Russell Group

Ulster University topped the rankings overall while 15 Russell Group universities, including Cambridge, Manchester and Durham failed to make StudentCrowd’s top 20 for value for money

Sheffield leads the Russell Group at 84.6 per cent for student voice – while Oxford scores just 67.3 per cent, the lowest of any Russell Group university in the National Student Survey 2026

Birmingham tops the facilities rankings but several of the UK’s most prestigious universities are nowhere to be seen

Ulster University ranked first for teaching quality overall – while Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester and KCL failed to make the top 20 of StudentCrowd’s student reviews

LSE has the highest proportion of EU undergraduates of any Russell Group university at 8.5 per cent, while Birmingham has the lowest at just 0.8 per cent, according to The Tab’s analysis of HESA data

Glasgow and Edinburgh receive over 14 per cent of their income from public funding grants, while Oxford and Cambridge receive just 7.4 per cent each, the joint lowest of any Russell Group university alongside LSE

Oxford scores 97.8 for arts and humanities in the QS 2026 rankings – Southampton scores just 69.6, a gap of 28.2 points between the highest and lowest Russell Group universities

Cambridge and Oxford spend the smallest share of their budget on staff of any Russell Group university – while King’s College London allocates the most at 59.9 per cent

Cambridge ranks first in the Complete University Guide but did not make StudentCrowd’s student satisfaction top 20, while Queen’s University Belfast ranked second

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