Chemistry University Ranking: 2026 UK Ranking

Each year, many students apply to study Chemistry in the UK. There are plenty of universities that teach this subject, but which ones are the best? In this guide, we explore the two most popular UK university ranking tables for Chemistry to learn where you should apply.

Last Updated: 17th September 2025

Author: Matthew Amalfitano-Stroud

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Chemistry University Ranking: 2026 UK Ranking

Home » UK University Rankings » Chemistry University Ranking: 2026 UK Ranking

Chemistry is one of the three core sciences, so it’s no surprise that it’s a popular course to study in the UK.

Each year, thousands of applicants apply to study the subject at over 50 different universities that offer the course. These universities are ranked each year by a selection of university ranking tables, so we’re going to explore these rankings in this guide to understand which Chemistry courses are the best in the UK.

Who Makes The Chemistry University rankings?

To understand these tables, let’s first explore who compiles them. There are several university-ranking organisations, both within the UK and internationally, that release annual lists on a national and global scale. Given the vast amount of data and rankings, it’s not feasible to review every list. Instead, let’s focus on the two most prominent UK ranking tables: the Complete University Guide and The Guardian.

You might be wondering how multiple ranking tables can exist if they are meant to provide an objective ranking. In reality, these rankings are far from objective and can differ based on how each organisation interprets the data and assigns scores to universities. While the data used is sourced from similar places, it’s the way the data is applied that leads to varying rankings between organisations.

We’ll consider how reliable these tables actually are later, but let’s first take a look at the complete ranking tables for Chemistry, as well as how each organisation presents their data.

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The Guardian Chemistry Rankings

To create their university rankings (including Chemistry), The Guardian uses the following metrics:

Guardian score/100 – rating of excellence based on a combination of the other factors.

Satisfied with the course – the rating of the overall quality of the course, given by final-year students in the latest National Students Survey (NSS) given as a percentage.

Satisfied with the teaching – the rating of the quality of teaching on the course given by final-year students in the latest NSS.

Satisfied with feedback – the rating of the feedback and assessment, given by final-year students in the latest NSS.

Student to staff ratio – number of students per member of teaching staff.

Spend-per student/10 – money spent on each student, excluding academic staff costs, given as a rating out of ten.

Average entry tariff – typical UCAS scores of young entrants to the department.

Value-added score/10 – this score compares students’ degree results with their entry qualifications, to show how effectively they are taught – given as a score out of ten.

Career after 15 months – percentage of graduates who find graduate-level jobs, or are in further study at professional or higher education level, within 15 months of graduation.

Continuation – percentage of first-year students continuing to second-year.

This data is collected from various sources, including the National Student Survey (NSS) for student satisfaction rates and the universities themselves, which provide details on admissions, spending, and more. Because the information comes from external sources, The Guardian’s rankings are free from any bias in terms of the data used.

The Guardian Chemistry University Rankings 2026

Let’s take a look at The Guardian’s full league table for Chemistry degrees, including the results for 2026 and 2025 compared:

Position	University	Previous Position (2025)
1	University of Strathclyde	4 (>3)
2 (=)	University of Leicester	9 (>7)
2 (=)	University of St Andrews	1 (<1)
4	University of Cambridge	3 (<1)
5	University of Sussex	16 (>11)
6	University of Oxford	2 (<4)
7	Lancaster University	10 (>3)
8	Heriot-Watt University	14 (>6)
9	University of Birmingham	16 (>7)
10	Durham University	8 (<2)
11	University of Bath	18 (>7)
12	University of Warwick	34 (>22)
13	Imperial College London	11 (<2)
14	University of Southampton	13 (<1)
15	Sheffield Hallam University	33 (>18)
16	University of Lancashire	NEW
17	University of York	15 (<2)
18	University of Glasgow	32 (>14)
19	University of Sheffield	30 (>11)
20	Loughborough University	6 (<14)
21	University of Edinburgh	12 (<9)
22	University of Liverpool	28 (>6)
23	Nottingham Trent University	36 (>13)
24	King’s College London	38 (>14)
25	University of Leeds	19 (<6)
26	University of Bristol	22 (<4)
27	Swansea University	31 (>4)
28	Aston University	5 (<23)
29	University of Plymouth	20 (<9)
30	Manchester Metropolitan University	24 (<6)
31	University of East Anglia	37 (>6)
32	University of Greenwich	35 (>3)
33	Keele University	39 (>6)
34	Queen’s University Belfast	21 (<13)
35	University of Salford	49 (>14)
36	University of Surrey	25 (<11)
37	University of Nottingham	46 (>9)
38	University of Reading	29 (<9)
39	University of Kent	27 (<11)
40	Newcastle University	42 (>2)
41	University of Manchester	45 (>4)
42	Cardiff University	48 (>6)
43	Queen Mary University of London	44 (>1)
44	University of Lincoln	7 (<37)
45	University of Huddersfield	26 (<19)
46	University College London (UCL)	47 (>1)
47	Liverpool John Morres University	43 (<4)
48	Kingston University London	41 (<7)
49	De Montfort University	50 (>1)

So, what can this table tell us about the Chemistry degrees available in the UK in 2026? Let’s break down some of the key points.

Firstly, looking at the top ten, we can see that just four of the universities are Russell Group Universities. Russell Group universities generally perform very well in university rankings, but Chemistry is apparently not the group’s strongest subject according to The Guardian.

Instead, we see that less well-known universities performed well in this list, including Strathclyde, Sussex and Heriot-Watt. St Andrews takes the top spot, which isn’t uncommon on ranking tables made by The Guardian.

We can see that many Russell Group universities performed very poorly, including Queen Mary, Manchester and Cardiff, which was just two spots away from the bottom. Perhaps most surprising is UCL’s placement in 46th. UCL is one of the G5 Universities and is generally well-regarded, including by The Guardian, so its placement being so low is unusual (although it remains consistent with 2025’s placement).

We should note that one of the top-ranking universities, Cambridge, does not offer a dedicated undergraduate Chemistry degree. Instead, this table includes the Natural Science degree, which allows students to specialise in physical or biological sciences, with Chemistry as part of the curriculum. It is unclear whether the data for this ranking takes into account only the physics aspect of the degree.

Compared to the 2025 list, we can see that placements were very unstable for a lot of universities, with many rising or falling more than ten places in the table. The biggest gains this year were made by Warwick, which jumped 22 places from 34th to 12th. The University of Lincoln saw the biggest drop, falling from 7th to 44th in the table.

The Complete University Guide Chemistry Rankings

Next is The Complete University Guide. We’ve already noted that this organisation gathers data in a similar manner to The Guardian, but how do they utilise it? Here are the scoring metrics that contribute to their ranking tables:

Overall score – the total score calculated by The Complete University Guide’s independent and trusted methodology.

Entry standards – the average UCAS tariff of new students entering university.

Student satisfaction – a guide to how satisfied students are with the quality of teaching they receive.

Research quality – a measure of the quality of the research undertaken by the university.

Research intensity – a measure of the proportion of staff involved in high-quality research at the university.

Graduate prospects – outcomes – a guide to the success of graduates after leaving university.

Graduate prospects – on track – a measure of whether recent graduates agree that their current activity fits with their future plans.

While the Complete University Guide organises various data points into broader categories, the overall results provide similar insights to The Guardian’s rankings, albeit with fewer metrics. Like The Guardian, data is gathered from the NSS and universities, but the two organisations use different systems for interpreting and scoring the data. This is why the university rankings differ between the two lists.

Complete University Guide Chemistry University Ranking Table 2026

Now, let’s look at the Complete University Guide Chemistry ranking table, including the comparison to 2025’s rankings.

Position	University	Previous Position (2025)
1	University of Cambridge	1 (=)
2	University of St Andrews	3 (>1)
3	University of Oxford	2 (<1)
4	Imperial College London	5 (>1)
5	Durham University	4 (<1)
6	University of York	7 (>1)
7	University of Edinburgh	6 (<1)
8	University of Bristol	8 (=)
9	University of Liverpool	18 (>9)
10	University of Strathclyde	11 (>1)
11	University of Bath	9 (<2)
12	University of Birmingham	14 (>2)
13	Queen’s University Belfast	17 (>4)
14	University of Warwick	19 (>5)
15	King’s College London	31 (>16)
16	University of Sussex	30 (>14)
17	University of Southampton	16 (<1)
18	University of Glasgow	10 (<8)
19	University of Manchester	15 (<4)
20	University of Plymouth	34 (>14)
21	University of Sheffield	25 (>4)
22	University of Nottingham	20 (<2)
23	University of East Anglia	21 (<2)
24	Cardiff University	28 (>4)
25	Loughborough University	22 (<3)
26	Swansea University	13 (<13)
27	University of Leeds	23 (<4)
28	University College London (UCL)	12 (<16)
29	University of Leicester	35 (>6)
30	Keele University	26 (<4)
31	Newcastle University	24 (<7)
32	Queen Mary University of London	36 (>4)
33	Lancaster University	37 (>4)
34	Heriot-Watt University	39 (>5)
35	University of Surrey	27 (<8)
36	Manchester Metropolitan University	38 (>2)
37	University of Central Lancashire	46 (>9)
38	University of Lincoln	32 (<6)
39	University of Aberdeen	44 (>5)
40	University of Reading	41 (>1)
41	Nottingham Trent University	42 (>1)
42	Sheffield Hallam University	43 (>1)
43	University of Huddersfield	47 (>4)
44	University of Greenwich	50 (>6)
45	University of Kent	40 (<5)
46	University of Salford	45 (<1)
47	Kingston University London	51 (>4)
48	University of Bradford	48 (=)
49	University of East London	NEW
50	De Montfort University	52 (>2)

Compared to The Guardian’s table, this ranking table saw far fewer shake-ups in placements within the Top 10. The Top 10 features far more representation of the Russell Group, with two out of the ten entries not being members. St Andrews appears in 2nd on this list, while Strathclyde takes the 10th spot (it achieved 4th on The Guardian’s list).

As expected, Oxbridge took the top spot on the list, although Cambridge’s inclusion does raise questions about what counts as a Chemistry course. However, Imperial, Edinburgh, York, Bristol and Glasgow all performed better than they did on The Guardian’s table.

As for major placement changes, the biggest examples are King’s College London, rising 16 places from 31st to 15th, and UCL, dropping 16 places from 28th to 12th. There were several other major placement changes, including Sussex (up 14), Plymouth (up 14) and Swansea (down 13).

There was one new university on this list, the University of East London, while several institutions were removed from the list, including the University of South Wales and Aston University.

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The Best and Worst UK Universities For Chemistry

Now that we’ve seen the full tables, let’s hone in on the tops and bottoms of each list. While it’s easy to label these universities as the “best” and “worst”, it’s important to consider that these rankings are only one measurement of a university’s quality. Take these assessments with a grain of salt, as you may find these universities appeal to you more or less than the rankings would suggest.

Best Universities For Chemistry UK

First, let’s look at the top five universities on each list. By comparing them, we can identify which universities are widely regarded as the best in the UK for Chemistry:

Complete University Guide

The Guardian

While two of the universities are shared between lists, each table actually had very different opinions on what some of the best UK Chemistry courses were.

Excluding St Andrews, all the other universities in the top five of the Complete University Guide’s table were Russell Group. However, only Cambridge features from the group in The Guardian’s top five. Instead, unusual picks like Strathclyde and Aston earned top spots on this list, along with St Andrews taking the top spot from the famous Oxbridge university.

As you may have noticed, Oxford is not actually present in The Guardian’s top five, which is an extremely rare occurrence for the courses that the university teaches. Oxford was the highest-ranked university on the overall table, but only landed in 6th for Chemistry. The only noticeably low score for the university was spend per student (5/10), which may have been enough to knock it from the top spots.

While these aren’t common picks in university rankings, it shows that it isn’t always the most competitive or most popular universities that are considered the best.

Worst Universities For Chemistry UK

Next, here are the five lowest-ranked universities for Chemistry. While they appear at the bottom of the list, this doesn’t mean they offer “bad” or “the worst” Chemistry degrees; they simply ranked lower compared to others.

Complete University Guide

The Guardian

While Complete University Guide’s bottom five list features much less known universities, The Guardian has actually ranked a Russell Group university here.

UCL ranked 46th in the list, which is incredibly uncommon. However, we can see that the university still earned decent scores for student satisfaction and career prospects. This goes to show that the standard for UK universities is very high, as well as the fact that university rankings are scored based on a variety of things, including things that may not impact students much.

While there’s not too much to say about the bottom five of the Complete University Guide, it’s worth noting that both tables agreed that the lowest-ranked university was De Montfort, which isn’t too common within university rankings.

Which Ranking Table Should I Follow?

Finally, we need to consider whether one of these tables is more reliable than the other, or if either can be considered particularly reliable. Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer and the major differences we saw in placements for certain universities between lists cannot be explained in a simple way.

These variations stem from subtle differences in how the data is interpreted and scored, rather than any inherent biases or subjective factors, but there is no easy way of determining which is more accurate to the actual quality of teaching at these universities.

The Guardian’s rankings place more emphasis on student perspectives, whereas The Complete University Guide prioritises research, employment outcomes, and overall student satisfaction. Depending on which factors matter most to you, one table may be more useful than the other, but neither is inherently superior overall.

Although these tables are reliable in terms of the data they use, the rankings for any given year should never be considered absolute. As we’ve seen, universities can experience significant drops in position, and since the data is based on the previous year’s cohort, it may not fully reflect the experience you’ll have.

You probably shouldn’t base your decisions solely on ranking tables, so what are they useful for? Ideally, these tables should serve as a starting point for your research. While they aren’t always consistent, both tables generally do a good job of highlighting the most highly regarded universities, making them a good reference if reputation is important to you. However, there are many other factors to consider as well.

For instance, if you’re concerned about how well you might perform in your exams, it’s important to review the entry requirements and acceptance rates for each university to determine which ones you’re most likely to be admitted to.

If you want to apply to a top-ranking university like Oxford and Cambridge, you’ll face a more rigorous application process, higher entry requirements and lower acceptance rates (14.1% at Oxford and 16.4% at Cambridge). It’s crucial to ensure that you’re a competitive candidate for these universities based on your current or predicted grades.

Statistics aren’t the only consideration. Remember, university life is about more than just academics, as most students spend at least three years living on campus full-time. It’s important to make sure you like the campus, facilities, and the surrounding area before making your decision. Attending open days is a great way to get a feel for a university’s atmosphere and facilities, so be sure to visit the ones that interest you the most.

The final point we’d like to highlight is that you shouldn’t dismiss lower-ranking universities right away. While they may not be on par with the top institutions, many still offer a high-quality education, despite some potential drawbacks. If a lower-ranked university interests you, it’s still worth applying, as it could be a great fit and usually comes with less competition. The important thing is to ensure you’ve done thorough research based on the factors that matter most to you.

Conclusion

That concludes our look at Chemistry university degree rankings in the UK. The key takeaway from this guide is that, while these tables are helpful tools, they offer only part of the picture. While data-driven scores may be more important for some, it’s still essential to consider both personal preferences and rankings when choosing a university.

Most importantly, these rankings are neither definitive nor official. Since they can vary considerably, it’s up to you to decide which one you trust and how much importance you place on rankings overall. Ultimately, if you choose a university that makes you happy, the approach you took in making that decision has been a success.

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