Methodology

UniRank.uk evaluates UK universities across six dimensions, each drawing from official, publicly available government and regulatory datasets. Our methodology is fully documented — every formula, every source, every normalisation step.

Last verified: 2026-06-05

Data year: 2024/2025 (global rankings: 2025/2026 editions)

The Six Dimensions

Teaching Quality

Weight: 1/6

Quantified from Teaching Excellence Framework ratings combined with National Student Survey academic support scores.

Sources: TEF 2023 Rating, NSS Academic Support

Data status: Pending ingestion — UK government data retrieval in progress

Student Satisfaction

Weight: 1/6

Based on the National Student Survey overall satisfaction percentage for final-year undergraduates.

Sources: NSS Overall Satisfaction

Data status: Pending ingestion — UK government data retrieval in progress

Graduate Employment

Weight: 1/6

Percentage of graduates in employment or further study 15 months after graduation, from the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey.

Sources: HESA Graduate Outcomes

Data status: Pending ingestion — UK government data retrieval in progress

Graduate Earnings

Weight: 1/6

Median annual earnings 5 years after graduation from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset.

Sources: LEO 5-Year Median Earnings

Data status: Pending ingestion — UK government data retrieval in progress

Global Standing

Weight: 1/6

Average percentile across four major global ranking systems. Higher percentile = better global standing.

Sources: QS World University Rankings, THE World University Rankings, ARWU Shanghai Rankings, U.S. News Global Universities

Data status: Available (18/141 universities)

Research Quality

Weight: 1/6

Research Excellence Framework 2021 overall Grade Point Average, measuring research output quality, impact, and environment.

Sources: REF 2021 GPA

Data status: Pending ingestion — UK government data retrieval in progress

Normalisation

Each dimension is normalized to a 0-100 scale. When a dimension references multiple data sources, they are combined with equal weight within that dimension. The overall score is the arithmetic mean of all available dimensions.

When official data is unavailable for a university in a specific dimension, that dimension is excluded from the overall score calculation. Universities with fewer dimensions available should be interpreted with greater uncertainty.

Data Sources

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)

Office for Students (OfS) — officeforstudents.org.uk. TEF 2023 ratings: Gold, Silver, Bronze. Retrieved June 2026.

National Student Survey (NSS)

Office for Students (OfS) — officeforstudents.org.uk. Institution-level overall satisfaction and academic support percentages. Retrieved June 2026.

HESA Graduate Outcomes

Higher Education Statistics Agency — hesa.ac.uk. Employment outcomes 15 months after graduation. 2022/23 data. Retrieved June 2026.

Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO)

Department for Education — explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk. Median earnings 1, 3, 5 years post-graduation. Retrieved June 2026.

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

UK Research and Innovation — ref.ac.uk. REF 2021 overall GPA and world-leading research percentage. Retrieved June 2026.

Global Rankings

QS World University Rankings 2026, THE World University Rankings 2026, ARWU 2025, U.S. News Global Universities 2026. Retrieved via edurank.co data pipeline, June 2026.

ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)

Office for National Statistics — ons.gov.uk. Median annual earnings by SOC occupation code. 2024 provisional data. Pending ingestion.

Limitations

UK-specific dimensions (Teaching, Satisfaction, Employment, Earnings, Research) currently pending official data ingestion. Presently, only Global Standing is populated for 18 universities.
Rankings are a snapshot — they do not capture year-on-year trends or institutional improvement trajectories.
Composite scores mask within-institution variation. A university may excel in research but underperform in student satisfaction.
Specialist institutions (arts, music, agriculture) may not appear in all global ranking systems.
LEO earnings data does not adjust for regional salary differences or subject mix.