The 20 worst universities in the UK for student experience, as per The Times’s rankings

The new rankings in The Times Good University Guide has exposed the 20 worst UK universities for student experience.

The worst UK university for student experience is the University of Buckingham, according to The Times. This university scored 5.7 points lower than any other university did. SOAS University of London and Arts University Bournemouth landed in second and third place.

Only two universities from the renowned Russell Group ranked within the bottom 20 for student experience – the University of Edinburgh and the University of Oxford. Out of the 130 universities in the rankings, the University of Oxford scored the seventh worst for student experience. This low score seems to have impacted the University of Oxfords overall standing in the league table – The Times only ranked it as the fifth best university for 2027.

For The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, the scores for student experience were calculated using data from the Office for Students’ annual National Student Survey in 2026.

Here are the 20 worst universities for student experience, according to The Times’s rankings for 2027:

=18. University of Chester – scored 79.4

=18. University of Plymouth – scored 79.4

 

 

 

 

 

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=18. University of Winchester – scored 79.4

17. University of Cumbria – scored 78.7

=14. Bournemouth University – scored 78.5

=14. University for the Creative Arts – scored 78.5

=14. University of Edinburgh – scored 78.5

Students experiencing the University of Edinburgh

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13. Wrexham University – scored 78.4

12. Sheffield Hallam University – scored 78.0 

11. Harper Adams University – scored 77.6

10. Goldsmiths, University of London – scored 77.5

9. Falmouth University – scored 77.4

8. Royal Agricultural University – scored 77.2

7. University of Oxford – scored 76.6

Students graduating at the University of Oxford

6. University of Greater Manchester – scored 76.5

5. Queen Margaret University – scored 76.4

4. University of Gloucestershire – scored 76.3

3. Arts University Bournemouth – scored 75.1

2. SOAS University of London – scored 74.7

1. University of Buckingham – scored 69.0

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