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Drama and dance — The Guardian UK University Guide 2026

Subject-level ranking from the The Guardian UK University Guide for Drama and dance in UK universities. University of Essex leads this subject in 2026.

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

RankUniversityScore
TEF G · #1University of Essex 100.0
TEF S · #2Guildhall School of Music & Drama 95.8
TEF B · #3University of Central Lancashire 92.7
#4Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama 90.1
#5University of Birmingham 89.3
#6Edinburgh Napier University 86.0
#7Birmingham City University 84.5
#7LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) 84.5
#9Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 83.7
#10University of Lincoln 83.0
#11University of Kent 82.1
#12University of Surrey 81.1
#13University of East London 80.4
#14University of Warwick 79.4
#15University of Greenwich 78.1
#16Bath Spa University 74.9
#17University of Derby 74.2
#18Coventry University 74.1
#18University of Sunderland 74.1
#20London South Bank University 73.7
#21Rose Bruford College 72.9
#22University of Wales Trinity Saint David 72.7
#23Southampton, Solent University 72.6
#24Liverpool Hope University 71.7
#25Buckinghamshire New University 70.6
#25Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London 70.6
#27Liverpool John Moores University 70.5
#28University of Chichester 69.9
#29Trinity Laban 69.5
#30Leeds Conservatoire 69.4
#31University of South Wales 69.3
#32University of Bedfordshire 68.4
#33University of Exeter 67.7
#34Norwich University of the Arts 67.1
#35University of Worcester 66.6
#36University of Manchester 66.0
#37University of Gloucestershire 65.9
#38University of Plymouth 65.4
#39Leeds Beckett University 65.1
#40Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh 65.0
#41Edge Hill University 64.6
#42De Montfort University 64.4
#43York St John University 64.2
#44University of Salford 63.0
#45Middlesex University 62.9
#46University of Leeds 62.8
#47Bristol, UWE 61.0
#48Manchester Metropolitan University 60.5
#49University of East Anglia UEA 60.4
#50University of Roehampton 59.9
#51St Mary's University, Twickenham 59.7
#52University of Hull 58.3
#53Falmouth University 58.1
#54University of Portsmouth 58.0
#55Royal Holloway, University of London 57.5
#56University of Chester 57.0
#57Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts 56.4
#58University of Huddersfield 56.3
#59Arts University Bournemouth 56.1
#60Nottingham Trent University 55.6
#61Kingston University 55.4
#62Brunel University of London 55.2
#63Anglia Ruskin University 54.2
#64University of Northampton 53.9
#65Queen Mary University of London 53.6
#66University of Bristol 53.5
#67University of Glasgow 52.5
#68Goldsmiths, University of London 51.6
#69University of West London 51.1
#70Canterbury Christ Church University 51.0
#71University of York 50.0
#72University for the Creative Arts 49.9
#73Queen's University Belfast 49.7
#74University of Staffordshire 49.2
#75University of Sussex 48.2
#76University of Winchester 48.1
#77University of Reading 46.8
#78University of the West of Scotland 44.8
#79University of the Arts London 39.5
#80Aberystwyth University 33.0

Other subjects in the The Guardian UK University Guide

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