Choosing a university to study at can be a daunting decision. There are many factors to consider including how they compare to other universities in the UK. The table below features the university league table results published by 4 trusted sources in 2019:
– The Times and Sunday Times
– The Guardian
– The Complete University Guide (CUG)
– The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) – participation is voluntary
The universities listed below are UKG’s recommended universities. UKG can help you to apply to these universities through our University Placement Service. NB. Universities with a star (*) can be applied for through our Oxbridge and G5 Preparation service.
| Times | Guardian | CUG | TEF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge* | 1 | 1 | 1 | Gold |
| University of Oxford* | 2 | 2 | 2 | Gold |
| Imperial College London* | 4 | 7 | 5 | Gold |
| Loughborough University | 5 | 4 | 8 | Gold |
| Durham University | 7 | 5 | 6 | Gold |
| University College London (UCL)* | 8 | 11 | 10 | Silver |
| London School of Economics (LSE)* | 9 | 15 | 4 | Bronze |
| University of Warwick | 10 | 8 | 12 | Silver |
| University of Leeds | 11 | 10 | 14 | Gold |
| University of Exeter | 12 | 14 | 11 | Gold |
| University of Birmingham | 14 | 19 | 13 | Gold |
| University of East Anglia (UEA) | 15 | 18 | 21 | Gold |
| University of Nottingham | 16 | 17 | 19 | Gold |
| University of Glasgow | 17 | 24 | 18 | - |
| University of Southampton | 18 | 23 | 20 | Silver |
| University of Bristol | 19 | 20 | 16 | Silver |
| University of Manchester | 19 | 34 | 15 | Silver |
| Newcastle University | 21 | 27 | 22 | Gold |
| University of York | 22 | 12 | 30 | Gold |
| University of Surrey | 23 | 21 | 23 | Gold |
| Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) | 24 | 38 | 23 | Silver |
| University of Sheffield | 25 | 39 | 33 | Silver |
| University of Aberdeen | 26 | 51 | 29 | - |
| University of Dundee | 27 | 29 | 31 | Gold |
| University of Edinburgh | 28 | 28 | 16 | - |
| University of Essex | 29 | 31 | 44 | Gold |
| Swansea University | 30 | 31 | 35 | Gold |
| University of Liverpool | 31 | 57 | 28 | Silver |
| Cardiff University | 32 | 58 | 26 | Silver |
| University for the Creative Arts (UCA) | 33 | - | 48 | Silver |
| King's College London | 35 | 58 | 25 | Silver |
| Heriot-Watt University | 35 | 66 | 35 | Silver |
| Nottingham Trent University (NTU) | 37 | 16 | 38 | Gold |
| University of Leicester | 38 | 63 | 44 | Silver |
| Queen's University Belfast | 38 | 52 | 37 | - |
| University of Reading | 40 | 46 | 40 | Silver |
| University of Sussex | 41 | 26 | 32 | Silver |
| University of Stirling | 44 | 40 | 43 | - |
| University of Strathclyde | 44 | 53 | 39 | - |
| Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) | 46 | 83 | 41 | Silver |
| Coventry University | 46 | 13 | 53 | Gold |
| Liverpool Hope University | 50 | 33 | 62 | Gold |
| University of Portsmouth | 51 | 25 | 53 | Gold |
| Arts University Bournemouth | 51 | 65 | 65 | Gold |
| SOAS, University of London | 53 | 58 | 44 | - |
| University of Kent | 55 | 35 | 49 | Gold |
| Aston University | 56 | 43 | 34 | Gold |
| University of the West of England (UWE) | 58 | 37 | 55 | Gold |
| Northumbria University | 61 | 48 | 50 | Silver |
| University of Huddersfield | 62 | 41 | 64 | Gold |
| Bangor University | 63 | 47 | 83 | Gold |
| Oxford Brookes University | 63 | 41 | 51 | Silver |
| De Montford University | 65 | 71 | 67 | Gold |
| Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) | 67 | 70 | 73 | Silver |
| Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) | 69 | 73 | 56 | Silver |
| University of Roehampton | 70 | 109 | 81 | Bronze |
| Goldsmiths, University of London | 71 | 76 | 72 | Bronze |
| University of Derby | 75 | 29 | 97 | Gold |
| Brunel University London | 76 | 58 | 69 | Silver |
| Bournemouth University | 78 | 65 | 70 | Silver |
| University of Winchester | 79 | 92 | 106 | Silver |
| University of Gloucestershire | 81 | 55 | 99 | Silver |
| University of West London (UWL) | 83 | 50 | 90 | Silver |
| Falmouth University | 84 | 63 | 77 | Gold |
| Birmingham City University (BCU) | 87 | 97 | 91 | Silver |
| University of Hertfordshire | 90 | 90 | 74 | Gold |
| University of the West of Scotland (UWS) | 92 | 114 | 104 | - |
| University of Sunderland | 93 | 74 | 107 | Silver |
| University of the Arts London (UAL) | 94 | 75 | 61 | Silver |
| Robert Gordon University | 96 | 78 | 85 | Gold |
| Queen Margaret University | 97 | 84 | 68 | - |
| University of Bradford | 98 | 72 | 63 | Silver |
| University of Greenwich | 100 | 100 | 83 | Silver |
| York St John University | 102 | 119 | 111 | Bronze |
| Bath Spa University | 103 | 103 | 94 | Silver |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | 108 | 58 | 96 | Silver |
| Middlesex University | 110 | 112 | 89 | Silver |
| Kingston University | 110 | 58 | 93 | Bronze |
| University of Westminster | 114 | 81 | 92 | Bronze |
| University of East London (UEL) | 115 | 88 | 116 | Bronze |
| University of Bedfordshire | 121 | 113 | 122 | Silver |
| Anglia Ruskin University | 122 | 103 | 118 | Silver |
| University of Brighton | 123 | 107 | 114 | Silver |
| Birkbeck, University of London | 128 | 115 | - | Silver |
| City, University of London | - | 95 | 57 | Silver |
| Plymouth University | - | 66 | 77 | Silver |
| Ravensbourne University London | - | - | 131 | Silver |
