Oldest Universities in the United Kingdom

Introduction

What are the oldest Universities in the United Kingdom? uniRank tries to answer this question by publishing a list of 166 UK Universities ordered by year of establishment and meeting the following uniRank selection criteria:

  • being chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate UK higher education-related organization
  • offering at least four-year undergraduate degrees (bachelor degrees) or postgraduate degrees (master or doctoral degrees)
  • delivering courses predominantly in a traditional, face-to-face, non-distance education format
Our aim is to highlight which UK Universities have the longest history and tradition and how this correlates to their uniRank University Ranking.

Oldest Universities in the United Kingdom

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# University Town
1 University of Oxford Oxford
2 University of Cambridge Cambridge
18 University of St Andrews St Andrews
8 University of Glasgow Glasgow ...
33 University of Aberdeen Aberdeen
4 The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh
112 St George's, University of London London
103 Royal Veterinary College University of London London ...
128 Royal Academy of Music, University of London London
44 Birkbeck, University of London London
5 The University of Manchester Manchester
3 University College London London
13 King's College London London
16 Durham University Durham ...
70 University of London London
84 University of Westminster London
127 York St John University York
92 University of South Wales Pontypridd ...
160 Norwich University of the Arts Norwich
107 The Glasgow School of Art Glasgow
156 Leeds Arts University Leeds
88 London Metropolitan University London
42 Royal Holloway, University of London Egham ...
31 Queen's University Belfast Belfast
129 St Mary's University, Twickenham Twickenham
148 Arts University Plymouth Plymouth
62 Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge ...
151 Bishop Grosseteste University Lincoln
64 Oxford Brookes University Oxford
66 Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth
132 Guildhall School of Music and Drama London
15 University of Liverpool Liverpool ...
117 Royal College of Music London
60 Bangor University Bangor ...
143 Arts University Bournemouth Poole
73 University of Greenwich London ...
89 London South Bank University London ...
30 University of Reading Reading ...
162 Writtle University College Chelmsford
152 University of Wales Cardiff ...
6 The London School of Economics and Political Science London
65 Aston University Birmingham
83 Royal College of Art London
118 University of the West of Scotland Paisley ...
135 Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Liverpool
51 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London London
10 University of Birmingham Birmingham
52 Goldsmiths, University of London London
12 University of Leeds Leeds
23 The University of Sheffield Sheffield ...
147 The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama London
9 Imperial College London London
24 University of Bristol Bristol
57 SOAS, University of London London
39 Swansea University Swansea
158 Plymouth Marjon University Plymouth
104 The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London London
153 Hartpury University and Hartpury College Gloucester
19 The University of Nottingham Nottingham ...
163 Rose Bruford College London
7 University of Southampton Southampton ...
72 The University of Hull Hull ...
21 University of Exeter Exeter ...
159 University College Birmingham Birmingham
28 University of Leicester Leicester
27 University of Sussex Brighton
119 The University of Law Guildford ...
136 Ravensbourne University London London
61 Keele University Keele
32 University of East Anglia Norwich
17 The University of York York
14 Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne ...
38 University of Essex Colchester ...
20 Lancaster University Lancaster
76 London Business School London ...
37 University of Strathclyde Glasgow
154 Leeds Conservatoire Leeds
11 The University of Warwick Coventry
34 University of Kent Canterbury ...
40 Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh ...
49 Brunel University London Uxbridge
35 City, University of London London
36 Loughborough University Loughborough ...
99 University of Bradford Bradford
26 University of Surrey Guildford
25 University of Bath Bath
55 University of Stirling Stirling ...
41 University of Dundee Dundee
71 University of Salford Salford
161 Newman University, Birmingham Birmingham
67 Ulster University Coleraine ...
155 Richmond, The American International University in London London ...
139 Royal Northern College of Music Manchester
123 The University of Buckingham Buckingham
68 Middlesex University London
109 Bath Spa University Bath
142 Regent's University London London
165 Northern School of Contemporary Dance Leeds
48 University of the Arts London London ...
150 The London Institute of Banking and Finance London
22 Queen Mary University of London London
164 European School of Economics London ...
116 University of West London Ealing ...
Un BPP University Manchester
74 Birmingham City University Birmingham
63 Coventry University Coventry ...
95 Robert Gordon University Aberdeen
69 Bournemouth University Poole ...
54 Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester ...
46 De Montfort University Leicester ...
86 Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool
58 University of Brighton Brighton ...
82 Leeds Beckett University Leeds ...
91 Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent ...
78 Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh
47 Nottingham Trent University Nottingham
53 Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield
80 Kingston University Kingston upon Thames
45 University of Portsmouth Portsmouth
77 University of Central Lancashire Preston ...
43 University of the West of England Bristol
81 University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ...
97 Teesside University Middlesbrough ...
90 University of Sunderland Sunderland ...
50 University of Plymouth Plymouth ...
59 Northumbria University Newcastle upon Tyne
56 University of Hertfordshire Hatfield ...
75 University of Lincoln Lincoln ...
93 University of Derby Derby ...
85 University of Huddersfield Huddersfield
94 University of East London London ...
145 Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow
79 Cranfield University Cranfield ...
102 Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow ...
87 School of Advanced Study, University of London London
111 Abertay University Dundee
149 Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Liverpool
29 Cardiff University Cardiff
120 University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham ...
121 University of Bolton Bolton
110 Solent University Southampton ...
101 University of Roehampton London
141 Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London
126 The University of Winchester Winchester
134 University of Chichester Chichester
106 University of Chester Chester ...
113 University for the Creative Arts Farnham ...
124 Liverpool Hope University Liverpool
96 The University of Northampton Northampton
108 Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury ...
115 University of Worcester Worcester
105 Edge Hill University Ormskirk ...
100 University of Bedfordshire Luton ...
144 University of Suffolk Ipswich
133 Queen Margaret University Edinburgh ...
138 Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe ...
130 University of Cumbria Carlisle ...
140 Wrexham Glyndwr University Wrexham ...
114 University of Wales Trinity Saint David Carmarthen ...
98 University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness ...
122 Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff
146 Leeds Trinity University Leeds
137 Harper Adams University Newport
131 Falmouth University Falmouth
125 Scotland's Rural College Edinburgh ...
157 Royal Agricultural University Cirencester
Legend: Un Unranked

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