Best Universities for Journalism in the UK 2027
University of Worcester tops our 2027 journalism ranking with 158 points, achieving 100% academic support and 95% teaching quality. University of East Anglia comes second with 147 points, achieving 97% on both metrics. Bath Spa and York St John are joint third with 145 points. We ranked 59 UK universities offering journalism degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Journalism graduate earnings range from £17,000 (Bangor, 5th) to £30,000 (Goldsmiths, 44th — last in this ranking). University of West London (11th) achieves 100% on both teaching quality and academic support. Six further universities achieve 100% academic support: Worcester (1st), Leeds Trinity (joint 25th), Westminster (joint 32nd), Brunel (34th), Northampton (38th) and Roehampton (42nd). University of Brighton (35th) has the lowest academic support at 63%. University of Leicester (joint 37th) has the lowest teaching quality at 62%.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Journalism University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Worcester Worcester |
£21,000 | 79% | 95% | 100% | 158 |
| 2 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£25,000 | 79% | 97% | 97% | 147 |
| 3 | Bath Spa University Bath |
£24,000 | 79% | 82% | 94% | 145 |
| 3 | York St John University York |
£23,000 | 80% | 92% | 87% | 145 |
| 4 | Swansea University Swansea |
£24,000 | 79% | 75% | 91% | 143 |
| 4 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£24,000 | 70% | 95% | 98% | 143 |
| 5 | Bangor University Bangor |
£17,000 | 76% | 82% | 99% | 139 |
| 6 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£25,000 | 78% | 83% | 89% | 135 |
| 6 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford |
£25,000 | 74% | 93% | 98% | 135 |
| 7 | University of Sunderland Sunderland |
£23,500 | 74% | 98% | 94% | 134 |
| 8 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£26,500 | 76% | 89% | 93% | 133 |
| 9 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£24,500 | 71% | 88% | 85% | 130 |
| 9 | University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham / Gloucester |
£24,000 | 76% | 90% | 95% | 130 |
| 10 | Bournemouth University Bournemouth |
£25,000 | 71% | 81% | 89% | 128 |
| 11 | University of West London London |
£21,500 | 72% | 100% | 100% | 127 |
| 12 | University of Winchester Winchester |
£27,000 | 82% | 91% | 93% | 125 |
| 13 | University of South Wales Pontypridd |
£23,000 | 72% | 85% | 88% | 124 |
| 13 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£25,000 | 74% | 88% | 88% | 124 |
| 13 | Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh |
£21,500 | 72% | 94% | 91% | 124 |
| 14 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£25,000 | 75% | 92% | 96% | 123 |
| 15 | University of Salford Salford |
£24,000 | 73% | 90% | 85% | 121 |
| 16 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£26,000 | 75% | 85% | 81% | 120 |
| 17 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£25,000 | 73% | 76% | 87% | 119 |
| 17 | University of the Arts London London |
£24,000 | 81% | 86% | 91% | 119 |
| 18 | Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow |
£24,500 | 71% | 84% | 88% | 118 |
| 19 | Robert Gordon University Aberdeen |
£23,000 | 77% | 80% | 95% | 116 |
| 19 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£25,000 | 77% | 94% | 94% | 116 |
| 20 | University of Essex Colchester |
£28,000 | 74% | 79% | 79% | 115 |
| 20 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£24,500 | 71% | 89% | 89% | 115 |
| 21 | Coventry University Coventry |
£26,000 | 72% | 88% | 92% | 114 |
| 22 | Falmouth University Falmouth |
£23,000 | 82% | 79% | 88% | 112 |
| 22 | University of Derby Derby |
£24,000 | 74% | 91% | 91% | 112 |
| 23 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£20,000 | 72% | 80% | 85% | 111 |
| 24 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£22,500 | 73% | 85% | 85% | 109 |
| 25 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£24,000 | 69% | 86% | 88% | 105 |
| 25 | Leeds Trinity University Leeds |
£25,000 | 78% | 90% | 100% | 105 |
| 26 | University of Bedfordshire Luton |
£18,500 | 68% | 86% | 93% | 103 |
| 27 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£29,500 | 75% | 84% | 91% | 99 |
| 27 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£23,500 | 71% | 93% | 98% | 99 |
| 28 | University of Stirling Stirling |
£24,500 | 78% | 92% | 96% | 98 |
| 29 | Solent University Southampton |
£27,000 | 71% | 92% | 95% | 97 |
| 30 | Leeds Beckett University Leeds |
£21,000 | 70% | 75% | 77% | 95 |
| 31 | Liverpool Hope University Liverpool |
£25,000 | 80% | 87% | 88% | 93 |
| 32 | University of Chester Chester |
£21,000 | 78% | 73% | 95% | 92 |
| 32 | University of Westminster London |
£24,000 | 68% | 92% | 100% | 92 |
| 33 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£26,000 | 77% | 84% | 89% | 91 |
| 34 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£23,500 | 68% | 78% | 100% | 88 |
| 35 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£22,000 | 72% | 75% | 63% | 87 |
| 36 | University of the West of Scotland Glasgow |
£22,500 | 73% | 89% | 93% | 86 |
| 37 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£22,500 | 73% | 62% | 92% | 84 |
| 37 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£22,000 | 74% | 75% | 85% | 84 |
| 38 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£20,000 | 75% | 88% | 100% | 83 |
| 39 | University of East London London |
£27,000 | 68% | 80% | 95% | 81 |
| 40 | City St George's, University of London London |
£27,000 | 67% | 89% | 92% | 76 |
| 41 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£23,000 | 78% | 81% | 88% | 70 |
| 41 | London Metropolitan University London |
£26,000 | 66% | 89% | 95% | 70 |
| 42 | University of Roehampton London |
£23,000 | 72% | 85% | 100% | 67 |
| 43 | University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton |
£18,500 | 71% | 90% | 95% | 66 |
| 44 | Goldsmiths, University of London London |
£30,000 | 64% | 82% | 80% | 60 |
What the ranking tells you about studying journalism
Journalism is among the most contested creative and professional degrees in the UK — valued by some employers as direct vocational preparation and questioned by others who hire graduates from any background. With 59 universities in this ranking, the variation in course delivery, industry connections, newsroom infrastructure and placement quality is significant. This ranking scores all 59 on eight consistent metrics.
Goldsmiths at 44th (last): highest journalism graduate earnings at £30,000
Goldsmiths, University of London ranks 44th — last in this ranking — with 60 points, and produces journalism graduates earning £30,000, the highest in the field. Goldsmiths ranks last because London's maximum cost of living score suppresses its overall position significantly, combined with the lowest student satisfaction in the field at 64%. Its course delivery scores of 82% teaching quality and 80% academic support are below the field average. Goldsmiths has a distinctive reputation in media and journalism for critical media studies, investigative journalism and cultural journalism — its graduates access premium London media roles at a rate that inflates six-month earnings. For students specifically aiming at London media careers in documentary, investigative journalism or cultural media, Goldsmiths' employer connections carry weight not reflected in its ranking position. But the lowest satisfaction score in the field and below-average course delivery are equally real data points.
University of Strathclyde at joint 27th: £29,500 — second-highest journalism earnings
University of Strathclyde ranks joint 27th with 99 points and produces journalism graduates earning £29,500 — the second-highest in the field. Strathclyde's journalism programme is one of the stronger in Scotland, with close ties to the Scottish press, broadcast sector and the Herald group. Its earnings premium reflects Glasgow's competitive media market and strong graduate employment rates. Strathclyde achieves 84% teaching quality and 91% academic support — solid course delivery. Its joint 27th position reflects a low sustainability index and social life score rather than poor course quality.
University of West London at 11th achieves 100% on both teaching quality and academic support — and produces graduates earning £21,500. UWL's journalism programme is based in London and benefits from proximity to the capital's media sector, with strong industry practitioner involvement in teaching. It ranks 11th rather than higher because London's cost of living is maximum (91 — joint highest). For students who want 100% course delivery scores with London industry access, UWL offers a compelling data profile. University of Sunderland (7th) achieves 98% teaching quality — the highest outside UWL and Worcester — and its journalism programme has historically strong newspaper and broadcast connections in the North East.
Course quality warnings in the middle of the table
University of Leicester (joint 37th) achieves 62% teaching quality — the lowest in this entire 59-university field by a significant margin. The next-lowest teaching quality is University of Chester at 73%. Leicester's journalism programme is offered as part of its Media and Communication School; the course delivery data warrants scrutiny for applicants attracted to Leicester by its overall university reputation. University of Brighton (35th) has the lowest academic support at 63% — again, substantially below the field average of approximately 90%.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
