The Best Universities RANKED for Politics in the UK (2024/2025)

Politics is a popular course in the UK, so choosing the right university for you is a big decision. So we’ve decided to help you out by narrowing down the best universities in the UK for studying politics, based on a variety of criteria, including academic reputation, student satisfaction, and research impact. Whether you’re interested in pursuing a career in politics, government, or another related field, the universities on this list provide a solid foundation for your future success.

Best Universities for Politics

• University of Cambridge
• University of St Andrews
• University of Oxford
• University College London
• London School of Economics
• University of Warwick
• University of Durham
• King’s College London
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Bath

1. University of Cambridge

To nobody’s surprise, Cambridge is at the top of The Complete University Guide’s list (which is used throughout this article), boasting a perfect 100% overall score. It ranks highly across all categories, with a 90% rating for entry standards, an 81% rating for research quality and 88% for graduate prospects. It does not have a rating for student satisfaction, though it is unclear why. Regardless, Cambridge provides an outstanding academic experience that you would expect from one of the top universities in the world.

2. University of St Andrews

The first non-English university on the list, St Andrews occupies the second spot on the list of the best universities for politics in the UK. It boasts a high 98% rating for its entry standards, along with the highest level of student satisfaction of any of these ten unis (83%). A 79% rating for research quality and a 94% rating for graduate prospects come together for an overall rating of 100%. As it is a Scottish uni, you have the option to take two additional subjects during your first two years, so if you have another subject you want to take at uni (say, a language for example), you can still study it.

3. University of Oxford

Also relatively unsurprisingly, Oxford is third on the list of the best universities for politics in the UK. Like its Oxbridge counterpart, it does have a rating for student satisfaction of 78%. With an outstanding 99% overall, it boasts a 95% rating for entry standards, an 84% rating for research quality and an 90% rating for graduate prospects. Precisely the kind of thing you would expect from such a world-renowned institution as Oxford.

4. University College London (UCL)

UCL (University College London) is the first London uni on the list. With a 98% overall rating, you can expect an outstanding academic experience at UCL. It actually beats both Oxford and Cambridge in terms of research quality (88%). Its other ratings aren’t too shabby either – 88% for entry standards, 73% for student satisfaction and 91% for graduate prospects. It is the second largest uni in the country by total enrolment and the largest postgrad enrolment, so you’re bound to meet plenty of people here.

5. London School of Economics (LSE)

LSE (the London School of Economics and Political Science) is a specialist school for the social sciences, so perfect for you budding politics students. It has a 97% overall rating, with a 88% for entry standards, 77% for student satisfaction and an 88% rating for research quality and 87% for graduate prospects. LSE is where 19 Nobel prize winners and 52 heads of state did at least some of their education, so there’s a chance you may go to school with a future world leader. You never know.

6. University of Warwick

Occupying spot number six on the list is Warwick. With an 86% rating for research quality, which is better than both Oxbridge unis, there is a lot of outstanding research being undertaken here. Its rankings in the other categories hardly pale in comparison: 80% for entry standards, 81% for student satisfaction and 85% for graduate prospects. All of these come together to give Warwick an 96% overall score. At Warwick, you have the opportunity to take a joint honours degree with many subjects, such as languages (French, German, Italian or Chinese), history, PPE or sociology. Perfect if you can’t quite decide what you want to study at uni.

7. University of Durham

Number seven on the list is Durham. It’s the third oldest university in England (after only Oxford and Cambridge), so there’s plenty of history at this uni. It has an overall rating of 95%, with its highest individual category rating being for entry standards (84%), as you may expect from such a historically well-renowned university as Durham. Its ratings in the other categories are as follows: 75% for student satisfaction, 78% for research quality and 83% for graduate prospects.

8. King’s College London

KCL (Kings College London) is number eight on the list. Located in Strand in Central London, you’ll be right in the heart of London for your studies. The highest rating it has amongst The Complete University Guide’s categories is for overall score (95%). That means that you and your future classmates will be coming in some outstanding results before you even begin your university careers. Its other ratings are 77% for student satisfaction, 82% for both research quality and graduate prospects and 87% for entry standards.

9. University of Edinburgh 

Ninth up on the list is the University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh ranks highly in three of the four categories that The Complete University Guide uses, with a 92% rating for entry standards, 88% for research quality and 82% for graduate prospects. However, it only scores a 72% rating for student satisfaction. Not necessarily a cause for concern, as that’s still a majority that feels satisfied with the teaching on their course, but it is the lowest rating on the list. Like at St Andrews, as it is a Scottish uni, you can take classes in up to two additional subjects over your first two years.

10. University of Bath

Rounding out the top ten of the best universities for politics in the UK is Bath. Along with St Andrews, it’s not officially a Russell Group Uni (like the rest of the unis on this list), but it’s considered an equivalent, so you won’t be missing out on that front. It has an overall rating of 95%, a student satisfaction rating of  74% and graduate prospects of 87%. Entry standards are 78%.

So, that rounds up the list of the ten best universities for politics in the UK. However, there are many other fantastic options to choose from, so it’s always worth doing extra research. Whether that’s visiting universities on open days, talking to friends or family that went there, or finding information online – all sorts of things can help you to make the decision.

If you’re looking for advice on how to make that big decision, check out this list with tips on how to choose your university. And if you want to know more about studying politics, we have a complete guide to help you out.

Politics is a popular course in the UK, so choosing the right university for you is a big decision. So we’ve decided to help you out by narrowing down the best universities in the UK for studying politics, based on a variety of criteria, including academic reputation, student satisfaction, and research impact. Whether you’re interested in pursuing a career in politics, government, or another related field, the universities on this list provide a solid foundation for your future success.