Best UK Universities for Teaching Quality 2026 (NSS)

This leaderboard ranks 100 UK universities by nss teaching positivity, drawn from Office for Students National Student Survey. Only universities with at least 10 qualifying courses are included.

100 UK universities ranked · minimum 10 courses per university to qualify · source: Office for Students National Student Survey

Rank	University	NSS Teaching positivity	Sample
TEF G · #1	University of Oxford Oxford	93.3%	101 courses
TEF S · #2	University of Cambridge Cambridge	93.0%	24 courses
TEF B · #3	University of the West of Scotland Paisley	91.9%	17 courses
#4	University of Chichester Chichester	91.4%	32 courses
#5	Aberystwyth University Wales	90.9%	54 courses
#6	University of Wales Trinity Saint David Carmarthen	90.8%	25 courses
#7	University of Sunderland Sunderland	90.7%	25 courses
#8	University of East London Newham	90.5%	41 courses
#9	Durham University Durham	90.3%	42 courses
#10	University of Sheffield Sheffield	90.1%	48 courses
#11	University of Strathclyde Glasgow	89.9%	124 courses
#12	Lancaster University Lancaster	89.8%	85 courses
#13	University of Warwick Coventry	89.8%	85 courses
#14	Birmingham Newman University Birmingham	89.7%	15 courses
#15	York St John University York	89.6%	45 courses
#16	Southampton, Solent University Southampton	89.5%	22 courses
#17	University of Greater Manchester Bolton	89.4%	18 courses
#18	Imperial College London Kensington and Chelsea	89.4%	40 courses
#19	London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London Westminster	89.3%	21 courses
#20	Liverpool Hope University Liverpool	89.3%	147 courses
#21	Queen's University Belfast Belfast	89.2%	66 courses
#22	University College Birmingham Birmingham	89.2%	12 courses
#23	University of West London Ealing	89.1%	27 courses
#24	University of Aberdeen Aberdeen	89.1%	106 courses
#25	University of Bedfordshire Luton	89.1%	46 courses
#26	University of Exeter Exeter	89.0%	62 courses
#27	University of Surrey Guildford	89.0%	43 courses
#28	University of Worcester Worcester	88.8%	50 courses
#29	University of Derby Derby	88.6%	57 courses
#30	University of Liverpool Liverpool	88.6%	83 courses
#31	Swansea University Swansea	88.5%	77 courses
#32	St Mary's University, Twickenham Twickenham	88.4%	14 courses
#33	University of Dundee Dundee	88.4%	73 courses
#34	Teesside University Tees Valley	88.4%	43 courses
#35	Loughborough University Loughborough	88.4%	46 courses
#36	Hartpury University Gloucester	88.2%	17 courses
#37	University of Plymouth Plymouth	88.2%	43 courses
#38	Oxford Brookes University Oxford	88.0%	53 courses
#39	Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester	88.0%	69 courses
#40	Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow	88.0%	24 courses
#41	University of Birmingham Birmingham	87.9%	78 courses
#42	University of Leicester Leicester	87.8%	39 courses
#43	Cardiff University Cardiff	87.8%	45 courses
#44	Edge Hill University Ormskirk	87.7%	26 courses
#45	University of Bristol Bristol	87.7%	88 courses
#46	University of Glasgow Glasgow	87.7%	265 courses
#47	University of Southampton Southampton	87.5%	103 courses
#48	Aston University, Birmingham Birmingham	87.5%	14 courses
#49	University of Manchester Manchester	87.5%	128 courses
#50	University of Bath Bath	87.5%	39 courses
#51	Coventry University Coventry	87.4%	53 courses
#52	University of Sussex Brighton	87.4%	59 courses
#53	Keele University Keele	87.3%	71 courses
#54	University of South Wales Pontypridd	87.2%	24 courses
#55	Ulster University Coleraine	87.2%	53 courses
#56	Royal Holloway, University of London Egham	87.2%	60 courses
#57	University of Nottingham Nottingham	87.0%	65 courses
#58	University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Inverness	87.0%	12 courses
#59	UCL (University College London) London	86.9%	105 courses
#60	SOAS University of London Camden	86.9%	75 courses
#61	King's College London, University of London Westminster	86.8%	65 courses
#62	University of East Anglia UEA Norwich	86.6%	87 courses
#63	Bangor University Bangor (Wales)	86.5%	54 courses
#64	Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe	86.5%	37 courses
#65	University of Central Lancashire Preston	86.4%	77 courses
#66	Robert Gordon University Aberdeen	86.4%	25 courses
#67	Birmingham City University Birmingham	86.3%	73 courses
#68	University of York York	86.3%	72 courses
#69	The University of Law London	86.3%	18 courses
#70	University of Essex Colchester	86.2%	162 courses
#71	Nottingham Trent University Nottingham	86.1%	63 courses
#72	Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool	86.0%	58 courses
#73	Arts University Bournemouth Poole	86.0%	15 courses
#74	Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury	86.0%	16 courses
#75	London South Bank University Southwark	85.9%	34 courses
#76	Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge	85.8%	65 courses
#77	University of Reading Reading	85.8%	92 courses
#78	The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh	85.8%	179 courses
#79	De Montfort University Leicester	85.7%	37 courses
#80	Bath Spa University Bath	85.6%	65 courses
#81	University of Hertfordshire Hatfield	85.6%	35 courses
#82	University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham	85.4%	25 courses
#83	University of Stirling Stirling	85.4%	82 courses
#84	Queen Mary University of London London	85.1%	52 courses
#85	University of Leeds Leeds	85.1%	96 courses
#86	University of Lincoln Lincoln	85.0%	48 courses
#87	Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh	85.0%	26 courses
#88	University of Greenwich Greenwich	85.0%	46 courses
#89	University of Hull Hull	84.9%	34 courses
#90	University of Staffordshire Stoke on Trent	84.8%	20 courses
#91	University of Northampton Northampton	84.7%	39 courses
#92	Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne	84.7%	29 courses
#93	Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne	84.7%	56 courses
#94	University of Salford Salford	84.6%	60 courses
#95	Kingston University Kingston upon Thames	84.5%	35 courses
#96	University for the Creative Arts Farnham	84.3%	35 courses
#97	University of Roehampton Wandsworth	84.3%	18 courses
#98	Leeds Beckett University Leeds	84.2%	44 courses
#99	Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff	83.8%	31 courses
#100	University of Westminster, London London	83.8%	65 courses

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