Rankings

We're a world top-100 university and a member of the Russell Group of leading UK research universities. Our outstanding performance for excellent teaching and research, as part of a genuinely global community, is consistently confirmed by international independent assessments.

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University of the Year

We've been voted University of the Year, Best Students' Union and Best for Student Life at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024.

Made up of around 35,000 university reviews, the awards are the only annual university accolades based on student views. 

University of the Year


A top-100 university in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings

98th in the world and 12th in the UK
Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025


QS Rankings

  • 105th in the world
  • 29th in Europe, 19th in Northern Europe and 15th in the UK
  • 24th in the world (out of 1,403 institutions), 12th in Europe (out of 493) and 7th in the UK (out of 93)

UK university rankings

  • 10th in the UK and top university in northern England
    Daily Mail University Guide 2025
  • 14th in the UK
    The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
  • 18th in the UK
    Complete University Guide 2025
  • 20th in the UK and top 10 in the UK in 12 subject areas
    The Guardian University Guide 2025

A top-rated student experience

  • Number one in the Russell Group based on aggregate responses
    2024 National Student Survey (NSS)
  • University of the Year and best for Student Life
    Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024
  • Number one Students' Union in the UK
    Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017
  • Number one Students' Union among UK universities
    National Student Survey 2024
  • Number one for Students' Union
    StudentCrowd 2024 University Awards
  • Top university in the Russell Group for student experience and student support
    Daily Mail University Guide 2025

Study with us - ranking, reputation and history


Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

  • 58th in the world, from over 1,900 institutions, and 15th in the UK for its progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
  • 5th globally for action on Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12)


Research Excellence Framework

The most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) results in 2021 demonstrate our research and impact excellence across a broad range of disciplines and confirm that our research is having a significant positive impact on lives across the globe.

Research Excellence Framework 2021


A Russell Group university

The University is one of the 24 universities that make up the Russell Group. Members of this group are committed to maintaining the very best research, an outstanding teaching and learning experience and unrivalled links with business and the public sector.

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework, 92 per cent of our research and impact was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Centres of excellence

The University's cross-faculty research centres harness our interdisciplinary expertise to solve the world's most pressing challenges.