5
9. Imperial College London, rank ten, score 4.48/5
10. University of Exeter, rank 11, score 4.48/5
11. Durham University, rank 12, score 4.48/5
12. University of Edinburgh, rank 13, score 4.47/5
13. University of Liverpool, rank 15, score 4.46/5
14. Cardiff University, rank 17, score 4.43/5
15. Newcastle University, rank 18, score 4.43/5
16. University of Southampton, rank 19, score 4.42/5
17. University of Nottingham, rank 20, score 4.42/5

University of Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester were contacted for comment. 

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