St Andrews top in Scotland and fourth in UK in new rankings
The University of St Andrews is ranked as the top university in Scotland in the newly released 2027 Complete University Guide, maintaining its long‑held position as the nation’s leading institution.
St Andrews is also fourth in the UK rankings for the sixth year running, following Cambridge, Oxford and the London School of Economics.
At subject level, St Andrews’ School of Mathematics and Statistics is top in UK, with a further 10 subjects in the top three – Art History, Chemistry; Divinity, English; Earth and Environmental Sciences; French, German; Italian; Physics and Astronomy; and Psychology and Neuroscience. A total of 24 subjects rank in the top 10.
The Guide draws on a range of sector data, including the 2025 National Student Survey, 2024/25 Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data, and the 2022/23 Graduate Outcomes survey, offering a detailed picture of performance across the UK.
St Andrews remains ahead of all other Scottish universities, with the other top three Scottish spots taken by Edinburgh, in 19th place, and the University of Dundee, which has risen to 25th, its highest position to date.
Category University news