The UK’s 20 best universities, according to student reviews

Sure, league tables of results, lists of impressive alumni and campus facilities are important things to know about the university you might be opting for, but what’s it actually like day to day? For that, it’s best to ask the students themselves. 

And this year’s StudentCrowd University Awards have done just that. The platform has compiled a list of the 20 best unis in the UK based entirely on student reviews, and the results for 2024 are in. 

Claiming the top spot, with an impressive 4.49 out of five stars (based on 808 reviews), it’s Ulster University. The main campus is in Belfast’s lovely Cathedral Quarter, but actually incorporates sites in Coleraine, Derry and Jordanstown, too. 

About the university, one StudentCrowd review reads: ‘It is a well pacted University where majority of the courses are together and not too far apart from each other. It creates unity amongst other courses and not just your own.’

The University of Sheffield came in second place, also with 4.49 out of five, and the University of Birmingham came third, with 4.44. 

Scottish Universities did pretty well, with St Andrews, Glasgow, Strathclyde and Aberdeen all making the top 20, too. About St Andrews, which came in fourth place, one student wrote: ‘There are so many amazing resources, range of classes and a very good sense of community. While the town is small, everyone is so lovely and always happy to help.’

You can read more about UCL – the only London university to make the top 20 – on Time Out London here.

These are the 20 best universities in the UK, according to student reviews

1. Ulster University
2. University of Sheffield
3. University of Birmingham
4. University of St Andrews
5. Queen’s University Belfast
6. University of Leeds
7. University of Southampton
8. University of Glasgow
9. University of Warwick
10. University of Strathclyde
11. University of Aberdeen
12. University of Exeter
13. University of Nottingham
14. Leeds Beckett University
15. University of Bristol
16. Durham University
17. University College London
18. University of Liverpool
19. Newcastle University
20. Loughborough University

To read more about the StudentCrowd University Awards, you can do so right here. 

More on higher education at Time Out

We at Time Out know prestige isn’t everything, that’s why we bring you coverage of all kinds of university rankings, from league tables by  Times Higher Education, the Sunday Times and the Guardian to the best institutions for student satisfaction. One UK city was even named the best in the world for students – read more about that here. 

Did you see that 22 UK schools triumphed at the TES School Awards 2024?

Plus: What time do polls open and how to find your local polling station for the 2024 General Election. 

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