The 2025 The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide employs a comprehensive methodology to rank UK universities. This methodology covers a range of key performance indicators, including teaching quality, student experience, research quality, and graduate prospects. Specifically, the rankings consider entry standards (UCAS tariff points), student satisfaction (often derived from the National Student Survey), research quality (informed by the Research Excellence Framework), and graduate employability. Notably, the guide continually updates its methodology to reflect contemporary concerns, recently incorporating a sustainability metric and increasing the weighting of graduate prospects.
*The purpose of these university rankings is to provide prospective students with a data-driven overview of university performance. However, it’s important to remember that these rankings are just one of many factors to consider when choosing a university. Contact AAS Education Advisors for more comprehensive information on UK universities and to find the best UK university for you!
| Rank 2025 |
Last Year Rank | University |
| 1 | +3 | London School of Economics and Political Science |
| 2 | -1 | University of St Andrews |
| 3 | -1 | University of Oxford |
| 4 | -1 | University of Cambridge |
| 5 | +2 | Durham University |
| 6 | -1 | Imperial College London |
| 7 | -1 | University College London |
| 8 | – | University of Bath |
| 9 | – | University of Warwick |
| 10 | – | Loughborough University |
| 11 | +5 | University of Bristol |
| 12 | +2 | Lancaster University |
| 13 | -2 | University of Exeter |
| 14 | +4 | University of Sheffield |
| 15 | +4 | University of Aberdeen |
| 16 | -4 | University of Glasgow |
| 17= | -4 | University of Edinburgh |
| 17= | -2 | University of York |
| 19 | -2 | University of Southampton |
| 20 | – | University of Strathclyde |
| 21 | – | University of Surrey |
| 22 | – | University of Birmingham |
| 23 | +6 | University of Liverpool |
| 24= | +3 | King’s College London |
| 24= | +10 | University of Reading |
| 26 | +5 | Queen’s University, Belfast |
| 27= | +7 | University of Leicester |
| 27= | -4 | University of Manchester |
| 29 | -5 | University of Leeds |
| 30= | +7 | Newcastle University |
| 30= | +2 | University of Nottingham |
| 32 | -7 | Cardiff University |
| 33 | -7 | University of East Anglia |
| 34 | -5 | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 35 | +3 | Aston University |
| 36 | -3 | University of Dundee |
| 37 | +4 | Swansea University |
| 38 | +10 | University of Sussex |
| 39 | +7 | Queen Mary University of London |
| 40= | +12 | University of Kent |
| 40= | +2 | University of the Arts London |
| 42 | +1 | Nottingham Trent University |
| 43 | +6 | Northumbria University |
| 44 | +6 | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| 45 | -5 | Ulster University |
| 46= | +13 | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| 46= | +10 | University of Essex |
| 48 | -9 | Aberystwyth University |
| 49 | +17 | City, University of London |
| 50 | +11 | Oxford Brookes University |
| 51 | +13 | Heriot-Watt University |
| 52 | -7 | St Mary’s University, Twickenham |
| 53 | -17 | Harper Adams University |
| 54 | +4 | Coventry University |
| 55 | +10 | University of Portsmouth |
| 56 | -1 | University of Lincoln |
| 57= | +11 | Keele University |
| 57= | -10 | University of West London |
| 59 | +1 | Edinburgh Napier University |
| 60 | +7 | University of Hull |
| 61 | +1 | Robert Gordon University |
| 62 | -9 | University of Chichester |
| 63 | -10 | University of Stirling |
| 64 | -20 | Bangor University |
| 65 | -37 | SOAS University of London |
| 66= | +12 | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| 66= | +4 | Liverpool John Moores University |
| 68 | +4 | University of the West of England |
| 69 | +10 | St George’s, University of London |
| 70 | – | University of Plymouth |
| 71 | +16 | University of Brighton |
| 72 | +19 | University of Salford |
| 73 | -22 | Falmouth University |
| 74 | +10 | Abertay University |
| 75 | +8 | Plymouth Marjon University |
| 76 | -2 | Bath Spa University |
| 77 | +5 | University of Derby |
| 78= | +2 | Arts University Bournemouth |
| 78= | -2 | University of Huddersfield |
| 80 | +16 | Goldsmiths, University of London |
| 81 | -6 | Norwich University of the Arts |
| 82 | -1 | Bournemouth University |
| 83 | +12 | University of Hertfordshire |
| 84= | -15 | Edge Hill University |
| 84= | +1 | Sheffield Hallam University |
| 86 | +3 | Bishop Grosseteste University |
| 87 | -14 | University for the Creative Arts |
| 88 | +13 | Leeds Beckett University |
| 89 | +11 | University of Chester |
| 90= | +35 | Birmingham Newman University |
| 90= | +22 | University of Gloucestershire |
| 92 | -3 | Leeds Arts University |
| 93 | -16 | York St John University |
| 94= | -6 | Liverpool Hope University |
| 94= | +3 | University of South Wales |
| 96 | +15 | University of Central Lancashire |
| 97 | +1 | Kingston University |
| 98 | +11 | Solent University |
| 99 | +4 | University of Worcester |
| 100 | +16 | London South Bank University |
| 101 | -8 | Staffordshire University |
| 102 | +3 | University of Greenwich |
| 103 | -18 | University of Winchester |
| 104 | -2 | Teesside University |
| 105= | -42 | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh |
| 105= | -12 | University of Sunderland |
| 107= | +3 | Birmingham City University |
| 107= | +12 | Brunel University London |
| 109 | +5 | Canterbury Christ Church University |
| 110 | +7 | University of Wales Trinity St David |
| 111 | -3 | University of Bradford |
| 112 | -20 | Leeds Trinity University |
| 113 | +6 | De Montfort University |
| 114 | -58 | University of Buckingham |
| 115 | +7 | Wrexham University |
| 116 | -4 | Hartpury University |
| 117 | +4 | Middlesex University |
| 118 | -19 | University of Roehampton |
| 119 | -13 | University of Bolton |
| 120 | +3 | University of Westminster |
| 121 | +5 | University of the West of Scotland |
| 122 | +5 | Buckinghamshire New University |
| 123 | -5 | University of Wolverhampton |
| 124 | -18 | University of Suffolk |
| 125 | +3 | University of Northampton |
| 126 | +5 | University of East London |
| 127 | -3 | London Metropolitan University |
| 128 | +1 | University of Cumbria |
| 129 | +1 | University of Bedfordshire |
| 130 | -15 | Anglia Ruskin University |
| 131 | -27 | Royal Agricultural University |