This London university is one of the best in the UK, according to student reviews

What’s the best way to find out if a university is actually any good? Ask the students, of course. There may be all sorts of uni league tables and rankings (you can read about the top London institutions according to the Complete University Guide here, and we covered the QS World University rankings here), but many of them don’t take into account the on-the-ground student experience. That’s where StudentCrowd comes in.

Every year StudentCrowd compiles a list of the 20 best unis in the UK based entirely on student reviews, and the results in full for 2024 are here.

This year, only one London university made it into the country’s top 20 unis according to students. Coming in 17th place with an average score of 4.3 out of five was University College London (UCL). The university in Bloomsbury, which has famous alumni including Christopher Nolan, Charli XCX and and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, was rated highly for its brilliant research facilities, top professors and wide selection of clubs and societies. 

‘This is really a fantastic university,’ one student review wrote. ‘I love doing my research here. My supervisor is very nice and the library is great because I could always find the material I need.’

‘The school atmosphere is quite good, all the tutors and classmates here are all hardworking and friendly,’ wrote another.

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

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

You can read more about the StudentCrowd University Awards online here. 

This London university is now officially better than Oxford and Cambridge, according to a prestigious new ranking. 

Plus: Seven of the UK’s best private schools are in London.

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