Best Universities for Art and Design in the UK 2027
Glasgow Caledonian University tops our 2027 art and design ranking with 65 points, achieving 100% on academic support and 98% on teaching quality while performing strongly across social life, safety and graduate earnings. Glyndwr University, Wrexham comes second with 63 points and Lancaster University third with 57. We ranked 13 universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Art and design at degree level is available at well over 50 UK institutions, but our dataset for this broad subject grouping covers 13 universities with comparable programme profiles. Graduate earnings range from £17,500 (Bedfordshire) to £31,000 (Brunel) — a wide spread that reflects the range of sectors art and design graduates enter. University of Reading produces the highest sustainability score in this field at 77.1, yet ranks 6th overall. Goldsmiths, joint-9th, remains one of the most internationally recognised names in fine art and contemporary practice despite sitting in the lower half of this table.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Art and Design University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow |
£28,000 | 71% | 98% | 100% | 65 |
| 2 | Glyndwr University, Wrexham Wrexham |
£23,000 | 74% | 95% | 90% | 63 |
| 3 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£27,000 | 82% | 82% | 95% | 57 |
| 4 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£21,000 | 74% | 90% | 90% | 56 |
| 5 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David Lampeter / Carmarthen / Swansea |
£24,000 | 79% | 87% | 89% | 52 |
| 6 | University of Reading Reading |
£26,500 | 74% | 81% | 83% | 51 |
| 7 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£24,000 | 69% | 89% | 97% | 48 |
| 8 | Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent |
£23,500 | 72% | 88% | 90% | 47 |
| 9 | Goldsmiths, University of London London |
£26,000 | 64% | 94% | 97% | 42 |
| 10 | University of Stirling Stirling |
£23,500 | 78% | 84% | 86% | 41 |
| 11 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£31,000 | 68% | 80% | 90% | 38 |
| 12 | University of Bedfordshire Luton |
£17,500 | 68% | 86% | 77% | 36 |
| 13 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£24,500 | 71% | 71% | 63% | 32 |
What the ranking tells you about studying art and design
Art and design is a broad subject grouping that covers everything from fine art and illustration to product design, graphic design and textile design. The 13 universities in this ranking represent programmes with comparable breadth. More specialist subject rankings — animation, fashion, architecture — cover the narrower disciplines separately. This ranking is most relevant for applicants considering a broad art and design degree or who have not yet committed to a specialist pathway.
Why Glasgow Caledonian and Glyndwr lead this field
Glasgow Caledonian and Glyndwr, Wrexham are not the names most applicants would put at the top of an art and design shortlist. Yet both significantly outperform better-known institutions in this ranking. Glasgow Caledonian scores 100% on academic support and 98% on teaching quality, while benefiting from a city with a strong contemporary arts scene and graduate earnings of £28,000 — the joint-highest in this dataset alongside Reading's £26,500 on a lower overall score. Glyndwr scores 95% on teaching quality and 90% on academic support, with reasonable cost of living and a safety score above the field average. Both are examples of institutions where course delivery data tells a genuinely different story from brand reputation alone.
Lancaster: the highest satisfaction in the field
Lancaster University ranks 3rd with the highest student satisfaction score in this ranking at 82% — nine points above the field average. Its academic support score of 95% is the second-highest in the dataset. Lancaster's art and design provision sits within a broader humanities and social sciences context, which gives students access to interdisciplinary study alongside specialist studio practice. Graduate earnings of £27,000 are strong for this subject grouping. For students who want a research-active university environment with high-quality teaching, Lancaster is the standout on those criteria.
Goldsmiths ranks 9th despite an international reputation in fine art and contemporary practice. Its student satisfaction score of 64% is the lowest in this ranking, and London's cost of living (index 91 — most expensive bracket) significantly reduces its total score. Graduate earnings of £26,000 are mid-table. Goldsmiths' reputation is built around its research culture, its alumni — Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Steve McQueen — and its position within the London art world. For students who want access to that network and are committed to fine art practice, those factors are real and this ranking does not capture them. For students who want a strong teaching environment, high satisfaction and value for money, the data points elsewhere.
Brunel: the earnings outlier
Brunel University ranks 11th overall but produces the highest-earning art and design graduates in this dataset at £31,000 — £3,000 more than the next highest. Brunel's art and design programmes have a strong product and industrial design focus, which feeds into well-paid roles in manufacturing, automotive, tech and consumer goods sectors. If your interest is in design that intersects with engineering and product development, Brunel's salary outcomes reflect real market demand in those areas. Its lower ranking reflects cost of living (West London campus), lower student satisfaction (68%) and a safety index that costs it points.
For a broader view of how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
