League tables: What's new for 2025

Major league table climbers 2025

While not every university can make it to the top of our tables, it’s important to note how much they improve and climb each year. The table below shows the universities in the top half of the table that have leapt up in the top 60 of the rankings by five, or considerably more, places this year.  

Congratulations to the University of Liverpool which has moved up the table 6 places to sit in the top 20 of our 2025 rankings. 

Click on the university names below to find out more about them and how they score across several measures.

Increased student satisfaction 

Student satisfaction is calculated from the answers to the National Student Survey (NSS). The NSS asks undergraduate students in their final year about the quality of teaching and other aspects of their experience at their university.

There have been some major changes in the student satisfaction rankings in 2025.  

In the top ten for student satisfaction, Birmingham Newman University has jumped 34 places from 39th place in 2024 to 5th place in 2025, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David has also climbed an impressive 26 places to 7th place. 

In the top 20, the University of East London has gone from the bottom half of the student satisfaction rankings in 2024, climbing a whopping 65 places in 2025 to 13th place. 

At the lower end, University of Liverpool has leapt from the bottom of the table in 2024 to ranking in the top 60 for student satisfaction in 2025, moving up 61 places. This could be a major factor in Liverpool finding itself in the top 20 of the overall rankings this year. 

Given the changes to the NSS it is difficult to tell whether any improvements in rank are due to the changes in the survey or universities getting better at making their students feel valued. 

Areas of excellence

While the focus may be on the overall rankings, universities from lower down the league table can do much better than higher ranked institutions in the subject tables. While the University of Dundee doesn’t quite make the top 50 in our main table, it is ranked the best university in the country to study Dentistry. The University of Plymouth ranks 64th in the main table but ranks in the top ten in the country for Creative Writing, Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy, and Childhood & Youth Studies. The University of South Wales sits near the bottom of the main table, yet is ranked the second-best place in the country for Complementary Medicine. 

Explore the tables for yourself and find out where universities rank by subject, region, and overall. 

Myth busting graduate prospects measure 

The graduate prospects measure in our league tables assess the success of first-degree holders in securing highly skilled employment or pursuing postgraduate study. It reflects their employability and academic advancement within about 15 months after graduation.  

The data behind this year’s rankings for graduate prospects debunks two pervasive narratives about where and what students decide to study, and how that affects their future.   

Firstly, the data dispels the myth that only STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects offer viable career pathways for students, revealing that 71% of graduates in music, 67% in creative writing, and 71% in history of art have successfully transitioned into graduate-level study or professional roles. 

Secondly, the 2025 data unveils that students graduating from universities in the North of England are experiencing better post-graduation outcomes compared to their peers in London. Debunking yet another pervasive myth that one must study in the nation’s capital in order to get the best return on your investment when it comes to higher education.  

North East of England has an impressive 81% graduate prospects score, with Yorkshire & Humberside following closely with 79% and the North West of England has a solid 77% score for graduate prospects. In comparison London has 75% of its students going on to postgraduate study or graduate jobs. 

Professor Amanda Chetwynd, Chair of the Complete University Guide advisory board, said:  

This new data shows that whatever subject students are passionate about studying, or wherever in the UK they’d like to study, our 2025 league tables will help point them to universities that will help them secure an excellent career. 

Changes to the league table methodology 2025  

2023 saw some significant changes in the National Student Survey (NSS) with the introduction of a new questionnaire.

The changes which have affected our methodology the most were the move to four possible answers (which aim to provide more accurate feedback), the addition of new questions, and the removal of the final ‘overall satisfaction’ question for England. 

To account for these changes the methodology has been adjusted:  

• The average score now has a maximum of 4 rather than 5, to reflect for the fact that the ‘neither agree nor disagree’ option was removed from the possible answers.  
• Only questions 1–24 were used in the calculations to allow for the overall satisfaction question being removed for England. 
• Only current-year data were considered for inclusion in the subject tables. 
• The requirement for an NSS score to be included was relaxed slightly so that providers with all other measures but no NSS were still included. 

Elsewhere, the continuation measure was changed in the Medicine table to include all students, rather than just young students, to ensure that providers with only graduate entry courses were included.

A small correction was made by JISC to the way ‘significant interim study’ was accounted for in the data, and these changes have been reflected in the graduate prospects – outcomes measure.

To find out more about how we calculate the rankings, read our methodology.

Andrew Hindmarsh, Lead Consultant, the Complete University Guide says: 

At the Complete University Guide, we responsively and continually review our methodology to ensure that our rankings are as accurate as they can be. We want our league tables not only to reflect the hard work of universities that feature, but also the most up to date data and methodologies. We take great pride in our unbiased, reliable, and free university rankings, and this year is no exception.