Right now, students are facing a decision which will change the course of their entire lives: what to do after school. For those going to university, having a look at the most recent rankings can help determine which courses are deserving of one of their precious UCAS applications.
Various bodies create uni rankings, including newspapers the Daily Mail and the Guardian, as well as rankings like Times Higher Education and QS. Each has its own priorities when it comes to measuring success. The Times and Sunday Times guide, which was released last month, looks at eight different criteria to create its ranking. It named Durham the overall best in the country, but the picture looks very different when you focus in on teaching quality.
You might expect the quality of teachers to go up with a university’s prestige, as more experienced academics gravitate to the better known schools with higher research budgets, but it seems that’s not actually the case. In fact, none of the Times’ top five rated universities in teaching quality were red brick or Russell Group institutions.
So where are students receiving the best teaching? At the University of Suffolk, apparently. It received a score of 92.2 percent for teaching quality – higher than anywhere else in the country – based on the number of students who reported that their experience with teaching staff was positive. Suffolk also climbed an impressive 27 places in the table this year, but that still wasn’t enough to earn it ‘University of the Year for Teaching Quality 2026’ by the Times. That accolade went instead to Wales Trinity Saint David, despite it only having a 90.3 percent approval rating for teaching.
The Welsh university received the title for a combination of reasons. The Times highlighted the fact that ‘this modern, multi-campus university teaches students at six locations, each with its own specialism’, meaning that every student has access to specific resources which aid their learning. Plus, ‘small class sizes and community spirit are constants’, so everyone has access to their tutors when they need them.
Wales Trinity Saint David may have earned an award, but it was only fourth overall when it came to quality of teaching. In second was Leeds Trinity University, with 91.7 percent of students saying they were satisfied with their lectures and tutorials, and Lincoln Bishop came third, just barely behind at 91.3 percent. Both also made leaps in the overall league table this year, jumping 22 and 11 spots respectively.
The top universities in the UK for teaching quality for 2026, according to the Times
Here are the top 10 universities in the UK based on teaching quality, including their placements in the overall Times league table for 2026.
- University of Suffolk: 97
- Leeds Trinity University: 90
- Lincoln Bishop University: 74
- University of Wales Trinity Saint David: 99
- Liverpool Hope University: 90
- Canterbury Christ Church University: 81
- University of St Andrews: 2
- Buckinghamshire New University: 120
- Plymouth Marjon University: 70
- Aberystwyth University: 42
You can find the full list on the Times’ website here.
Three mighty British universities have been named in the 10 best in the world for 2026
Plus: The 10 best primary schools in England in 2025
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