Best Universities for Biochemistry in the UK 2027
Durham University tops our 2027 biochemistry ranking with 172 points, scoring consistently across all eight metrics and producing graduates earning £28,500 within six months. Swansea University comes second with 163 points — achieving 100% on academic support — and University of Lincoln is third with 158 points and the second-highest teaching quality score in the field at 98%. We ranked 60 UK universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Biochemistry graduate earnings range from £20,500 (Glyndwr) to £33,000 (Imperial College London). Imperial ranks 38th overall, held down almost entirely by London's cost of living. The spread reflects the variety of careers biochemistry graduates enter — from pharmaceutical research and clinical roles to science communication, biotech and postgraduate study. Your choice of institution shapes more than your starting salary: it determines the laboratory infrastructure, research environment and industry connections available during your degree.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Biochemistry University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham University Durham |
£28,500 | 78% | 93% | 95% | 172 |
| 2 | Swansea University Swansea |
£22,500 | 79% | 86% | 100% | 163 |
| 3 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£23,500 | 78% | 98% | 96% | 158 |
| 4 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£26,500 | 79% | 94% | 86% | 157 |
| 4 | Glyndwr University, Wrexham Wrexham |
£20,500 | 74% | 96% | 100% | 157 |
| 5 | Edge Hill University Ormskirk |
£24,000 | 83% | 95% | 88% | 154 |
| 6 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£26,500 | 73% | 96% | 90% | 151 |
| 7 | University of Worcester Worcester |
£25,000 | 79% | 90% | 77% | 147 |
| 8 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£25,000 | 74% | 78% | 91% | 145 |
| 8 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£27,500 | 71% | 91% | 96% | 145 |
| 9 | University of Reading Reading |
£24,000 | 74% | 86% | 89% | 138 |
| 9 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£27,000 | 76% | 90% | 88% | 138 |
| 9 | University of St Andrews St Andrews |
£30,000 | 84% | 92% | 96% | 138 |
| 9 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£26,000 | 71% | 94% | 82% | 138 |
| 10 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£29,000 | 73% | 84% | 89% | 137 |
| 11 | University of Kent Canterbury |
£26,500 | 72% | 96% | 91% | 136 |
| 12 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£26,000 | 74% | 89% | 100% | 135 |
| 12 | University of Sunderland Sunderland |
£22,500 | 74% | 90% | 100% | 135 |
| 12 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£25,000 | 73% | 92% | 96% | 135 |
| 13 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£25,000 | 82% | 95% | 95% | 134 |
| 14 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£26,000 | 79% | 88% | 82% | 131 |
| 15 | University of York York |
£28,000 | 77% | 93% | 85% | 129 |
| 16 | University of Warwick Coventry |
£30,500 | 74% | 94% | 94% | 128 |
| 17 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£30,000 | 74% | 78% | 86% | 125 |
| 17 | University of Bath Bath |
£30,000 | 80% | 83% | 92% | 125 |
| 17 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£24,500 | 75% | 94% | 97% | 125 |
| 18 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£25,000 | 75% | 95% | 73% | 122 |
| 19 | University of Essex Colchester |
£28,500 | 74% | 80% | 80% | 120 |
| 20 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£25,500 | 72% | 68% | 80% | 117 |
| 21 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£32,000 | 70% | 80% | 82% | 116 |
| 22 | King's College London London |
£30,000 | 67% | 89% | 84% | 114 |
| 23 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£25,000 | 73% | 95% | 95% | 113 |
| 24 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£32,000 | 69% | 89% | 95% | 110 |
| 25 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£24,500 | 81% | 77% | 85% | 109 |
| 25 | University of Bedfordshire Luton |
£23,000 | 68% | 84% | 89% | 109 |
| 25 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£26,500 | 78% | 86% | 94% | 109 |
| 25 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£30,000 | 74% | 87% | 84% | 109 |
| 26 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£28,000 | 71% | 83% | 81% | 108 |
| 26 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£25,500 | 75% | 92% | 92% | 108 |
| 27 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£25,000 | 76% | 85% | 100% | 106 |
| 27 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£28,000 | 75% | 92% | 92% | 106 |
| 28 | Kingston University Kingston upon Thames |
£23,000 | 71% | 83% | 100% | 105 |
| 29 | University of Salford Salford |
£25,000 | 73% | 73% | 73% | 104 |
| 29 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£24,500 | 77% | 92% | 98% | 104 |
| 30 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£26,500 | 74% | 88% | 90% | 102 |
| 31 | UCL (University College London) London |
£30,500 | 68% | 82% | 79% | 100 |
| 32 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£28,000 | 68% | 83% | 95% | 99 |
| 33 | Aston University Birmingham |
£27,500 | 75% | 92% | 96% | 95 |
| 33 | Middlesex University Middlesex |
£26,000 | 69% | 100% | 95% | 95 |
| 34 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£25,000 | 77% | 81% | 86% | 91 |
| 35 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£22,000 | 74% | 72% | 88% | 89 |
| 35 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£27,000 | 75% | 98% | 82% | 85 |
| 36 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£27,000 | 72% | 83% | 87% | 83 |
| 36 | University of Hull Hull |
£27,000 | 76% | 91% | 88% | 83 |
| 37 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£28,500 | 76% | 84% | 76% | 82 |
| 37 | University of Dundee Dundee |
£22,500 | 75% | 88% | 88% | 82 |
| 38 | Imperial College London London |
£33,000 | 66% | 86% | 82% | 78 |
| 39 | University of East London London |
£30,000 | 68% | 80% | 80% | 75 |
| 40 | University of Westminster London |
£28,000 | 68% | 87% | 76% | 74 |
| 41 | London Metropolitan University London |
£22,000 | 66% | 86% | 83% | 45 |
What the ranking tells you about studying biochemistry
Biochemistry sits at the intersection of biology and chemistry, covering molecular biology, genetics, cell signalling, enzymology and metabolism. It is one of the most versatile science degrees in the UK, feeding into medical research, pharmaceutical development, biotech, clinical science and postgraduate study in medicine and dentistry. This ranking scores all 60 universities across eight metrics that reflect both the quality of the academic environment and the practicalities of student life. Research reputation is not the only thing that matters — and for biochemistry, it frequently is not the deciding factor on outcomes.
Durham leads, but Swansea and Lincoln make the stronger argument
Durham University tops this ranking with a balanced score across all eight metrics. Its graduate earnings of £28,500 are strong, and its academic support (95%) and teaching quality (93%) scores are among the best in the top 10. That is the expected picture from a Russell Group university with an established biochemistry department. What is less expected is Swansea at 2nd (100% academic support) and Lincoln at 3rd (98% teaching quality, 96% academic support) — both significantly outperforming institutions like Manchester (21st), Edinburgh (25th) and Southampton (37th) on the metrics that most directly affect your experience on the course. For students who are open to non-traditional names, the gap in course quality metrics is real and substantial.
The London and Imperial paradox
Imperial College London produces the highest-earning biochemistry graduates in this dataset at £33,000 and ranks 38th overall. Queen Mary (£32,000) ranks 24th. Manchester (£32,000) ranks 21st. King's College London (£30,000) ranks 22nd. UCL (£30,500) ranks 31st. All five are held down significantly by London's cost of living index (91 — the highest in the dataset). For a student who is certain they want to work in London's pharmaceutical, biotech or NHS research sector after graduating, Imperial's research environment and industry connections carry real weight that this ranking cannot fully score. But on the measurable experience metrics — student satisfaction, teaching quality, academic support — Imperial scores 66%, 86% and 82% respectively. That is below the field average for satisfaction and mid-table for teaching.
St Andrews ranks joint 9th with 138 points, achieving 84% student satisfaction — the second-highest in this ranking — and 96% academic support. Graduate earnings of £30,000 are strong for a university outside London. St Andrews has a very low sustainability score (28.4 — second-lowest in the dataset) which costs it points, but its biochemistry programme benefits from a small, research-intensive environment and high-quality staff contact. For students who want a strong academic culture with excellent teaching metrics and are comfortable with a non-urban campus, St Andrews is one of the most compelling options in this ranking that often gets overlooked in favour of larger institutions.
Edge Hill and Worcester: the satisfaction leaders
Edge Hill University ranks 5th with the highest student satisfaction score in this entire ranking at 83%. University of Worcester ranks 7th with satisfaction of 79% and the joint-highest sustainability score in the top 10. Both are teaching-focused universities where biochemistry students benefit from smaller cohorts, accessible staff and well-structured practical teaching. Graduate earnings are lower than the research-intensive names (Edge Hill £24,000, Worcester £25,000) but the teaching quality and student experience metrics are genuinely strong. For students who want to use their biochemistry degree as a foundation for postgraduate study in pharmacy, medicine or research, the quality of your undergraduate preparation matters — and both institutions deliver that effectively.
For a broader view of how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data across all science subjects, see the employability ranking.
