Best universities for engineering degrees in the UK 2025

By seeta.bhardwa@…, 1 April, 2025

Top universities in the UK for engineering 2025

UK engineering rank 2025	Global engineering rank 2025	University	Overall	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook	Research Environment	Teaching
1	4	University of Oxford	96.1	92.9	95.7	95.1	99.8	95.7
2	6	University of Cambridge	95.6	91.1	97.4	95.1	99.6	95.5
3	12	Imperial College London	91.9	88.7	92	96.2	92.8	92.8
4	45	University of Manchester	74	83.5	73.4	95.3	67.9	65.5
5	48	UCL	73.3	86.2	68.4	96.5	65.2	64
6	=76	University of Edinburgh	65	80.4	74.2	95.4	52	52.4
=7	=96	University of Birmingham	60.7	78.4	95.7	95.5	43.2	42
=7	=96	University of Sheffield	60.7	71.7	99.2	90.5	49.5	42.7
9	100	University of Bristol	60.2	70.4	89	90.3	51.7	42.6
=10	101–125	University of Nottingham	57.6–60.1	77.9	77	93.6	46.7	42.5
=10	101–125	University of Southampton	57.6–60.1	70.9	75.9	93.8	50.4	43.7
=12	126–150	King’s College London	54.5–57.4	84.9	67.1	97.3	35.4	39.2
=12	126–150	Queen Mary University of London	54.5–57.4	95.6	71.6	98.6	29.9	30
=12	126–150	University of Leeds	54.5–57.4	73.4	70	95.1	44.1	41.3
=12	126–150	University of Surrey	54.5–57.4	89.7	84.3	97	30.2	29.5
=16	151–175	University of Liverpool	52.2–54.4	85.9	73	97.6	30.7	29.8
=16	151–175	University of Warwick	52.2–54.4	79.2	82.6	94.9	31.8	31.2
=18	176–200	Lancaster University	50.0–52.1	79.2	71.6	93.5	28.6	28.6
=18	176–200	Queen’s University Belfast	50.0–52.1	85.5	76.1	98.3	28.2	23.3
=18	176–200	University of Glasgow	50.0–52.1	73.3	68.6	96.2	34.3	32.8
=18	176–200	University of Strathclyde	50.0–52.1	66.2	80.4	90.6	33.4	32.6
=22	201–250	Brunel University of London	46.7–49.9	84.6	54.3	97.2	20.5	21
=22	201–250	Cardiff University	46.7–49.9	77.1	70.3	94.1	29.2	24.6
=22	201–250	Durham University	46.7–49.9	75.9	68.4	93.5	25	26.2
=22	201–250	Heriot-Watt University	46.7–49.9	61.2	89	94.1	31.9	29.3
=22	201–250	Loughborough University	46.7–49.9	70.5	70	83.6	24.3	31.3
=22	201–250	Newcastle University	46.7–49.9	69.6	85.2	91.8	31.8	27.9
=22	201–250	University of Bath	46.7–49.9	71.6	69.4	89.9	30	26.1
=22	201–250	University of Exeter	46.7–49.9	82.9	60.9	96.8	25.6	26.1
=22	201–250	University of Sussex	46.7–49.9	88.7	61.8	97.6	20	22.3
=31	251–300	Northumbria University	44.7–46.6	94.4	44.7	98.4	19	14.9
=31	251–300	University of Leicester	44.7–46.6	82.9	62.7	98.3	21.3	18.2
=31	251–300	University of York	44.7–46.6	69	65.7	94.1	23.8	25.3
=35	301–400	Aston University	41.3–44.6	80.2	59.1	93.3	20.5	15.9
=35	301–400	City, University of London	41.3–44.6	70.1	60	96	22	21
=35	301–400	Edinburgh Napier University	41.3–44.6	85.1	30.5	97.2	15.1	13.5
=35	301–400	Manchester Metropolitan University	41.3–44.6	86.3	45.6	95.5	16	15.6
=35	301–400	Swansea University	41.3–44.6	73	59.3	90.1	22	23.7
=35	301–400	University of Bradford	41.3–44.6	76.6	58.2	95	18.1	16.6
=35	301–400	University of Plymouth	41.3–44.6	80.9	50.4	82.1	22	13.8
=42	401–500	Bangor University	38.3–41.2	56.8	63.5	97.3	24.1	21.3
=42	401–500	De Montfort University	38.3–41.2	78.2	41.5	97.5	10.7	13.3
=42	401–500	Liverpool John Moores University	38.3–41.2	77.5	35.6	92.5	13.2	12.6
=42	401–500	Nottingham Trent University	38.3–41.2	82.9	37.3	92.7	11.5	12.7
=42	401–500	University of Huddersfield	38.3–41.2	61.9	51.9	93.5	22.5	21.7
=42	401–500	University of Hull	38.3–41.2	69.1	63.9	94.1	18.9	13.6
=42	401–500	University of Portsmouth	38.3–41.2	74.7	46.4	95.9	12.3	15.1
=42	401–500	University of Salford	38.3–41.2	74.6	47.8	89.9	11.4	14.3
=42	401–500	University of the West of Scotland	38.3–41.2	79.6	49.1	97.5	12.8	14.8
=51	501–600	Robert Gordon University	35.8–38.2	71.8	41.5	93.6	11	15
=51	501–600	University of Derby	35.8–38.2	77.7	23.3	85.6	8.5	14.8
=51	501–600	University of Dundee	35.8–38.2	55.4	55.4	94.3	15.1	18.8
=51	501–600	University of Greenwich	35.8–38.2	70.2	41.7	97.7	13.1	15.4
=51	501–600	University of the West of England	35.8–38.2	71.9	35.7	89.7	12.8	11.7
=56	601–800	Birmingham City University	30.6–35.7	75.6	18.5	94.4	8.4	12.8
=56	601–800	Coventry University	30.6–35.7	66.8	30.9	94.4	11.2	15.5
=56	601–800	Oxford Brookes University	30.6–35.7	65.8	29.4	87.1	11.3	12.9
=56	601–800	Teesside University	30.6–35.7	65.2	25.5	95.5	10.2	10.9
=56	601–800	Ulster University	30.6–35.7	53.9	47.3	82.5	11.4	18.4
=56	601–800	University of Brighton	30.6–35.7	54.3	43.7	94.3	14.8	14.2
=56	601–800	University of Hertfordshire	30.6–35.7	65.2	35.9	96.9	8.7	13.2
=56	601–800	University of South Wales	30.6–35.7	48.4	57.5	92.3	10.8	11.9
=64	801–1000	Kingston University	25.6–30.4	51.8	38.1	94.6	9.3	11.1
=64	801–1000	London South Bank University	25.6–30.4	52.3	26.2	93.3	9.8	12.3
=64	801–1000	Sheffield Hallam University	25.6–30.4	43.9	36	90.5	9.1	16.3
=64	801–1000	The Open University	25.6–30.4	50.3	29.7	65.7	7.5	14.9
68	1001–1250	Glasgow Caledonian University	19.5–25.5	33.9	29.1	81.6	8.4	12.4

Key insights into the best engineering schools in the UK

The University of Birmingham made a notable leap, climbing from 11th place in 2024 to joint seventh in 2025, driven by a standout research environment score.
The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge maintain their first and second place positions wth strong scores across all five metrics.
The top 10 features universites based in London, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Birmingham among others.
There are 68 universities featured in the ranking.

Choosing the right university for engineering in the UK

Choosing where to study engineering in the UK requires considering a range of factors including teaching and research. These rankings provide critical insights based on:

· Research environment – focuses on research reputation and productivity

· Teaching quality – the student learning experience and faculty strength.

· Research quality – influence and innovation in the engineering field.

· Industry collaboration – how institutions work with businesses and apply practical knowledge.

· International outlook – global diversity of students and faculty.

The table for the best universities for engineering in UK was derived from data collected for the THE World University Subject Rankings: Engineering. The results are calculated using 18 performance indicators underlying five metrics. For more insights and a detailed breakdown of our ranking methodology, visit our methodology page. Use the ranking table above to explore the right institution for you.

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Best universities

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General Engineering

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Discover the Times Higher Education rankings for the best engineering schools in the UK 2025.

This list of universities reveals the top-ranked 68 institutions for engineering in the UK including mechanical engineering, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, electronic engineering, and chemical engineering offering prospective students insights into the highest-ranking universities in the field.

Universities across the UK are evaluated based on teaching, research, and international outlook.

Times Higher Education’s respected rankings use a robust methodology, created by the in-house data team, relied upon by students, academics, policymakers, and industry leaders worldwide.

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United Kingdom

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Best universities for engineering degrees in the UK - 2025 rankings

Top universities in the UK for engineering 2025

Key insights into the best engineering schools in the UK

Choosing the right university for engineering in the UK

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