Best Universities for Agriculture in the UK 2027
Newcastle University tops our 2027 agriculture ranking with a score of 32, ahead of the University of Reading in second and Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge campus) in third. Only six UK universities offer agriculture as a standalone undergraduate degree, making this one of the most concentrated subjects in our dataset. With so few options, your choice matters in a very specific way: there is no safety net of 20 similar institutions to fall back on.
Agriculture graduate salaries range from £23,000 (Nottingham Trent) to £32,000 (Newcastle) within six months of graduating. That is a significant gap for a field with only six ranked universities. The type of agricultural career you are aiming for, whether that is farm management, agri-tech, policy or research, will influence which institution suits you best.
To see how these universities compare across all subjects, check the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Agriculture University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£32,000 | 75% | 82% | 97% | 32 |
| 2 | University of Reading Reading |
£30,000 | 74% | 83% | 97% | 29 |
| 3 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£29,000 | 70% | 88% | 90% | 27 |
| 4 | Harper Adams University Newport, Shropshire |
£28,000 | 88% | 84% | 88% | 26 |
| 5 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£23,000 | 76% | 70% | 83% | 22 |
| 6 | Royal Agricultural University Cirencester |
£26,000 | 85% | 70% | 64% | 21 |
What the ranking tells you about studying agriculture
Agriculture is one of the most practically-focused undergraduate degrees in the UK. With only six universities in this ranking, choosing where to study is less about filtering a long list and more about understanding what each institution genuinely offers in terms of farming infrastructure, industry placement networks and graduate outcomes. This ranking scores all six across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Newcastle: strong on outcomes, strong on experience
Newcastle University wins this ranking because it performs consistently well across most metrics. Its graduate earnings of £32,000 are the highest in the field, and its academic support score of 97% is joint-highest alongside Reading. Newcastle's agriculture programmes sit within the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, with access to research farms and strong links to the rural and agri-food industries in the North East. The city scores well for social life and safety compared to other campuses in this ranking.
Harper Adams: the specialist option
Harper Adams University is the only specialist land-based university in the UK and has the highest student satisfaction score in this ranking at 88%. It is a small, campus-based university in rural Shropshire focused almost entirely on agriculture, food, land and veterinary science. Its sustainability score of 21.4 is the lowest in this dataset, reflecting its rural location and single-campus model rather than a lack of environmental commitment. Graduate earnings of £28,000 sit below the top two but well above the sector minimum, and its industry placement record is one of the strongest in UK agriculture education.
Royal Agricultural University (RAU) ranks last overall despite a student satisfaction score of 85% (second-highest in the ranking) and a perfect safety score of 100. Its academic support score of 64% is the lowest in this dataset by a margin, and its graduate earnings of £26,000 sit fifth out of six. RAU is a highly specialist institution with a strong reputation in estate management and rural land management. If you are specifically interested in those areas rather than crop science, environmental agriculture or agri-tech, its specialist focus may be more relevant than its overall rank suggests.
Reading: the research-active alternative to Newcastle
University of Reading finishes second with 29 points, just three behind Newcastle. Its sustainability score of 77.1 is the highest in this entire ranking by a significant margin, which reflects both its research activity in environmental and food sciences and its campus infrastructure. Reading's agriculture programmes benefit from on-site research farms and strong connections to the food science, nutrition and agri-policy sectors. For students interested in the environmental or scientific side of agriculture rather than farm management, Reading's research profile makes it a strong option.
For a broader picture of how these universities perform outside agriculture, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
