International relations — The Guardian UK University Guide 2026

Subject-level ranking from the The Guardian UK University Guide for International relations in UK universities. University of St Andrews leads this subject in 2026.

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

Rank	University	Score
TEF G · #1	University of St Andrews	100.0
TEF S · #2	London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London	87.1
TEF B · #3	Keele University	81.6
#4	King's College London, University of London	80.1
#5	University of Glasgow	75.8
#6	Loughborough University	75.3
#7	Liverpool John Moores University	70.9
#8	Durham University	69.8
#9	University of Essex	67.2
#10	UCL (University College London)	66.4
#11	Manchester Metropolitan University	66.3
#12	University of Sheffield	65.6
#13	University of Birmingham	63.9
#14	University of Warwick	63.7
#15	Aston University, Birmingham	61.6
#16	University of Bristol	61.4
#17	Lancaster University	60.2
#18	University of Lincoln	60.1
#19	University of Aberdeen	58.2
#20	University of Manchester	57.3
#21	University of Liverpool	56.5
#21	University of York	56.5
#23	University of Sussex	55.2
#24	Aberystwyth University	54.7
#25	Swansea University	54.1
#26	University of East Anglia UEA	53.8
#27	University of Kent	52.9
#28	London Metropolitan University	52.8
#28	The University of Edinburgh	52.8
#30	University of Plymouth	52.3
#31	University of Nottingham	50.6
#32	Nottingham Trent University	49.1
#33	University of Southampton	48.8
#34	University of Reading	45.9
#35	University of Portsmouth	45.3
#36	Northumbria University, Newcastle	44.8
#37	SOAS University of London	44.6
#38	University of Leeds	43.7
#39	University of Westminster, London	43.4
#40	Royal Holloway, University of London	43.2
#41	Cardiff University	41.9
#42	University of Leicester	38.6
#43	Queen's University Belfast	36.4
#44	University of Greenwich	32.0
#45	Leeds Beckett University	28.4
#45	Oxford Brookes University	28.4

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 Chemistry 49 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 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.