Best Universities for Music in the UK 2027
Durham University tops our 2027 music ranking with 159 points, achieving 100% academic support and 97% teaching quality. Bath Spa University comes second with 151 points and 94% academic support. York St John University is third with 143 points, the highest student satisfaction in the field at 80%. We ranked 56 UK universities offering music degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Music graduate earnings range from £17,000 (University for the Creative Arts) to £30,000 (University of Brighton, 10th and University of Surrey, joint 15th). University of Brighton (10th) achieves 99% teaching quality. University of Sheffield (joint 13th), University of Surrey (joint 15th), University of Aberdeen (18th) and University of Glasgow (joint 21st) all achieve 100% academic support. Anglia Ruskin University (35th) has the lowest academic support (36%) and lowest teaching quality (30%) by a very large margin — the most extreme course delivery outlier in this ranking series.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Music University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham University Durham |
£24,000 | 78% | 97% | 100% | 159 |
| 2 | Bath Spa University Bath |
£28,500 | 79% | 91% | 94% | 151 |
| 3 | York St John University York |
£23,500 | 80% | 93% | 88% | 143 |
| 4 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£18,500 | 74% | 91% | 94% | 140 |
| 5 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£24,000 | 73% | 92% | 95% | 138 |
| 6 | Bangor University Bangor |
£22,500 | 76% | 83% | 96% | 137 |
| 7 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£23,000 | 71% | 96% | 93% | 133 |
| 8 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£24,000 | 78% | 85% | 89% | 130 |
| 9 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£24,000 | 71% | 88% | 93% | 129 |
| 10 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£30,000 | 72% | 99% | 94% | 128 |
| 11 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£26,000 | 74% | 85% | 96% | 126 |
| 11 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£25,000 | 70% | 91% | 95% | 126 |
| 12 | Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh |
£24,000 | 72% | 91% | 94% | 124 |
| 12 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£24,000 | 69% | 94% | 96% | 124 |
| 13 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£25,000 | 76% | 86% | 84% | 123 |
| 13 | University of Oxford Oxford |
£26,000 | 76% | 91% | 90% | 123 |
| 13 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£23,500 | 75% | 96% | 100% | 123 |
| 14 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£22,000 | 75% | 87% | 95% | 122 |
| 15 | University of York York |
£24,000 | 77% | 87% | 94% | 120 |
| 15 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£30,000 | 78% | 95% | 100% | 120 |
| 15 | University of Derby Derby |
£22,000 | 74% | 99% | 97% | 120 |
| 16 | University of Greenwich London |
£25,000 | 69% | 92% | 93% | 115 |
| 17 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£20,000 | 73% | 85% | 90% | 114 |
| 18 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£24,000 | 76% | 94% | 100% | 113 |
| 19 | University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham / Gloucester |
£26,000 | 76% | 83% | 83% | 112 |
| 19 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£25,000 | 71% | 88% | 89% | 112 |
| 20 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£26,000 | 74% | 79% | 85% | 111 |
| 20 | University of Cambridge Cambridge |
£27,000 | 76% | 97% | 97% | 111 |
| 21 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£28,000 | 76% | 90% | 96% | 109 |
| 21 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£24,500 | 75% | 90% | 100% | 109 |
| 21 | Coventry University Coventry |
£24,000 | 72% | 92% | 76% | 109 |
| 22 | University of Salford Salford |
£23,500 | 73% | 83% | 76% | 108 |
| 23 | Falmouth University Falmouth |
£24,000 | 82% | 84% | 73% | 106 |
| 24 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£24,500 | 74% | 88% | 85% | 103 |
| 25 | University of South Wales Pontypridd |
£22,500 | 72% | 69% | 73% | 102 |
| 26 | King's College London London |
£24,500 | 67% | 82% | 92% | 101 |
| 26 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£22,000 | 77% | 93% | 91% | 101 |
| 27 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£25,000 | 74% | 89% | 88% | 100 |
| 28 | University of West London London |
£25,000 | 72% | 68% | 89% | 99 |
| 29 | Leeds Art University Leeds |
£19,500 | 86% | 65% | 88% | 95 |
| 29 | University for the Creative Arts Canterbury / Epsom / Farnham / Rochester |
£17,000 | 82% | 76% | 88% | 95 |
| 29 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£25,000 | 68% | 86% | 92% | 95 |
| 30 | Liverpool Hope University Liverpool |
£24,000 | 80% | 86% | 91% | 92 |
| 31 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£23,000 | 72% | 88% | 94% | 91 |
| 32 | University of Chester Chester |
£22,000 | 78% | 78% | 88% | 90 |
| 32 | University of the West of Scotland Glasgow |
£24,500 | 73% | 93% | 93% | 90 |
| 32 | Solent University Southampton |
£22,000 | 71% | 95% | 90% | 90 |
| 34 | University of Winchester Winchester |
£24,000 | 82% | 77% | 69% | 89 |
| 35 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£23,000 | 70% | 30% | 36% | 85 |
| 36 | Middlesex University Middlesex |
£23,000 | 69% | 83% | 92% | 76 |
| 36 | City St George's, University of London London |
£22,500 | 67% | 91% | 95% | 76 |
| 37 | University of East London London |
£25,000 | 68% | 83% | 80% | 74 |
| 38 | University of Chichester Chichester |
£22,000 | 80% | 88% | 90% | 66 |
| 39 | University of Hull Hull |
£22,000 | 76% | 78% | 89% | 65 |
| 40 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£22,000 | 75% | 79% | 77% | 63 |
| 40 | Goldsmiths, University of London London |
£22,500 | 64% | 88% | 93% | 63 |
What the ranking tells you about studying music
Music degrees in the UK range from traditional academic musicology (analysis, history, composition, music theory) to performance-focused programmes, music technology and production degrees, and combinations of all three. With 56 universities in this ranking, the variation in practice room facilities, ensemble infrastructure, studio technology, composition software, placement connections and graduate outcomes is significant. Course delivery scores are particularly meaningful for music — the quality of one-to-one instrumental tuition, studio access, composition feedback and performance opportunities varies enormously.
Anglia Ruskin at 35th: the most extreme course delivery outlier in any subject
Anglia Ruskin University ranks 35th with 85 points and achieves 30% teaching quality and 36% academic support. These are the lowest course delivery scores of any university in any subject across this entire ranking series. The next-lowest teaching quality in this music ranking is University for the Creative Arts at 76% and University of South Wales at 69% — both more than double Anglia Ruskin's score. The next-lowest academic support in this field is University of Winchester at 69%. Anglia Ruskin ranks 35th rather than last because its safety, social life, sustainability and satisfaction scores are reasonable — its 35th position comes despite the course delivery scores, not because of them. For a subject where teaching quality directly determines the quality of ensemble coaching, composition feedback, performance masterclasses and studio instruction, 30% teaching quality requires direct investigation before any application.
University of Brighton at 10th: 99% teaching quality and £30,000 earnings
University of Brighton ranks 10th with 128 points and achieves 99% teaching quality — the highest in the field outside Durham's 97% (which only appears lower because Brighton's score here is 99%). Brighton's music programme combines strong performance and creative music elements with high course delivery scores. It produces graduates earning £30,000 — joint-highest in the field alongside University of Surrey (joint 15th). Brighton's 10th position reflects modest safety and sustainability scores relative to the top-ranked universities. For students who want the strongest teaching quality in music outside the traditional conservatoire route, Brighton's data makes a compelling case.
Cambridge at joint 20th achieves 97% teaching quality and 97% academic support — the strongest course delivery double among the research-intensive universities in this field. Cambridge ranks joint 20th with 111 points because its cost of living and low sustainability and social life scores suppress the overall position. Durham (1st) achieves 100% and 97% but Durham's city metrics are significantly stronger than Cambridge's. For students whose priority is the strongest research-led musicology alongside the best-measured course delivery, Cambridge's data in this field is more compelling than its ranking position suggests. Oxford (joint 13th) achieves 91% and 90% — solid but behind Cambridge on both course delivery metrics.
University versus conservatoire for music: which pathway is right for you?
This ranking covers university music degrees. A parallel pathway in UK music education is the conservatoire — specialist institutions including the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Trinity Laban and Birmingham Conservatoire. Conservatoires focus almost entirely on performance or composition and do not appear in this ranking because their data structures differ from standard universities. If your primary goal is becoming a professional performer or composer, a conservatoire audition should be your first application route alongside university applications. If you want a broader academic engagement with music alongside performance, a university music degree provides more flexibility for careers in music education, arts administration, musicology, music technology and the broader creative industries.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
