Best Universities for Cyber Security in the UK 2027
University of Plymouth tops our 2027 cyber security ranking with 174 points, achieving 98% on both teaching quality and academic support — the joint-highest double in the field. Northumbria University and University of Worcester come joint second with 167 points each. We ranked 58 UK universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Cyber security graduate earnings range from £23,000 (Glyndwr) to £35,000 — the latter achieved by University of York (11th), Kingston (14th), Kent (22nd), Royal Holloway (29th) and Warwick (35th). University of Warwick ranks 35th overall despite producing the highest-earning graduates in the field — its teaching quality of 48% and academic support of 58% are the lowest scores in this entire ranking by a significant margin. University of Winchester (33rd) achieves 82% student satisfaction alongside 57% teaching quality — the second-lowest in the field. University of East London (31st) achieves 98% on both teaching quality and academic support despite ranking in the bottom third of the table.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Cyber Security University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£32,500 | 75% | 98% | 98% | 174 |
| 2 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£27,500 | 74% | 87% | 93% | 167 |
| 2 | University of Worcester Worcester |
£30,000 | 79% | 92% | 80% | 167 |
| 3 | Edge Hill University Ormskirk |
£26,500 | 83% | 79% | 92% | 157 |
| 4 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£30,000 | 79% | 80% | 90% | 151 |
| 5 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£29,500 | 72% | 78% | 92% | 147 |
| 6 | University of the West of England, Bristol Bristol |
£29,000 | 74% | 72% | 90% | 144 |
| 7 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£28,000 | 78% | 73% | 81% | 142 |
| 8 | Bournemouth University Bournemouth |
£28,000 | 71% | 80% | 81% | 140 |
| 9 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£33,500 | 82% | 80% | 89% | 139 |
| 9 | Robert Gordon University Aberdeen |
£26,000 | 77% | 85% | 90% | 139 |
| 10 | University of South Wales Pontypridd |
£25,000 | 72% | 83% | 83% | 137 |
| 11 | Glyndwr University, Wrexham Wrexham |
£23,000 | 74% | 71% | 85% | 136 |
| 11 | University of York York |
£35,000 | 77% | 73% | 87% | 136 |
| 11 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£30,000 | 73% | 86% | 83% | 136 |
| 11 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David Lampeter / Carmarthen / Swansea |
£27,000 | 79% | 89% | 90% | 136 |
| 12 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£31,000 | 74% | 93% | 93% | 135 |
| 13 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£28,000 | 76% | 77% | 85% | 133 |
| 14 | Kingston University Kingston upon Thames |
£35,000 | 71% | 79% | 90% | 131 |
| 15 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford |
£30,000 | 74% | 73% | 89% | 130 |
| 15 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£26,000 | 70% | 84% | 88% | 130 |
| 15 | University of West London London |
£27,000 | 72% | 90% | 86% | 130 |
| 16 | York St John University York |
£26,000 | 80% | 66% | 68% | 128 |
| 17 | Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff |
£24,500 | 75% | 58% | 78% | 127 |
| 17 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£28,000 | 70% | 75% | 77% | 127 |
| 17 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£30,000 | 81% | 76% | 84% | 127 |
| 18 | Leeds Beckett University Leeds |
£27,000 | 70% | 77% | 87% | 126 |
| 19 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£32,500 | 78% | 79% | 89% | 125 |
| 20 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£27,000 | 73% | 77% | 70% | 123 |
| 21 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£28,000 | 72% | 81% | 85% | 122 |
| 22 | University of Kent Canterbury |
£35,000 | 72% | 72% | 72% | 121 |
| 22 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£34,000 | 73% | 83% | 88% | 121 |
| 23 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£30,000 | 75% | 68% | 77% | 120 |
| 24 | University of Salford Salford |
£27,000 | 73% | 77% | 74% | 119 |
| 24 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£27,500 | 69% | 84% | 82% | 119 |
| 25 | Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow |
£26,000 | 71% | 77% | 77% | 118 |
| 26 | University of Greenwich London |
£30,000 | 69% | 77% | 83% | 116 |
| 27 | University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham / Gloucester |
£31,000 | 76% | 65% | 73% | 114 |
| 28 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£32,000 | 77% | 86% | 87% | 113 |
| 29 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£35,000 | 74% | 67% | 67% | 112 |
| 29 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£26,000 | 73% | 68% | 68% | 112 |
| 30 | Solent University Southampton |
£27,000 | 71% | 94% | 94% | 108 |
| 31 | University of Derby Derby |
£29,500 | 74% | 83% | 67% | 107 |
| 31 | University of East London London |
£27,000 | 68% | 98% | 96% | 107 |
| 32 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh |
£33,000 | 75% | 75% | 80% | 104 |
| 33 | University of Winchester Winchester |
£27,000 | 82% | 57% | 75% | 98 |
| 34 | University of the West of Scotland Glasgow |
£25,500 | 73% | 80% | 90% | 93 |
| 34 | City St George's, University of London London |
£30,000 | 67% | 93% | 89% | 93 |
| 35 | University of Warwick Coventry |
£35,000 | 74% | 48% | 58% | 90 |
| 36 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£25,000 | 78% | 84% | 86% | 86 |
| 37 | University of Bradford Bradford |
£29,000 | 71% | 64% | 64% | 85 |
| 38 | Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent |
£25,000 | 72% | 74% | 81% | 84 |
| 38 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£25,000 | 71% | 83% | 73% | 84 |
| 39 | Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe |
£25,000 | 70% | 70% | 90% | 78 |
| 40 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£35,000 | 75% | 68% | 68% | 74 |
| 40 | Middlesex University Middlesex |
£27,000 | 69% | 80% | 76% | 74 |
| 41 | University of Westminster London |
£27,000 | 68% | 77% | 74% | 71 |
| 42 | London Metropolitan University London |
£29,000 | 66% | 77% | 77% | 60 |
What the ranking tells you about studying cyber security
Cyber security is one of the fastest-growing technology disciplines in the UK, with 58 universities now offering it as a standalone degree. Graduate demand significantly outstrips supply in areas including penetration testing, security operations, cloud security and threat intelligence. This ranking scores all 58 universities on eight metrics, giving you comparative data that includes some genuinely important warnings about course delivery quality at institutions that appear competitive on graduate earnings alone.
Plymouth at 1st: the strongest course delivery in the field
University of Plymouth tops this ranking with 174 points and achieves 98% on both teaching quality and academic support — the highest double in the entire field. Its graduate earnings of £32,500 are the joint-highest outside the £35,000 cluster. Plymouth's cyber security programme is one of the most established in the UK, with close ties to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), GCHQ-certified degree status and strong lab infrastructure for offensive and defensive security training. Its overall position is helped by Plymouth's relatively affordable cost of living, high social life scores and a good safety record. For students who want both a strong teaching environment and a programme with credible industry accreditation, Plymouth's data profile is the most compelling in this ranking.
University of Warwick at 35th: the most important anomaly in the ranking
University of Warwick ranks 35th overall with 90 points. It produces graduates earning £35,000 — joint-highest in the field. But it achieves 48% teaching quality and 58% academic support — the lowest scores in this entire ranking on both metrics. No other university in the table comes close: the next-lowest teaching quality score is Winchester at 57%, and the next-lowest academic support is Bradford at 64%. For a highly technical degree where quality of instruction, lab access and expert guidance directly affect how practically skilled you become, those scores represent a significant risk. The £35,000 graduate earnings reflect Warwick's brand and the ability of its graduates to access premium tech sector roles — but they do not reflect the course delivery quality that students actually experience during their degree.
University of East London at 31st, 98% teaching quality. University of East London ranks 31st overall with 107 points — low in the table. But it achieves 98% teaching quality and 96% academic support, identical to Plymouth's course delivery profile and higher than every other institution in the ranking. Its low overall position reflects London's cost of living, a lower sustainability score and low student satisfaction (68%). For students who are based in London, can manage London costs, and want a programme with exceptional course delivery metrics in a field where practical skills are the primary currency, UEL's data is worth examining before writing it off on rank position alone.
NCSC-certified degrees: the most important pre-application check
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) — part of GCHQ — certifies undergraduate cyber security degrees that meet specific standards for technical curriculum, assessment rigour and lab provision. An NCSC-certified degree is the recognised quality benchmark in UK cyber security education and is specifically valued by employers in government, defence, financial services and critical national infrastructure. Not all universities offering cyber security hold NCSC certification, and some hold it for their MSc but not their undergraduate programme. Before applying to any cyber security programme, check the NCSC website directly to confirm certification status for the specific degree title. The rank position a programme holds in this or any other ranking does not substitute for this check.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data, see the employability ranking.
