Russell Group Unis Ranked

The Russell Group contains many of the most prestigious and high-quality universities in the UK. Many students know that they want to apply to Russell Group institutions but aren’t sure which is the best.

In this guide, we’ll rank the Russell Group unis according to their performance in four major league tables. We’ll uncover the best Russell Group universities overall, and take a deeper look at the top Russell Groups in a few major subjects. This will help us explore how a more detailed analysis can help students find the best universities for their particular interests and ambitions.

If you’re thinking of applying to the Russell Group, you might be interested in our guide on the hardest and easiest Russell Groups to get into.

What is the Russell Group?

Before we rank the Russell Group unis, we should first explain what they are! The Russell Group is an association of 24 research-intensive universities in the UK. It include some big names – Oxford and Cambridge, for instance, as well as the other three G5 universities (Imperial, LSE, and UCL).

They are often regarded as among the best universities in the country (with several of its institutions among the best in the world), and there is data to back this up:

• The Russell Group is responsible for 65% of all world-leading research conducted in the UK
• Their graduates make up 17% of all graduates in the UK, but hold 61% of jobs requiring a university degree
• The Russell Group wins more than £1 billion a year in research grants and contracts (70% of the total won by all UK universities)

A glance at university rankings will also reveal that Russell Group institutions are usually among the top spots in the UK.

Despite being a byword for excellence, especially in the popular imagination, it is important to note that the Russell Group is a self-selecting association – it’s not the case that a university has to reach an objective measure of quality and then it gets admitted into the Group. And though all its members are good universities, there are plenty of excellent institutions that aren’t part of it – for instance, St Andrews and Bath are often ranked in the top 10 in the UK but are not Russell Group members. Our guide to the best non-Russell Group universities goes into more detail.

How do University Rankings Work

In this guide, we’ll take a look at the Russell Group rankings according to various publications. These include the Complete University Guide (CUG) and Guardian, which rank UK universities, and the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education rankings, which are global league tables.

But how do these publications arrive at their rankings? They usually compile a wide range of data to arrive at a final, overall ranking:

• % of students who say they enjoyed their course
• Rating of the teaching, as given by students
• Student to staff ratio
• Financial budget per student
• Students’ career outcomes after graduation
• Average A Level or equivalent grades of new students
• % of students who start their degree who complete it

A couple of caveats on these rankings:

1. Each publication tracks a slightly different metric and has a different way of gathering its data. This means that there are variations – sometimes significant ones – between the ranking a university achieves in one publication vs another.
2. By nature, the rankings are designed to judge the university for the ‘average’ student. They can’t take into account subjective preference, and a university which is right for one student won’t be right for another – so we’d never recommend selecting a university purely based on its ranking. The CUG and Guardian league tables also break down their rankings by subject (which is generally much more useful to look at as a prospective student), but QS doesn’t.

That said, provided we take them all with a pinch of salt, the rankings can be a good guide to the overall quality of the university – especially when we take into account performance across multiple league tables.

Russell Group University Rankings

Now it’s time to get to business: the Russell Group unis ranked!

In the table below, we’ve compared each university’s performance in the four major league tables. Our ‘overall rank’ represents its average ranking across all four publications.

Note that the rankings refer to the university’s performance compared to other Russell Group universities, not to its ranking in the UK as a whole. E.g. Warwick is the 6^th highest ranking Russell Group in the CUG table but is ranked 9^th overall in the UK (St Andrews, Loughborough, and Bath are the non-Russell Groups that rank higher).

University	CUG	Guardian	QS	Times	Overall Rank
Oxford	2	1	2	1	1
Cambridge	1	2	3	2	2
Imperial	5	5	1	3	3
LSE	3	3	9	7	4
UCL	9	7	4	4	5
Edinburgh	14	8	6	5	6
Warwick	6	6	10	14	7
Bristol	11	9	8	9	8
KCL	15	13	5	6	9
Durham	4	4	16	22	10
Birmingham	10	16	11	11	11
Sheffield	12	10	15	12	12
Manchester	21	18	7	8	13
Southampton	13	12	14	15	13
Leeds	16	16	13	13	15
Glasgow	22	15	12	10	16
Exeter	7	11	21	21	17
Liverpool	18	14	20	17	18
York	8	20	22	20	19
Nottingham	20	22	17	19	20
QMUL	24	23	18	16	21
Newcastle	22	24	19	18	22
Cardiff	17	19	23	24	22
Queen’s, Belfast	19	21	24	23	24

So, there we have it – Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial come out as the best Russell Group universities according to these rankings. They each claim first place in at least one league table. Oxford is our overall ‘winner’ – the top Russell Group university in both the Guardian and Times rankings and taking second place in the other two.

We can note some interesting things from this data – particularly discrepancies between the UK league tables (Guardian and CUG) and the global ones (Times and QS).

• LSE is ranked third best Russell Group by the UK league tables, but only 7^th and 9^th in the global ones
• Durham is ranked 4^th by both the UK rankers, but 16^th and 22^nd by QS and the Times
• Edinburgh is ranked 14^th and 8^th  best Russell Group university by the CUG and Guardian, but 6th and 5th in the global league tables
• KCL is not so highly regarded by the UK league tables, coming in 15^th and 13^th place, but is well received by the global rankers, being rated the 5^th and 6^th best Russell Group by QS and the Times.
• Similarly, Manchester is ranked 18^th and 21^st by the Guardian and CUG, but 7^th and 8^th in the global league tables
• Exeter comes in as 7^th and 11^th  best Russell Group in the UK rankings, but 21^st in QS and the Times.
• Oxbridge remains highly regarded by all, though – Oxford and Cambridge are in the top three in all four league tables

Best Russell Group Universities

Let’s dive into a little more detail on the top Russell Group universities according to these league tables.

1. Oxford University

Oxford was founded in the late 11^th century (making it one of the oldest universities in the world) and is a highly prestigious collegiate university. It consists of 43 constituent colleges with the campus scattered throughout the city of Oxford.

At undergraduate level, it is noted for its small-group tutorial system of teaching. It offers world-leading degrees in all major academic disciplines. It has educated 31 British Prime Ministers and 73 Nobel Prize Laureates.

2. Cambridge University

Founded by disgruntled Oxford academics in 1209, Cambridge is the second oldest university in the UK and is often grouped together with Oxford as part of ‘Oxbridge’.

The two universities share many similarities – the collegiate system, the campus spread throughout the city, and the small-group teaching system (known as ‘supervisions’ at Cambridge).

Its alumni have won 124 Nobel Prizes and include historical figures such as Isaac Newton, Lord Byron, Charles Darwin, and Alan Turing. Cambridge comes out as the second best Russell Group university according to these rankings.

3. Imperial College London

Imperial College London specialises in science, engineering, medicine, and business. Located in central London, it is renowned for cutting-edge research, innovation, and academic excellence.

Imperial consistently ranks among the top global universities and attracts students from over 140 countries. It offers students a dynamic learning environment and excellent career prospects, particularly in STEM-related fields.

4. London School of Economics (LSE)

Taking fourth place in our ranking of the best Russell Group universities is LSE. A constituent college of the University of London, LSE (as its name suggests) specialises in Economics and other social sciences.

It was founded by Fabian Society intellectuals at the turn of the 20^th century and has educated 24 heads of state, the second most of any UK university (after Oxford). A quarter of Nobel Prizes in Economics have been awarded to LSE alumni or academics.

5. University College London (UCL)

Another member of the University of London, UCL was founded in 1826 and is the second largest university in the UK by student enrollment.

Based in Bloomsbury in central London, UCL’s eleven faculties offer a broad range of degree programmes. It has produced 32 Nobel Laureates.

Best Russell Group Universities for Law

We mentioned earlier that overall league tables of universities only have limited use for students. In the UK, you apply to study a specific subject, so it is much more useful to know how good your university is for that subject than to know how good it is ‘on average’.

We’ll rank the Russell Group universities in a few popular subjects to illustrate the difference in subject rankings vs overall rankings. First, the best Russell Group universities for Law.

University	CUG	Guardian	Overall Rank
Cambridge	1	2	1
Oxford	4	2	2
LSE	5	1	2
UCL	2	5	4
Durham	3	4	4
KCL	6	6	6
Glasgow	8	9	7
Bristol	7	14	8
Edinburgh	13	11	9

In you want to become a lawyer, we see that Cambridge comes in as the best Russell Group university for Law, achieving first place in both rankings. Oxford slips from first place overall to second equal. Durham jumps from 10^th in the overall table to 4^th  here, KCL jumps from 9^th to 6^th, and Glasgow from 16^th to 7^th. Imperial does not feature as it does not offer Law.

Our full guide to best UK universities for law contains more information.

Best Russell Group Universities for History

Here are the CUG and Guardian rankings of the best Russell Groups for History. Remember, we’re only comparing the Russell Group universities to each other, not to all universities in the UK.

University	CUG	Guardian	Overall Rank
Oxford	2	1	1
Cambridge	1	2	1
Durham	3	3	3
LSE	4	4	4
UCL	5	5	5
Warwick	6	6	6
York	7	14	7
Bristol	9	12	7
KCL	11	10	7

Oxford and Cambridge are the best Russell Group universities for History according to the league tables. Other Russell Groups which seem to have a particular strength in History are Durham and York, as these both significantly outperform their place in the overall Russell Group rankings to feature near the top for History.

LSE and UCL are again in the top five and Imperial does not feature as it does not offer History. You can read more about the best UK universities for History, including non-Russell Group institutions, in our dedicated guide.

Best Russell Group Universities for Maths

Finally, let’s take a look at the top Russell Groups for Mathematics.

University	CUG	Guardian	Overall Rank
Oxford	2	1	1
Cambridge	1	2	1
Imperial	3	3	3
Warwick	4	4	4
Bristol	5	7	5
Durham	7	5	5
UCL	8	6	7
LSE	6	9	8
Edinburgh	12	8	9

Interestingly, this looks pretty similar to our overall Russell Group rankings list. Oxford and Cambridge take the top two spots as the best Russell Group universities for Maths, with Imperial, as a STEM-focused institution, coming in third.

LSE is the fourth best Russell Group overall but comes in eighth here, perhaps reflecting the fact that its excellence is more in the social sciences than STEM. Warwick performs well, coming in fourth place vs its overall Russell Group ranking of seventh.

Conclusion: the Russell Group Unis Ranked

While the Russell Group is often seen as a hallmark of academic excellence, our rankings show that there’s plenty of nuance within the group itself.

Oxford and Cambridge dominate overall as the top Russell Group universities, with the other G5 institutions (Imperial, LSE, and UCL) rounding out the top five. However, subject-specific rankings reveal strengths elsewhere – for example, Durham for History and KCL for Law.

While league tables offer useful insights and give us a guide to the best Russell Group universities, they should be just one of many tools students use when choosing a university. Its strength in your specific subject, your subjective ‘feeling’ when visiting, location, facilities, and student experience also matter greatly.

If you would like personal advice on where to apply or support with your application to a top university, explore our UK university application support or book a free consultation to discover how we can help.