Chemistry — The Guardian UK University Guide 2026

Subject-level ranking from the The Guardian UK University Guide for Chemistry in UK universities. University of Strathclyde leads this subject in 2026.

49 UK universities ranked · See the overall The Guardian UK University Guide table →

Rank	University	Score
TEF G · #1	University of Strathclyde	100.0
TEF S · #2	University of Leicester	98.1
TEF S · #2	University of St Andrews	98.1
#4	University of Cambridge	92.7
#5	University of Sussex	90.3
#6	University of Oxford	90.1
#7	Lancaster University	86.5
#8	Heriot-Watt University	85.2
#9	University of Birmingham	81.6
#10	Durham University	80.0
#11	University of Bath	77.8
#12	University of Warwick	77.4
#13	Imperial College London	77.3
#14	University of Southampton	76.7
#15	Sheffield Hallam University	76.6
#16	University of Central Lancashire	76.2
#17	University of York	75.6
#18	University of Glasgow	75.3
#19	University of Sheffield	74.9
#20	Loughborough University	74.1
#21	The University of Edinburgh	73.0
#22	University of Liverpool	72.8
#23	Nottingham Trent University	72.1
#24	King's College London, University of London	71.8
#24	University of Leeds	71.8
#26	University of Bristol	71.7
#27	Swansea University	71.3
#28	Aston University, Birmingham	71.2
#29	University of Plymouth	71.0
#30	Manchester Metropolitan University	70.8
#31	University of East Anglia UEA	66.5
#32	Keele University	65.6
#32	University of Greenwich	65.6
#34	Queen's University Belfast	65.3
#35	University of Salford	64.4
#36	University of Surrey	62.9
#37	University of Nottingham	62.1
#38	University of Reading	61.9
#39	University of Kent	61.4
#40	Newcastle University	60.3
#41	University of Manchester	59.7
#42	Cardiff University	59.1
#42	Queen Mary University of London	59.1
#44	University of Lincoln	57.6
#45	University of Huddersfield	57.0
#46	UCL (University College London)	54.1
#47	Liverpool John Moores University	52.4
#48	Kingston University	36.9
#49	De Montfort University	35.9

Other subjects in the The Guardian UK University Guide

Accounting and finance 100 Aerospace engineering 32 Anatomy and physiology 26 Animal science and agriculture 20 Animation and game design 58 Anthropology and archaeology 28 Architecture 56 Biology 83 Biomedical science 68 Business and management 118 Chemical engineering 29 Children's nursing 55 Civil engineering 53 Classics and ancient history 23 Computer science and information systems 110 Construction, surveying and planning 41 Creative writing 28 Criminology 87 Dentistry 16 Drama and dance 80 Earth and marine sciences 38 Economics 71 Education 91 Electrical and electronic engineering 58 English 84 Fashion and textiles 46 Film production and photography 70 Fine art 57 Forensic science 25 General engineering 27 General nursing 76 Geography 62 Graphic design 64 Health professions 71 History 81 History of art 19 Hospitality, event management and tourism 45 Interior design 35 International relations 46 Journalism 40 Languages and linguistics 49 Law 110 Marketing and public relations 76 Mathematics 55 Mechanical engineering 69 Media and film studies 75 Medicine 36 Mental health nursing 67 Midwifery 54 Music 79 Nutrition and food science 30 Paramedic science 41 Pharmacy and pharmacology 40 Philosophy 42 Physics 44 Physiotherapy 47 Politics 60 Product design 41 Psychology 115 Social work 78 Sociology and social policy 91 Sports science 85 Theology and religious studies 15 Veterinary science 8 Zoology 29

How subject rankings work

Uses NSS teaching, NSS feedback, NSS overall satisfaction, student/staff ratio, expenditure per student, average entry tariff, value-added score, and career prospects 15 months after graduation.

Subject rankings apply the same methodology to courses within a single discipline. They tend to reorder the overall table — a top-10 overall university may rank lower in a specific subject, and vice versa.