The 15 worst universities in the UK in 2026, according to the Daily Mail’s rankings

This week, many stressed students across the UK will be frantically searching for university places in clearing. You probably know where you want to go… but what about the unis you’d rather avoid? The Daily Mail has just dropped their new university league tables. So, here are the 15 worst universities in the UK in 2026, according to the Daily Mail’s new rankings.

15. Bournemouth University

A bird’s eye view of Bournemouth’s Talbot campus

Bournemouth did not fare well in the Daily Mail’s new rankings. The uni scored a very underwhelming 77.9 per cent for student support, and 69.4 per cent for research quality.

14. University of Wales Trinity St David

This uni actually got great scores for the student support and teaching quality. However, 50.2 per cent of grads find high-skilled jobs, and this brought the uni’s score down.

=12. Arts University Plymouth (AUP)

Specialist arts unis often flop on university league tables. The Daily Mail’s league table takes into account the average grad salaries, and the proportion of grads who find high-skilled employment within 15 months. People who study design, and creative and performing arts are the most likely to wind up unemployed after uni.

=12. Goldsmiths, University of London

Only 82.1 per cent of freshers carry on at the uni, which isn’t a great proportion.

11. Norwich University of the Arts

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The average grad salary is £26,208, and just 56.4 per cent of leavers find high-skilled jobs within 15 months.

10. York St John University

67.9 per cent of York St John students get a first or a 2:1, which is quite low for a UK uni.

9. London Metropolitan University

This unis is less popular than it used to be – UCAS applications have dropped a bit. Only 54.7 per cent get high-skilled jobs.

=7. Southampton Solent University

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Freshers have an average of 103 UCAS tariff points, which is pretty low.

=7. University for the Creative Arts

This uni got low student satisfaction scores in 2026’s National Student Survey.

=5. Arts University Bournemouth

AUB did much less research than other unis, which dragged down its rank.

=5. Bath Spa University

Well, at least they have this Bridgerton-y building!
(Credit: Rwendland via Creative Commons)

Despite the name, this uni also has campuses in the London areas of Hackney and Canary Wharf.

4. Royal Agricultural University

This specialist uni has higher-than-average dropout rates, and lower-than-average entry requirements.

3. University of Greater Manchester

It was known as the University of Bolton until 2024, by the way. This uni has been in the news a lot lately because of its finances and vice-chancellor. But hey, they have a shiny new medical school!

2. Hartpury University

This uni in the depths of the Gloucestershire countryside specialises in subjects related to agriculture and animals.

1. Buckinghamshire New University (BNU)

I’m afraid the Daily Mail ranked BNU 128th out of the 128 UK universities in their league table, making it officially the worst university in the country.

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Featured image credit: Rwendland via Creative Commons.