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.
Skin
songwriter · b. 1967
British singer
Teesside University
Stella Rimington
autobiographer · 1935–2025
British director of MI5 (1935–2025)
The University of Edinburgh · University of Liverpool
Stuart J. Russell
artificial intelligence researcher · b. 1962
British computer scientist (1962-)
University of Oxford
Sunetra Gupta
epidemiologist · b. 1965
Indian novelist and epidemiologist
ARU London · Imperial College London
Tom Payne
film actor · b. 1982
English actor; (born 1982)
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
Tommy Flowers
technician · 1905–1998
British engineer, helped to design Colossus during World War II (1905–1998)
ARU London
Tommy Hampson
middle-distance runner · 1907–1965
British athlete (1907-1965)
University of Oxford
Tony Robinson
film actor · b. 1946
British actor
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
William Edward Ayrton
electrical engineer · 1847–1908
English physicist and electrical engineer (1847-1908)
University of Glasgow
William Robertson Smith
biblical scholar · 1846–1894
Scottish orientalist and minister of the Free Church of Scotland (1846–1894)
The University of Edinburgh · University of Aberdeen
A. C. Grayling
philosopher · b. 1949
English philosopher
ARU London · University of Oxford · University of Sussex
Adania Shibli
visiting docent · b. 1974
Palestinian writer
University of East London
Alexander Gordon Laing
explorer · 1793–1826
Scottish explorer
The University of Edinburgh
Alexander Mackendrick
director · 1912–1993
American-born Scottish film director and screenwriter (1912-1993)
Glasgow School of Art
Alfonso López Pumarejo
Palace janitor · 1886–1959
Colombian politician (1886-1959)
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London
Ameera al-Taweel
activist · b. 1987
Saudi Arabian philanthropist
King's College London, University of London
Andrew Bertie
language teacher · 1929–2008
Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller and Servant of God (1929–2008)
SOAS University of London
Anita Anand
law professor · b. 1967
Canadian politician and professor (born 1967)
University of Oxford
Anita Asante
association football player · b. 1985
English footballer (born 1985)
Brunel University of London
Ariel Ze'evi
judoka · b. 1977
Israeli judoka
University of Manchester
Azlan Shah I of Perak
lawyer · 1928–2014
Sultan of Perak (1928-2014)
University of Nottingham
Basdeo Panday
trade unionist · 1933–2024
Prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001
ARU London
Bibiana Aído
United Nations official · b. 1977
Spanish politician
Northumbria University, Newcastle
Brian Ferneyhough
pedagogue · b. 1943
British composer (born 1943)
Royal Academy of Music, University of London
Carole Pateman
women's rights activist · b. 1940
British feminist, academic political theorist
University of Oxford
Charles Piazzi Smyth
anthropologist · 1817–1900
British astronomer (1817-1900)
The University of Edinburgh
Charlotte Auerbach
geneticist · 1899–1994
Geneticist, author (1899–1994)
The University of Edinburgh
Chris Birchall
association football player · b. 1984
Trinidad and Tobago footballer
University of Staffordshire
Connie Booth
television actor · b. 1940
American writer and actress (born 1940)
Open University
Craig Brown
autobiographer · 1940–2023
Scottish footballer and manager (1940–2023)
Open University · University of Strathclyde
David Kato
LGBTQ rights activist · 1964–2011
Ugandan LGBT activist (1964–2011)
University of York
David Marshall
diplomat · 1908–1995
Singaporean politician (1908-1995)
ARU London
David Nicholls
novelist · b. 1966
British writer
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London · University of Bristol
David Szalay
novelist · b. 1974
Canadian-born Hungarian-British writer (born 1974)
University of Oxford
Douglas Alexander
politician · b. 1967
British politician (born 1967)
The University of Edinburgh
Dusa McDuff
university teacher · b. 1945
English American mathematician
The University of Edinburgh
Edmund Leach
anthropologist · 1910–1989
British social anthropologist (1910–1989)
London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London
Edward Forbes
malacologist · 1815–1854
Manx naturalist (1815–1854)
The University of Edinburgh
Elisa Ferreira
economist · b. 1955
Portuguese politician
University of Reading
Emma Hayes
association football coach · b. 1976
English football manager (born 1976)
Liverpool Hope University · University of Liverpool
Emma Twigg
rower · b. 1987
New Zealand rower (born 1987)
De Montfort University
George E. P. Box
university teacher · 1919–2013
British statistician (1919-2013)
ARU London
Georgia Taylor-Brown
triathlete · b. 1994
British triathlete
Leeds Beckett University
Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
biologist · b. 1970
Ugandan scientist
King's College London, University of London
Hayat Sindi
researcher · b. 1967
Saudi medical researcher and inventor
King's College London, University of London
Hugh Blair
philosopher · 1718–1800
British philosopher
The University of Edinburgh · University of St Andrews
Irene Worth
film actor · 1916–2002
American actress (1916–2002)
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London
Isabella Menin
model · b. 1996
Brazilian model and beauty pageant titleholder
University of Westminster, London
Ivy Compton-Burnett
novelist · 1884–1969
English writer (1884–1969)
Royal Holloway, University of London
Jade Thirlwall
pop singer · b. 1992
British singer
Newcastle University
James Herbert
science fiction writer · 1943–2013
English horror writer (1943-2013)
Middlesex University
James Ivory
university teacher · 1765–1842
Scottish mathematician
The University of Edinburgh · University of St Andrews
James Steuart
economist · 1712–1780
Scottish economist
The University of Edinburgh
Jem
recording artist · b. 1975
Welsh singer, songwriter, and record producer
University of Sussex
Jenny Saville
painter · b. 1970
British painter (born 1970)
Glasgow School of Art
Jill Scott
association football player · b. 1987
English association football player
Loughborough University
John Crawfurd
linguist · 1783–1868
British historian
The University of Edinburgh
John Gribbin
science fiction writer · b. 1946
British science writer
University of Sussex
John Leckie
engineer · b. 1949
British record producer
Ravensbourne University London
John Murray
botanist · 1841–1914
Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist (1841-1914)
The University of Edinburgh