UniversityDB

English — The Guardian UK University Guide 2026

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

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

RankUniversityScore
TEF G · #1University of Oxford 100.0
TEF S · #2Durham University 92.3
TEF B · #3University of St Andrews 91.9
#4University of Cambridge 90.0
#5University of Warwick 84.4
#6Keele University 81.9
#7Lancaster University 81.4
#8UCL (University College London) 81.1
#9Bishop Grosseteste University 80.6
#10University of Gloucestershire 77.8
#11University of Strathclyde 76.4
#12University of Sheffield 75.1
#13University of Reading 74.8
#14University of Birmingham 74.1
#15University of Aberdeen 73.1
#15University of Exeter 73.1
#17Northumbria University, Newcastle 73.0
#18University of Nottingham 72.6
#19Coventry University 72.4
#20University of Leicester 72.2
#21University of Surrey 71.9
#22Swansea University 71.2
#23Loughborough University 71.0
#24University of Roehampton 70.6
#25King's College London, University of London 70.2
#26University of York 69.7
#27University of Manchester 67.3
#28Queen Mary University of London 66.6
#29University of Leeds 65.8
#30University of Huddersfield 65.7
#31University of Central Lancashire 65.5
#32Oxford Brookes University 65.4
#33University of Salford 64.7
#34University of Southampton 63.9
#35University of Glasgow 63.8
#36Edge Hill University 63.7
#37University of Liverpool 62.5
#38Nottingham Trent University 61.8
#39Cardiff University 61.6
#40Newcastle University 61.0
#40University of East Anglia UEA 61.0
#42Goldsmiths, University of London 60.6
#43Aston University, Birmingham 60.4
#43University of Lincoln 60.4
#45Leeds Beckett University 60.2
#46Manchester Metropolitan University 60.1
#47University of Bristol 60.0
#48University of Wolverhampton 59.9
#49Bristol, UWE 59.0
#50University of Sussex 57.8
#51University of Portsmouth 56.4
#52University of Kent 56.3
#53Bath Spa University 56.2
#54Brunel University of London 55.6
#54University of Essex 55.6
#56The University of Edinburgh 55.5
#56University of Worcester 55.5
#58Aberystwyth University 55.3
#59Ulster University 55.2
#60Liverpool John Moores University 54.6
#61Royal Holloway, University of London 54.2
#62University of Hertfordshire 54.1
#63Birmingham Newman University 53.3
#64University of Dundee 53.0
#65University of Winchester 52.3
#66Sheffield Hallam University 52.1
#67University of Chester 51.8
#68Bournemouth University 51.7
#69University of Stirling 51.4
#70University of Hull 50.9
#71University of Greenwich 49.0
#72Liverpool Hope University 48.6
#73Anglia Ruskin University 48.1
#74Bangor University 47.9
#75University of Brighton 46.8
#76Queen's University Belfast 45.4
#77Birmingham City University 45.3
#78University of Plymouth 43.7
#79Kingston University 41.6
#80University of Westminster, London 41.3
#81Edinburgh Napier University 35.1
#82City (City St George's, University of London) 34.8
#83York St John University 32.7
#84De Montfort University 31.1

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 16Drama and dance 80Earth and marine sciences 38Economics 71Education 91Electrical and electronic engineering 58Fashion 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.