St Andrews top in Scotland and second in the UK

The University of St Andrews is the top university in Scotland and second to Oxford in the UK, according to The Guardian University Guide 2026 published today (Saturday 13 September).

St Andrews is one of six Scottish institutions in the top 30 best universities in the UK according to the new Guide, alongside Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Strathclyde, Glasgow and Dundee.

Academic Schools at St Andrews also performed strongly in the new Guide, with Maths, History,  Art History and International Relations taking top spot in the UK.

A further 17 subjects are ranked in the top ten:

• Modern Languages, Economics, Film Studies, Psychology, Business and Management, Chemistry and Geography in second place
• Philosophy, Physics, Anthropology, Classics, Computer Science, Earth Science and English in third
• Medicine in fourth
• Neuroscience in sixth
• Biology in seventh

The Guide ranks universities by the strength of student satisfaction, expenditure per student, student to staff ratio, career prospects, entry tariff, value-added and continuation.

St Andrews made history in 2019 when it became the first UK university to break the longstanding Oxbridge duopoly at the top of UK university league tables, unseating Oxford to take second place. It rose to the top spot in 2022, maintaining the position in 2023.