UniversityDB

Mechanical engineering — The Guardian UK University Guide 2026

Subject-level ranking from the The Guardian UK University Guide for Mechanical engineering in UK universities. Imperial College London leads this subject in 2026.

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

RankUniversityScore
TEF G · #1Imperial College London 100.0
TEF S · #2The University of Edinburgh 83.2
TEF B · #3University of Bath 83.0
#4University of Sheffield 81.9
#5London South Bank University 81.6
#6University of Leicester 81.5
#7UCL (University College London) 81.0
#8Heriot-Watt University 79.6
#9University of Dundee 78.8
#10University of East London 78.2
#11University of Bristol 77.7
#12Loughborough University 75.7
#13University of Leeds 75.4
#14Swansea University 75.1
#15University of Exeter 74.7
#16University of Wales Trinity Saint David 74.5
#17University of Plymouth 74.4
#18University of Sussex 74.2
#19University of Surrey 73.3
#20University of Aberdeen 73.1
#21Bristol, UWE 72.4
#21Northumbria University, Newcastle 72.4
#23Manchester Metropolitan University 72.1
#23Queen's University Belfast 72.1
#25University of Southampton 71.9
#25University of South Wales 71.9
#27Robert Gordon University 71.4
#28Lancaster University 70.9
#29Aston University, Birmingham 70.5
#30University of Liverpool 70.0
#31University of Nottingham 69.6
#32University of Birmingham 68.7
#33Bournemouth University 67.5
#34University of Strathclyde 67.3
#35Kingston University 67.0
#36University of Greenwich 66.8
#37University of Portsmouth 66.1
#38Nottingham Trent University 65.7
#39Coventry University 65.0
#40University of Manchester 64.6
#41Queen Mary University of London 64.5
#42University of Hertfordshire 63.8
#43Liverpool John Moores University 63.6
#44University of Salford 63.3
#45Teesside University 63.2
#45University of Glasgow 63.2
#47University of Bradford 63.0
#48Cardiff University 62.9
#49University of Derby 62.3
#50University of Brighton 59.2
#51Oxford Brookes University 56.9
#52Ulster University 56.0
#53University of Sunderland 55.9
#54University of Greater Manchester 55.8
#55Newcastle University 55.5
#56University of Hull 55.3
#57Edinburgh Napier University 55.1
#58De Montfort University 53.5
#59Southampton, Solent University 53.3
#60Brunel University of London 50.0
#61University of Huddersfield 49.8
#62Glasgow Caledonian University 49.0
#63University of Kent 48.7
#64Sheffield Hallam University 44.9
#65University of Staffordshire 43.1
#66University of Wolverhampton 40.6
#67Anglia Ruskin University 37.9
#68Birmingham City University 34.5
#69City (City St George's, University of London) 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 16Drama and dance 80Earth 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 55Media 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.