The EA Top 50 UK University Rankings

There is a lot of interest in which universities are ranked highest in the UK. This often relates to which of the elite universities are the best. Is Cambridge better than Oxford? Is Imperial better than UCL? Are all Russell Group Unis in the top 25? For the average university student, it is probably more relevant as to whether a university is in the top quartile. Additionally, it is important to see where a university ranks for their target degree course.

The three main league tables are The Times, The Guardian and the Complete University Guide (CUG). They rank on their own chosen measurements such as entry standards, research quality, student satisfaction, work prospects, added value and so on. Some of these measurements seem chosen only for one publisher to claim their league table is different / better (?) than another. This results in some very dubious rankings – for example why is St Andrews No 3 in the Guardian table and 35 in the Times? Why is Harper Adams number 33 in CUG and non-existent in the others? We would rather not get mixed up in these dubious differentiations and we have simply averaged all of the top quartile rankings for 2022 and come up with the current Top 50 UK universities.

It is natural that parents or students will aim for the top 5 (sometimes referred to as the G5 but remember that the elite universities are substantially over subscribed and typically want A*AA grades at A Level or excess of 38 IBDP points and it makes sense to select a range of universities to ensure you get more than one offer.

Talk to us about your aspirations and our experts will help you to target the most suitable universities.

Please contact us on info@educationadvisers.co.uk /  +44(0)1622 813870 to discuss how Education Advisers Ltd can support your pathway to university.