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These are officially the best 20 unis in the country right now

Leeds doesn’t even make the list


Despite the fact everyone goes back to uni again in the next couple of weeks so this really won’t influence where you go to uni, there’s always a good time to brag to your mates about just how good your uni is.

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide has just been released which ranks 132 different universities across the country on factors like: quality of teaching; student satisfaction; the number of grads who get jobs or do post-grads and the number of students who make it through their degrees.

The guide also shows how unis compare on their social inclusion (just how many private school people they admit compared to state school) as well as the best unis for each subject. You can find the full list and university ranking 2022 here.

Here is the ranking of the 20 best unis in the country right now in 2022, according to The Good University Guide 2023:

20. University of Sheffield

Sheffield has climbed into the top 20 this year after ranking 22nd last year. Just over 80 per cent of Sheffield students are in high skilled employment or further education six months after graduating and 93 per cent complete their degrees.

20. University of Birmingham

Birmingham is tied in 20th place with Sheffield Uni. While the percentage of students who were satisfied with the quality of teaching was lower than Sheffield, 71 per cent compared with 76 per cent, overall Birmingham students are more likely to be in full time employment or further education after graduating and have completed their degree.

19. University of Aberdeen

Aberdeen moves up one place from last year. It ranks as the fifth best Scottish uni and the best uni in the country to study anatomy.

18.  University of Strathclyde

Strathclyde in Glasgow may not be one of the first Scottish unis you immediately think but it continues to perform well in the Complete University Guide. It’s dropped a place from last year however it is the best uni in the UK to study communications and media as well as pharmacology and pharmacy.

17. University of York

York is up two places in the The Complete University Guide. Whilst last year it scraped into the top 20, this year it’s in 17th place. 75 per cent of students are satisfied with the level of teaching whilst 73 per cent said they were satisfied with their overall student experience.

16. University of Southampton

Southampton is the 16th best university according to The Complete University Guide which is exactly how it ranked last year. It performs well across the board with over 80 per cent of students in further education or a high skilled job in the first six months after graduating.

15. University of Bristol

Bristol has fallen back in the league table but only one spot. Last year’s 14th best university in the country does however rank best in the UK for studying Russian and Eastern European languages.

14. University of Glasgow

Glasgow is Scotland’s third best university according to The Complete University Guide. However, overall it’s fallen back two places from its ranking as the 12th best uni in the UK last year.

13. University of Exeter

Exeter has had one of the largest rises in this year’s league table. Last year it ranked as the 21st best uni in the UK. It’s climbed a whopping eight places this year. It also happens to be the number one uni for studying drama and Middle Easter and African studies.

12. Lancaster University

Lancaster has fallen another place in the league tables for a second year running. The uni ranked 93rd out of 116 English and Welsh unis for social inclusion.This takes into account non-grammar state school admissions, ethnic minority students, the black achievement gap, admissions of disabled, mature, and the number of first-generation students.

11. Loughborough University

Loughborough has fallen outside of the top 10 but still ranks in a very impressive 11th place. Loughborough students love their uni. Almost 80 per cent of students said they were satisfied with their uni experience, outranking unis like UCL, Edinburgh and Imperial.

10. University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh has climbed an impressive three places and is back to being considered a top 10 university according to The Complete University Guide. While the uni ranks well across the board, it only ranks top for one subject, social work.

9. University of Warwick

Warwick is the best uni in the UK to study business studies, economics and creative writing according to the league table. It’s dropped one place from last year but is still in a very strong position. Over 95 per cent of Warwick studies complete their studies.

8. University of Bath

Bath is The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year according to The Good University Guide 2023. It’s moved up one place this year but ranks as the top uni according to the newspaper because of its “strength across the board”. It’s the fourth-highest uni for student satisfaction and the fifth-highest for graduate prospects.

7. University College London

UCL has maintained its place as the seventh best uni in the UK. It ranks as the number one uni in the UK for a huge five subjects. These include: American studies, building, information and system management, liberal arts and town and country planning.

6. Durham University

Durham has been named as the Sports University of the Year and sixth in the overall rankings. It finished third in BUCs last year and is the uni for producing the most professional sports stars. The uni ranks as having the highest percentage of former private school pupils in 2022.

5. Imperial College London

Imperial has dropped one place in the league table however it still ranks within the top five universities in the UK according to The Complete University Guide. Almost 98 per cent of Imperial students finish their studies and 87 per cent are in high-skilled jobs or further education within the first six months after graduating.

4. LSE

Like Imperial, LSE has also dropped one place in the league table. However, unlike Imperial, it can still boast itself as the best London university. 74 per cent of students were satisfied with the quality of their teaching and its the top uni in the UK for accounting and finance, anthropology and psychology.

3. University of Cambridge

Cambridge is only the third best university in the UK according to The Complete University Guide, as it was also in last year’s ranking. Cambridge ranks 10th in terms of the number of former private school pupils in 2022.

2. University of St Andrews

St Andrews has been beaten to top spot but it’s still Scotland’s best university. 84 per cent of students are satisfied with the quality of teaching and 80 per cent were overall satisfied with their university experience.

1. University of Oxford

The best university in the UK according to The Complete University Guide is Oxford. It’s the first time in 12 years the uni has ranked first in the league tables. Across the board, Oxford ranked very highly and it also boasts having the lowest student-to-staff ratio of one member of staff for every 10.5 students.

All uni ranking data from 2022, via The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

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