Top universities for life sciences in the UK 2025
| UK life sciences rank 2025 | Global life sciences rank 2025 | University | Overall | Research Quality | Industry | International Outlook | Research Environment | Teaching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | University of Cambridge | 98.2 | 98.9 | 91.8 | 96.9 | 99.9 | 96.8 |
| 2 | 4 | University of Oxford | 96.9 | 95.8 | 97.7 | 96.8 | 100 | 95.3 |
| 3 | =12 | Imperial College London | 91.3 | 95.4 | 67.4 | 97.8 | 94.4 | 84.5 |
| 4 | 20 | UCL | 88.6 | 95.4 | 68.3 | 97.3 | 86.6 | 82.3 |
| 5 | 29 | University of Edinburgh | 83.8 | 88.8 | 73.6 | 94.6 | 80.2 | 79.1 |
| 6 | 32 | King’s College London | 81.9 | 96.6 | 69.4 | 97 | 74.6 | 67.3 |
| 7 | 53 | University of Manchester | 72.1 | 92.8 | 77 | 90.2 | 56.4 | 54.7 |
| 8 | 77 | University of Glasgow | 65.7 | 88.8 | 67.4 | 94.3 | 44.5 | 48.1 |
| 9 | =81 | University of Bristol | 65.4 | 88 | 66.8 | 84.3 | 47.3 | 48.1 |
| 10 | 98 | University of Leeds | 62.5 | 88.5 | 70.7 | 94.1 | 40.9 | 39.5 |
| 11 | 99 | University of Sheffield | 62.3 | 89.2 | 73.4 | 90.2 | 39.5 | 39.9 |
| =12 | 101–125 | Newcastle University | 59.5–62.0 | 89.7 | 79.9 | 82.6 | 36.3 | 40.3 |
| =12 | 101–125 | Queen Mary University of London | 59.5–62.0 | 94.2 | 66.1 | 98.2 | 32.1 | 31.5 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of Aberdeen | 59.5–62.0 | 83.7 | 97.7 | 97.3 | 37.7 | 34.2 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of Birmingham | 59.5–62.0 | 90.7 | 67.6 | 92.4 | 38.1 | 38.5 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of Dundee | 59.5–62.0 | 86.7 | 99.9 | 91.8 | 36.7 | 32.9 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of East Anglia | 59.5–62.0 | 92.5 | 65.4 | 92.4 | 37 | 31.1 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of Exeter | 59.5–62.0 | 92 | 64 | 84 | 41.9 | 31.4 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of Nottingham | 59.5–62.0 | 80.7 | 71.4 | 89 | 38 | 43 |
| =12 | 101–125 | University of St Andrews | 59.5–62.0 | 80.5 | 81.3 | 96.8 | 38 | 39.4 |
| =21 | 126–150 | Queen’s University Belfast | 57.1–59.2 | 88.5 | 69.9 | 98.1 | 30.6 | 28.9 |
| =21 | 126–150 | University of Southampton | 57.1–59.2 | 94 | 69.7 | 91.6 | 30.3 | 31.2 |
| =23 | 151–175 | Cardiff University | 54.3–56.9 | 90.3 | 71.1 | 90.5 | 26.5 | 26.4 |
| =23 | 151–175 | University of Leicester | 54.3–56.9 | 88.7 | 71.2 | 94.1 | 21.5 | 28.1 |
| =23 | 151–175 | University of Liverpool | 54.3–56.9 | 82.6 | 64.4 | 88.3 | 30.8 | 31.1 |
| =23 | 151–175 | University of Reading | 54.3–56.9 | 77.6 | 69.1 | 94.5 | 31.8 | 41.6 |
| =23 | 151–175 | University of York | 54.3–56.9 | 84 | 80.3 | 87 | 33.1 | 31.1 |
| 28 | 176–200 | University of Warwick | 52.3–54.2 | 76.7 | 66.5 | 94.7 | 29.1 | 33.2 |
| =29 | 201–250 | Durham University | 49.5–52.2 | 75.7 | 61.2 | 87.8 | 20.9 | 32.1 |
| =29 | 201–250 | Lancaster University | 49.5–52.2 | 85.7 | 50.8 | 83.5 | 24.7 | 24.1 |
| =31 | 251–300 | Royal Veterinary College | 46.6–49.4 | 65.7 | 54.3 | 89.6 | 25.9 | 30.6 |
| =31 | 251–300 | University of Bath | 46.6–49.4 | 74.4 | 67.2 | 83.6 | 19.8 | 23.2 |
| =31 | 251–300 | University of Kent | 46.6–49.4 | 77.7 | 56.4 | 93.7 | 18.1 | 26.8 |
| =31 | 251–300 | University of Stirling | 46.6–49.4 | 83.3 | 37.9 | 92.5 | 18.1 | 20.9 |
| =35 | 301–400 | Bangor University | 42.0–46.5 | 80.7 | 50.5 | 81.8 | 19.3 | 18.3 |
| =35 | 301–400 | Loughborough University | 42.0–46.5 | 73.8 | 44 | 80.2 | 20.7 | 27.2 |
| =35 | 301–400 | University of Essex | 42.0–46.5 | 76 | 46.3 | 94.6 | 14.9 | 17.2 |
| =35 | 301–400 | University of Greenwich | 42.0–46.5 | 76.5 | 37.4 | 99 | 13.3 | 15.8 |
| 301–400 | University of Plymouth | 42.0–46.5 | 80.9 | 45.6 | 78.2 | 17.5 | 17.9 | |
| =35 | 301–400 | University of Sussex | 42.0–46.5 | 67.2 | 64 | 94 | 24.4 | 25.3 |
| =40 | 401–500 | Aberystwyth University | 37.8–41.8 | 65.6 | 61.5 | 78.5 | 16 | 18 |
| =40 | 401–500 | Brunel University of London | 37.8–41.8 | 66.4 | 40.7 | 97.3 | 12.7 | 15.9 |
| =40 | 401–500 | Heriot-Watt University | 37.8–41.8 | 57.3 | 44 | 91.5 | 15.6 | 20.1 |
| =40 | 401–500 | Liverpool John Moores University | 37.8–41.8 | 72.2 | 32.8 | 82.5 | 14 | 18.2 |
| =40 | 401–500 | Northumbria University | 37.8–41.8 | 71 | 26.3 | 87.3 | 11.6 | 16.5 |
| =40 | 401–500 | Nottingham Trent University | 37.8–41.8 | 71.6 | 27.5 | 82 | 8.6 | 14.6 |
| =40 | 401–500 | SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) | 37.8–41.8 | 72.7 | 25.5 | 63.5 | 11.7 | 18.4 |
| =40 | 401–500 | University of Hull | 37.8–41.8 | 67.5 | 48.2 | 76.5 | 12.6 | 16.4 |
| =40 | 401–500 | University of Portsmouth | 37.8–41.8 | 64.9 | 47 | 89.4 | 10 | 16.7 |
| =40 | 401–500 | University of Salford | 37.8–41.8 | 68.8 | 35.5 | 83.1 | 10.8 | 15.1 |
| =40 | 401–500 | University of Surrey | 37.8–41.8 | 66 | 53.9 | 87.3 | 15.2 | 19.3 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) | 34.7–37.7 | 65.3 | 19.7 | 86.2 | 6.9 | 17.2 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Aston University | 34.7–37.7 | 50.2 | 68.6 | 88.7 | 11.8 | 19.1 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Coventry University | 34.7–37.7 | 57.1 | 22.3 | 89.7 | 10 | 16.2 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Keele University | 34.7–37.7 | 61.5 | 44.8 | 87.2 | 11.7 | 16.9 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Leeds Beckett University | 34.7–37.7 | 67.8 | 20.3 | 72.5 | 7.9 | 12.9 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Manchester Metropolitan University | 34.7–37.7 | 60.6 | 32.3 | 83.3 | 10.9 | 19.1 |
| =51 | 501–600 | Ulster University | 34.7–37.7 | 63.9 | 47 | 80.4 | 11.4 | 15.2 |
| =51 | 501–600 | University of Brighton | 34.7–37.7 | 60.3 | 39.6 | 90.1 | 12 | 13.1 |
| =51 | 501–600 | University of Lincoln | 34.7–37.7 | 68.2 | 24 | 79 | 9.5 | 16.1 |
| =60 | 601–800 | Bournemouth University | 27.6–34.6 | 62.1 | 21.8 | 76.1 | 10.4 | 11 |
| =60 | 601–800 | Oxford Brookes University | 27.6–34.6 | 52.6 | 30.1 | 87.9 | 10.4 | 20.2 |
| =60 | 601–800 | University of Lancashire | 27.6–34.6 | 42.8 | 26.7 | 76.9 | 7.6 | 18.7 |
| =60 | 601–800 | UWE Bristol (University of the West of England) | 27.6–34.6 | 55.5 | 27.5 | 64.5 | 8.7 | 15.9 |
| 64 | 801–1000 | Sheffield Hallam University | 20.8–27.5 | 40 | 24.5 | 66.7 | 7.5 | 12.5 |
Key insights into the top universities for life sciences in the UK 2025
- The University of Cambridge takes the first place position for biology and biochemistry degrees in the UK
- Some 64 UK universities are included in the ranking
- The University of Oxford achieves a perfect score for its research environment
- The ranking for life sciences rank universites that teach courses in biology, veterinary medicine, biochemistry, agriculture and forestry and sport science.
Choosing the right university for life sciences in the UK
Choosing the best school for biology, agriculture or sports science is a crucial step for prospective students. The Times Higher Education Life Science Rankings help identify universities with strong reputations in teaching, research, and industry collaboration.
The table for the best universities for life sciences in the UK was derived from data collected for the THE World University Subject Rankings. The results are calculated using 18 performance indicators underlying five metrics: research environment, teaching (the learning environment), research quality, industry and international outlook. 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.
To explore more top universities for life sciences, you may want to check out the top universities for life sciences in Canada, top universities for life sciences in the US, and the top universities for life sciences in Australia.
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