UniversityDB

Politics — The Guardian UK University Guide 2026

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

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

RankUniversityScore
TEF G · #1University of Oxford 100.0
TEF S · #2University of Cambridge 91.8
TEF B · #3London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London 84.0
#4Durham University 77.7
#5King's College London, University of London 77.3
#6Keele University 71.8
#7University of Lincoln 69.3
#8University of Sheffield 68.9
#9Loughborough University 67.9
#10UCL (University College London) 67.8
#11University of Warwick 67.6
#12University of Essex 66.6
#13Sheffield Hallam University 64.8
#14University of Bath 64.7
#15University of York 64.3
#16University of Strathclyde 63.2
#17Aston University, Birmingham 61.9
#18University of Bristol 60.6
#19University of Exeter 60.5
#20University of Glasgow 59.7
#21University of Birmingham 56.5
#22SOAS University of London 56.1
#23Bristol, UWE 54.9
#23University of Surrey 54.9
#25Leeds Beckett University 54.6
#26Swansea University 54.3
#27University of Aberdeen 54.2
#28University of Stirling 53.9
#29Newcastle University 53.5
#30Manchester Metropolitan University 53.4
#31University of Salford 53.2
#32Lancaster University 53.1
#33University of Manchester 53.0
#34University of Sussex 52.6
#35University of Leeds 51.1
#35University of Nottingham 51.1
#37The University of Edinburgh 50.0
#38University of East Anglia UEA 49.4
#39Queen Mary University of London 49.0
#40University of Portsmouth 48.8
#41University of Reading 48.6
#42University of Southampton 48.5
#43University of Hull 48.4
#44University of Kent 48.1
#45University of Liverpool 47.8
#46Nottingham Trent University 47.7
#47Royal Holloway, University of London 45.1
#48Goldsmiths, University of London 44.7
#49Brunel University of London 42.0
#50University of Leicester 41.9
#51Cardiff University 40.8
#52Ulster University 40.6
#53Queen's University Belfast 39.4
#54University of Westminster, London 38.4
#54York St John University 38.4
#56Oxford Brookes University 35.5
#57University of Dundee 34.5
#58City (City St George's, University of London) 33.6
#59University of Greenwich 32.4
#60Bournemouth University 27.8

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 55Mechanical engineering 69Media and film studies 75Medicine 36Mental health nursing 67Midwifery 54Music 79Nutrition and food science 30Paramedic science 41Pharmacy and pharmacology 40Philosophy 42Physics 44Physiotherapy 47Product 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.