Here are the 50 hardest unis in the UK to get a first from

You need to maximise the odds, obviously

3 years ago

Stats from HESA have revealed the unis where the fewest students end up with a first – finally telling us where the hardest university in the country to end up with a first from is.

Scottish unis take the top spots – perhaps showing how hard it is to think clearly when you’re really, really cold.

Only two Russell Group unis make the list – Newcastle and Glasgow. Sussex, SOAS, and Nottingham Trent also figure in the rankings.

The lack of really posh unis might suggest they tend to take people who are already more likely to get a first – whereas unis who take people from more diverse backgrounds may see fewer students getting firsts. These students tend to have higher dropout rates, are more likely to need to work to support themselves through uni, and are also less likely to be young – all factors which mean the ferocious pursuit of a first is that much harder.

These are the hardest universities in the country to get a first from:

1. The University of the West of Scotland – 7.85 per cent

2. University of the Highlands and Islands – 14.45 per cent

3. The University of Sunderland – 15.72 per cent

4. Harper Adams University – 16.38 per cent

5. Edinburgh Napier University – 16.51 per cent

6. The Open University – 16.89 per cent

7. The University of Stirling – 17.04 per cent

8. Roehampton University – 17.09 per cent

9. Glasgow Caledonian University – 17.38 per cent

10. The Nottingham Trent University – 17.45 per cent

11. The University of Dundee – 17.65 per cent

12. University of Abertay Dundee – 17.76 per cent

13. Birkbeck College – 17.93 per cent

14. The Robert Gordon University – 18.00 per cent

15. St George’s, University of London – 18.07 per cent

16. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh – 18.24 per cent

17. Buckinghamshire New University – 18.25 per cent

18. The University of Chichester – 18.59 per cent

19. The University of Winchester – 18.62 per cent

20. Bath Spa University – 19.01 per cent

21. The University of Westminster – 19.37 per cent

22. University of Worcester – 19.64 per cent

23. Aberystwyth University – 19.74 per cent

24. The University of Brighton – 20.07 per cent

25. Liverpool Hope University – 20.09 per cent

26. Canterbury Christ Church University – 21.85 per cent

27. The Arts University Bournemouth – 21.89 per cent

28. The University of Bolton – 22.22 per cent

29. York St John University – 22.62 per cent

30. Bournemouth University – 22.84 per cent

31. SOAS University of London – 23.03 per cent

32. Newcastle University – 23.11 per cent

33. University of Plymouth – 23.12 per cent

34. Leeds Beckett University – 23.22 per cent

35. The University of Northampton – 23.22 per cent

36. University of Gloucestershire – 23.45 per cent

37. The University of Leicester – 23.87 per cent

38. University of the West of England, Bristol – 23.97 per cent

39. The University of Glasgow – 24.05 per cent

40. University of Bedfordshire – 24.07 per cent

41. Cardiff Metropolitan University – 24.11 per cent

42. University of Hertfordshire – 24.19 per cent

43. The University of Hull – 24.33 per cent

44. Falmouth University – 24.34 per cent

45. University of Cumbria – 24.42 per cent

46. City, University of London – 24.56 per cent

47. Norwich University of the Arts – 24.59 per cent

48. Oxford Brookes University – 24.96 per cent

49. The University of Sussex – 25.00 per cent

50. Brunel University London – 25.14 per cent

Note: We only included universities with more than 500 graduates in a year. HESA statistics are rounded to the nearest five, and so smaller cohorts can produce more inaccurate percentages.