Notable UK university alumni
13,528 people who studied at a UK university and have Wikipedia coverage. Ranked by international notability (number of language Wikipedias they appear in). Sourced from Wikidata.
Hassan Diab
head of government · b. 1959
Lebanese engineer, academic and minister of higher education
Leeds Beckett University · University of Bath · University of Surrey
Helen Sharman
Research Cosmonaut · b. 1963
British chemist who became the first Briton in space
ARU London · Birkbeck, University of London · University of Sheffield
Ian McDiarmid
television actor · b. 1944
Scottish actor and stage director
University of St Andrews
Ian Rankin
crime fiction writer · b. 1960
Scottish writer
The University of Edinburgh
Joan Robinson
university teacher · 1903–1983
English economist (1903–1983)
University of Cambridge
John Michael Jumper
computational biologist · b. 1985
American chemist and AI expert
University of Cambridge
Kalki Koechlin
film actor · b. 1984
French actress and writer
Goldsmiths, University of London
Katie Leung
film actor · b. 1987
Scottish actress
University of the Arts London
Ken Russell
director · 1927–2011
British film director (1927–2011)
University of East London
Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
aristocrat · b. 2003
noblewoman; daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
University of St Andrews
Leïla Slimani
novelist · b. 1981
French-Moroccan writer and journalist
ESCP Business School
Leopold Stokowski
organist · 1882–1977
British-born American conductor (1882–1977)
Royal College of Music
Luciano Floridi
information ethicist · b. 1964
Italian philosopher
University of Warwick
Masih Alinejad
blogger · b. 1976
Iranian-born journalist
Oxford Brookes University
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
politician · b. 1958
Mongolian politician, Leader of Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
University of Leeds
Niall Ferguson
economic historian · b. 1964
British historian
University of Oxford
Ralf Dahrendorf
philosopher · 1929–2009
German-British sociologist, politician (1929–2009)
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London
Robin Cook
politician · 1946–2005
British Labour Party politician (1946-2005)
The University of Edinburgh
Roger Glover
songwriter · b. 1945
Welsh bassist, keyboardist, songwriter and record producer
Middlesex University
Sajid Javid
banker · b. 1969
British politician (born 1969)
University of Exeter
Sam Allardyce
sports commentator · b. 1954
English association football player and manager
University of Greater Manchester
Samuil Marshak
linguist · 1887–1964
Russian and Soviet poet, playwright, translator, literary critic, screenwriter, author of popular children's books (1887–1964)
ARU London
Sarah Waters
novelist · b. 1966
Welsh novelist (1966-)
Lancaster University · Queen Mary University of London · University of Kent
Stuart Hall
art theorist · 1932–2014
Jamaican-born British sociologist and cultural theorist
University of Oxford
Tang Wei
model · b. 1979
Chinese actress (born 1979)
University of Reading
Thomas Harriot
linguist · 1560–1621
British scientist (*~1560 – †1621)
University of Oxford
Thomas Reid
philosopher · 1710–1796
Scottish philosopher (1710–1796)
University of Aberdeen
Anita Brookner
novelist · 1928–2016
English novelist and art historian (1928–2016)
King's College London, University of London
Anthony Kennedy
university teacher · b. 1936
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1988 to 2018
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London
Arthur Cecil Pigou
university teacher · 1877–1959
British economist (1877-1959)
University of Cambridge
Ash Carter
university teacher · 1954–2022
25th United States Secretary of Defense
The University of Edinburgh
Christine McVie
keyboardist · 1943–2022
British musician (1943–2022)
University of Birmingham · University of Greenwich
Dawda Kairaba Jawara
head of government · 1924–2019
1st President of the Gambia (1924-2019)
University of Glasgow · University of Liverpool
George Chapman
linguist · 1559–1634
16th/17th-century English dramatist, poet, and translator
University of Oxford
Graham Norton
film actor · b. 1963
Irish comedian, actor and television host
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
Henry Briggs
university teacher · 1561–1630
British mathematician
University of Cambridge
Htin Kyaw
economist · b. 1946
Burmese politician and scholar serving as the 9th President of Myanmar
ARU London
Hugh Bonneville
film actor · b. 1963
British actor (born 1963)
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
James A. Robinson
university teacher · b. 1960
British political scientist and economist (born 1960)
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London · University of Warwick
Jennifer Saunders
autobiographer · b. 1958
English comedian, screenwriter, actress and teacher
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
Jihadi John
programmer · 1988–2015
British terrorist and murderer
University of Westminster, London
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Africanist · 1784–1817
Swiss traveller and writer (1784-1817)
University of Cambridge
Justin Welby
Anglican theologian · b. 1956
Archbishop of Canterbury from 2013 to 2025
Durham University · University of Cambridge
Klaus Fuchs
theoretical physicist · 1911–1988
German-born British theoretical physicist and atomic spy (1911-1988)
University of Bristol
Kygo
recording artist · b. 1991
Norwegian DJ and music producer
Heriot-Watt University
Lee Child
film actor · b. 1954
British thriller writer (born 1954)
University of Sheffield
Martin Rees
cosmologist · b. 1942
British cosmologist and astrophysicist (1942-)
University of Cambridge
Matthew Goode
film actor · b. 1978
English actor (born 1978)
University of Birmingham
Michelle Dockery
jazz musician · b. 1981
British actress
Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Muhammad V of Kelantan
politician · b. 1969
15th and former Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia & 29th and current Al-Sultan of Kelantan
Regent's University London
Mulk Raj Anand
translator · 1905–2004
Indian English writer (1905–2004)
University of Cambridge
Robert Recorde
philosopher · 1510–1558
Welsh mathematician and inventor of the symbol '='
University of Cambridge · University of Oxford
Seymour Papert
artificial intelligence researcher · 1928–2016
MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator (1928–2016)
University of Cambridge
Stacy Keach
film actor · b. 1941
American actor
LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)
Stephen Rea
film actor · b. 1946
Irish actor
Queen's University Belfast
Sylvia Pankhurst
oil painter · 1882–1960
English feminist and socialist (1882–1960)
Manchester Metropolitan University
Talulah Riley
film actor · b. 1985
British actress
Open University
Tony Goldwyn
film actor · b. 1960
American actor and director
LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)
Vikram Sarabhai
physicist · 1919–1971
father of Indian space programme (1919–1971)
University of Cambridge
Virginia Wade
tennis player · b. 1945
British tennis player
University of Sussex