Best Universities for Classics in the UK 2027
Durham University tops our 2027 classics ranking with 86 points, achieving 98% academic support, 92% teaching quality and the joint-highest graduate earnings in the field at £32,000. Swansea University comes second with 80 points and University of Lincoln third with 76 points — edging ahead of Exeter in fourth. We ranked 20 UK universities offering classics degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Oxford ranks 9th and Cambridge 10th in this ranking. Both are held down by cost of living and sustainability scores rather than course quality — their teaching quality and academic support scores are both strong. Graduate earnings range from £23,000 (Swansea, Reading, Manchester, Nottingham) to £32,000 (Durham). UCL ranks last with the lowest academic support (75%) and lowest teaching quality (79%) in the field. With only 20 universities offering classics, every position is worth examining carefully.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Classics University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham University Durham |
£32,000 | 78% | 92% | 98% | 86 |
| 2 | Swansea University Swansea |
£23,000 | 79% | 95% | 96% | 80 |
| 3 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£26,500 | 78% | 89% | 100% | 76 |
| 4 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£24,000 | 79% | 91% | 92% | 71 |
| 5 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£26,500 | 74% | 93% | 99% | 66 |
| 6 | University of Reading Reading |
£23,000 | 74% | 95% | 96% | 64 |
| 7 | University of Winchester Winchester |
£25,000 | 82% | 100% | 100% | 63 |
| 8 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£28,000 | 73% | 90% | 79% | 61 |
| 8 | University of Kent Canterbury |
£25,500 | 72% | 96% | 96% | 61 |
| 8 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£23,000 | 70% | 100% | 100% | 61 |
| 9 | University of Oxford Oxford |
£28,000 | 76% | 93% | 93% | 60 |
| 10 | University of Cambridge Cambridge |
£30,000 | 76% | 96% | 99% | 59 |
| 11 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£25,000 | 71% | 93% | 91% | 58 |
| 12 | King's College London London |
£29,000 | 67% | 91% | 100% | 56 |
| 12 | University of Warwick Coventry |
£24,000 | 74% | 95% | 97% | 56 |
| 13 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£25,000 | 74% | 90% | 87% | 54 |
| 15 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£26,000 | 75% | 87% | 87% | 46 |
| 16 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£23,000 | 74% | 88% | 98% | 45 |
| 17 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£27,000 | 72% | 89% | 88% | 40 |
| 18 | UCL (University College London) London |
£29,000 | 68% | 79% | 75% | 39 |
What the ranking tells you about studying classics
Classics is one of the most specialist undergraduate degrees in the UK, available at only 20 universities in this ranking. That concentration has significant implications: competition for places is intense at the most prestigious departments, the size of cohorts is small and the variation in what is offered under the "classics" label — from ancient languages to Greek and Roman history to classical archaeology — is substantial. This ranking compares all 20 on the same eight metrics, giving you a data-driven basis for comparison that goes beyond institutional reputation.
Winchester: 100% on both course delivery metrics
University of Winchester ranks 7th overall with 63 points and is the only university in this ranking to achieve 100% on both teaching quality and academic support simultaneously. It also has the highest student satisfaction score in the field at 82%. Graduate earnings of £25,000 sit mid-table. Winchester's classics programme is small and teaching-intensive, with a strong focus on the reception of classical culture and its connections to literature, philosophy and history. Its low cost of living, strong safety score and high satisfaction make it one of the most compelling overall student experience packages in this ranking — and one of the least frequently mentioned in classics guidance.
Oxford at 9th and Cambridge at 10th: the honest picture
Oxford (9th, 60 points) and Cambridge (10th, 59 points) both score well on course delivery — Oxford achieves 93% teaching quality and 93% academic support; Cambridge achieves 96% teaching quality and 99% academic support. Cambridge produces graduates earning £30,000 (the second-highest in this ranking) and Oxford £28,000. Their ranking positions reflect the cost of living in their respective cities and sustainability scores rather than academic weakness. For students who can get an offer at Oxford or Cambridge, the tutorial and supervision systems, the depth of the classical collections and libraries, and the postgraduate research networks are genuine advantages that this ranking does not fully capture. The data gives you context; it does not make the case against applying to Oxbridge for classics.
UCL ranks last with 39 points, the lowest teaching quality in this field (79%) and the lowest academic support (75%). UCL's classics department has significant research strength and graduate earnings of £29,000 are among the highest in the ranking. But the student satisfaction score of 68% and course delivery scores that sit below every other university in this ranking are a significant contrast with its institutional reputation. For a subject as small and teaching-intensive as classics — where your relationship with your tutors directly shapes your degree — these scores carry more weight than they would in a large, lecture-driven department.
Manchester and Lincoln: the teaching quality standouts
University of Manchester (joint 8th) achieves 100% teaching quality alongside 100% academic support — the strongest combination in the ranking alongside Winchester. Its graduate earnings of £23,000 are the joint-lowest in the field, but its student satisfaction of 70% is mid-table and its social life score (85/100) is the highest in this ranking. University of Lincoln (3rd) achieves 100% academic support and 89% teaching quality, with graduate earnings of £26,500 that sit above the field average. Both are examples of departments where the course delivery data tells a very different story from the institutional reputation — and for classics specifically, the teaching relationship matters.
For a broader view of how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
