Best Universities for Chemical Engineering in the UK 2027
Swansea University tops our 2027 chemical engineering ranking with 116 points, scoring well across student satisfaction, social life and teaching quality while producing graduates earning £31,500. Newcastle University comes second with 104 points and University of Bath third with 98 points. We ranked 30 UK universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Chemical engineering is one of the most technically demanding degree disciplines in the UK, available at 30 universities in this ranking. Graduate earnings range from £25,000 (Huddersfield) to £35,000 (Edinburgh, Birmingham, Aberdeen). University of Huddersfield ranks 6th overall despite the lowest graduate earnings in the dataset — its 97% academic support and 95% teaching quality are the strongest course delivery scores for any university in the bottom half of the earnings table. University of Exeter ranks joint 9th but has the lowest teaching quality score in the field at 59%. That is a meaningful data point for applicants.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Chemical Engineering University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swansea University Swansea |
£31,500 | 79% | 94% | 93% | 116 |
| 2 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£32,000 | 75% | 92% | 96% | 104 |
| 3 | University of Bath Bath |
£33,500 | 80% | 90% | 95% | 98 |
| 4 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£35,000 | 74% | 91% | 93% | 96 |
| 5 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£30,000 | 82% | 88% | 92% | 91 |
| 6 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£25,000 | 74% | 95% | 97% | 90 |
| 7 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh |
£32,000 | 75% | 93% | 94% | 83 |
| 7 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£32,000 | 74% | 75% | 88% | 83 |
| 8 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£34,500 | 75% | 83% | 81% | 81 |
| 8 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£32,000 | 70% | 82% | 88% | 81 |
| 8 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£33,000 | 79% | 59% | 68% | 81 |
| 9 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£30,000 | 78% | 98% | 100% | 80 |
| 10 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£31,000 | 68% | 91% | 100% | 79 |
| 10 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£34,500 | 74% | 84% | 89% | 79 |
| 11 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£35,000 | 72% | 88% | 90% | 76 |
| 11 | University of Bradford Bradford |
£29,000 | 71% | 88% | 90% | 76 |
| 11 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£30,000 | 73% | 78% | 85% | 76 |
| 11 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£30,000 | 73% | 77% | 85% | 76 |
| 12 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£32,000 | 78% | 86% | 83% | 75 |
| 13 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£35,000 | 76% | 84% | 82% | 74 |
| 14 | University of Chester Chester |
£31,000 | 78% | 69% | 96% | 72 |
| 15 | University of the West of Scotland Glasgow |
£30,000 | 73% | 87% | 97% | 71 |
| 15 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£34,500 | 75% | 85% | 80% | 71 |
| 16 | University of Hull Hull |
£30,000 | 76% | 98% | 86% | 67 |
| 16 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£33,000 | 76% | 89% | 77% | 67 |
| 17 | University of Greenwich London |
£30,000 | 69% | 80% | 78% | 58 |
| 17 | UCL (University College London) London |
£34,000 | 68% | 64% | 79% | 58 |
| 18 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£30,000 | 69% | 80% | 82% | 55 |
| 19 | London South Bank University London |
£31,000 | 68% | 75% | 95% | 43 |
| 20 | University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton |
£30,000 | 71% | 76% | 82% | 40 |
What the ranking tells you about studying chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is one of the most technically demanding and consistently well-paid engineering disciplines in the UK. Only 30 universities offer it, and the differences between programmes — in laboratory infrastructure, industry placement networks, accreditation depth and graduate outcomes — are significant. This ranking scores all 30 on the metrics that reflect both academic experience and student life, not just research output or institutional prestige.
Swansea leads: what the data shows and what it does not
Swansea University tops this ranking with 116 points — the clearest margin of any subject in our engineering suite this year. Its 94% teaching quality and 93% academic support are among the best in the field, its student satisfaction score of 79% is the joint-highest in the ranking, and its sustainability score (69.3) is the highest of any university in this table. Graduate earnings of £31,500 are solid but not the highest. Swansea's chemical engineering programme benefits from close ties to the petrochemical and process industries in South Wales and a research environment connected to materials science and low-carbon technology. Newcastle (2nd) and Bath (3rd) also offer strong all-round packages, with Bath producing the joint-highest teaching satisfaction scores in the top three.
The Exeter anomaly: read before applying
University of Exeter ranks joint 8th with 81 points, which places it alongside Sheffield and Manchester in this table. However, its teaching quality score of 59% is the lowest in the entire ranking by a significant margin — the next-lowest is UCL at 64%. Its academic support score of 68% is also the second-lowest in the field. Exeter's chemical engineering programme is relatively new and may still be developing its infrastructure and teaching profile. Graduate earnings of £33,000 reflect strong employability outcomes. For students specifically choosing Exeter for chemical engineering, these teaching and support metrics are worth taking seriously before applying, even if the overall ranking position looks competitive.
Huddersfield at 6th: the most underrated chemical engineering programme in the UK. University of Huddersfield achieves 97% academic support and 95% teaching quality — the second and third-highest in the entire ranking. Its student satisfaction of 74% is reasonable. The factor that limits its overall position is graduate earnings (£25,000, the lowest in the dataset) and a safety score that is the lowest in this field. The earnings figure reflects the types of process engineering and chemical manufacturing roles that Huddersfield graduates typically enter in the Yorkshire industrial corridor, which are well-paying long-term but lower in the six-month salary snapshot this ranking uses. If course delivery quality is your primary criterion, Huddersfield's data is not matched by any institution in the top five.
IChemE accreditation: what to check before applying
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) accredits chemical engineering programmes in the UK. An IChemE-accredited MEng is the standard pathway to Chartered Chemical Engineer (CEng) status. A BEng from an accredited programme can lead to Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status, with further learning required for CEng. All established chemical engineering departments in this ranking should hold IChemE accreditation, but confirm this directly on the IChemE website for the specific programme before applying, as accreditation status can change. Some universities in this ranking offer chemical engineering as a pathway within a broader engineering or science programme — check whether the standalone chemical engineering degree or your intended pathway holds specific accreditation.
Lancaster at 5th: the highest satisfaction in the ranking
Lancaster University ranks 5th with 91 points and the highest student satisfaction score in this ranking at 82%. Its academic support (92%) and teaching quality (88%) are both strong. Graduate earnings of £30,000 are mid-table for chemical engineering. Lancaster's programme has strong links to the process industries in the North West and benefits from the university's broader engineering and environmental research environment. For students who prioritise the learning experience over maximising starting salary, Lancaster's combination of high satisfaction, strong teaching and a genuinely pleasant campus makes it one of the most compelling overall packages in this ranking.
For a broader view of how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data across engineering subjects, see the employability ranking.
