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University of Cambridge tops Complete University Guide for ninth year running

The Complete University Guide reveals its top UK universities for 2020

    Seeta Bhardwa's avatar

    Seeta Bhardwa

    Editor, THE Student
    May 1 2019
    Complete University Guide 2020

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    The University of Cambridge has taken first place in the Complete University Guide 2020 for the ninth year running. 

    The University of St Andrews is third, making it the highest-ranked Scottish University. 

    The Imperial College London drops one position to fifth. 

    The Complete University Guide is a UK-based ranking that assesses UK universities across a broad range of teaching and research indicators.

    The University of St Andrews is also top in the UK for student satisfaction. The universities of Aberystwyth and Buckingham take the second and third positions respectively. 

    The guide also releases separate listings covering 70 different subjects and St Andrews features in the top 10 for 21 subjects, topping four, which makes it just one of five institutions in the UK to top more than two subject tables.

    The Complete University Guide 2020: Top 50

    2020 Rank 2019 Rank  University City
    1 1 University of Cambridge Cambridge
    2 2 University of Oxford Oxford
    3 5 University of St Andrews St Andrews
    4 3 London School of Economics and Political Science London
    5 4 Imperial College London London
    6 6 Durham University Durham
    7 8 Lancaster University Lancaster
    8 7 Loughborough University Loughborough
    9 11 University of Bath Bath
    10 10 UCL London
    11 12 University of Exeter Exeter
    12 9 University of Warwick Warwick
    13 =15 University of Birmingham Birmingham
    14 13 University of Leeds Leeds
    15 18 University of Manchester Manchester
    =16 23 University of Edinburgh Edinburgh
    =16 =15 University of Bristol Bristol
    18 24 University of Glasgow Glasgow
    19 17 University of Nottingham Nottingham
    20 20 University of Southampton Southampton
    21 14 University of East Anglia Norwich
    22 22 University of Newcastle Newcastle
    =23 =28 Royal Holloway, University of London London
    =23 19 University of Surrey Surrey
    25 =26 King's  College London London
    26 33 Cardiff University Cardiff
    27 48 Harper Adams University Newport
    28 =36 University of Liverpool Liverpool
    29  =28 University of Aberdeen Aberdeen
    30 21 University of York York
    31 31 University of Dundee Dundee
    32 25 University of Sussex Sussex
    33 30 University of Sheffield Sheffield
    34 45 Aston University Birmingham
    =35 39 Swansea University Swansea
    =35 35 Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh
    37 =36 Queen's University Belfast Belfast
    38 42 Trent University Nottingham
    39 =40 University of Strathclyde  Strathclyde
    40 32 University of Reading Reading
    41 38 Queen Mary University of London London
    42 43 University of Lincoln Lincoln
    43 =40 University of Stirling Stirling
    =44 =26 University of Essex Essex
    =44 46 SOAS University London London
    =44 34 University of Leicester Leicester
    47 52 St George's, University of London London
    48 55 University for the Creative Arts Farnham
    49 44 University of Kent Kent
    50 56 Northumbria University Northumbria

    See the full 2020 list here  

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