The Complete University Guide League Tables 2024

When you plan your studies abroad, you want to make sure you apply to the best institution and course. You must gather as much information as possible, that is reliable, detailed, and comprehensive. A UK university ranking list is perhaps the best place to start. We recommend you look at the Complete University Guide League Tables which will help you make an informed decision. The CUG league tables 2024 was released on 7 June 2023.

What are the Complete University Guide League Tables?

The CUG League Tables are like a test for the institutions when the universities in the UK are evaluated, judged and ranked by experts. What makes the CUG league tables even more relevant to students is that the experts judge universities based on criteria that are important to students. They include:

• Student satisfaction
• Graduate prospects – outcome
• Graduate prospects – on track
• Continuation (proportion of students who continue their studies after the first year)
• Student-staff ratio
• Entry standards
• Research quality
• Research Intensity (the proportion of teaching staff involved in research)
• Facilities spend (how much money is spent on student and staff facilities, in proportion to the number of students)
• Academic services spend (the amount spent on academic services in comparison to the number of students)

What is the methodology used to find the top universities in the UK?

The first step is data collection. The data collection process is overseen by regulatory bodies such as:

• The Scottish Funding Council
• Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
• The Office for Students (OfS) National Student Survey
• The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland

Data is collected from UK universities by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Next, statistical techniques are used to arrive at a score for each criterion. The scores are added to arrive at a final score to decide the rankings. If you are curious to know the complete methodology, head to the CUG website for more information.

How can you use the CUG League Tables?

First, decide what information you intend to gather from the league table. Are you simply looking for the list of top-ranking universities overall? Or, would you like to know which university is the best in your preferred area of study? Accordingly, you can pick between:

• The overall University League Table
• Subject league tables or
• The Art Drama & Music League Table

You can find the best university based on the criteria that matter to you. For example, you might want to study at an institution that is one of the top-ranking institutions for medicine degrees and is also having a good score for criteria such as student satisfaction and student-staff ratio.

This will help you shortlist the UK universities and decide the ones you would like to apply to.

Who are the winners according to the 2024 Complete University Guide League Tables?

The winner of the 2024 CUG League Table is the University of Cambridge, with an overall score of 100%. It scored 98% for the category ‘Entry Standards’. The university had remained in the second position in the last two years.

The second in line is the University of Oxford. The third and fourth ranks were retained by the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of London and Scotland’s the University of St Andrews respectively. The University of Bath made an impressive jump to the 5^th position from its previous 8^th position in the 2023 ranking. While the University of Bath climbed 2 positions to rank 8, the University College London and the University of Warwick dropped one place down to rank 9 and 10 respectively.

Here are the top 10 universities:

Here are the top scorers for the different criteria:

• Student Satisfaction: The University of St Andrews
• Entry standards: The University of St Andrews
• Research Quality: Imperial College London
• Research Intensity: The University of Cambridge, with an enviable 100% score.
• Academic Services Spend: Imperial College London scored 100% claiming its top position.
• Facilities Spend: The highest for ‘Facilities Spend’ is a full 100%, which is scored by Harper Adams University.
• Student-Staff Ratio: The institution with the best ‘Student to Staff Ratio’ is the University of Oxford.
• Continuation: The University of Cambridge scored the highest with a score of 99.3. LSE trails close behind with a score of 99.1.
• Graduate Prospects – Outcome: Imperial College, London scored the highest in Graduate Prospects.
• Graduate Prospects – on track: St George’s, University of London proved itself to be the best for ‘Graduate Prospects – on track’.

Here are the top 25 (11 – 25):

11. The University of Warwick

12. The University of Edinburgh

13. The University of Surrey

14. The University of Birmingham

15. The University of Bristol

16. The University of York

17. The University of Southampton

18. The University of Exeter

19. The University of Manchester

20. The University of Sheffield

21. Cardiff University

22. The University of Leeds

22. The University of East Anglia UEA

24. King’s College London, University of London

24. The University of Liverpool

The Subject League Tables

CUG League Tables not only tell you the best institutions overall, but based on subjects as well. This is called the subject league table. The Subject League Tables rank UK universities for over 70 different subjects!

You can find CUG Subject-related league tables for the subject areas like:

• Accounting and finance
• Aeronautical and aerospace engineering
• Architecture
• Arts and Design
• Biological Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences
• Business and Management studies
• Chemical Engineering
• Communication and Media Studies
• Computer Science
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Health Studies
• Law
• Medicine and so on.

As you can see, you can find league tables across all the major subjects such as business, engineering, arts, and law. Select the subject you are interested in, check what the subject area covers, and you can compare the institutions. For example, Dentistry covers Clinical Dentistry and Pre-Clinical Dentistry.

Complete University Guide (CUG) top-ranking institutions for some of the popular subjects?

If you are struggling to decide where and what to study in the UK, the CUG League Tables will definitely come in handy. However, if you need some professional support in deciding on the best course and university, you can reach out to our experts by simply filling out the form on this page. Alternatively, you can try our free tool called the Course Matcher, which will give you a list of the right courses based on your academic profile and preferences. We wish you all the best in your study abroad journey!