Best Universities for Electrical Engineering in the UK 2027
Durham University tops our 2027 electrical engineering ranking with 170 points, combining 94% academic support, 90% teaching quality and strong scores across all student experience metrics. Northumbria University and University of Plymouth are joint second with 163 points each. We ranked 67 UK universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Electrical engineering graduate earnings range from £22,500 (Buckinghamshire New University) to £40,500 (Imperial College London). Imperial ranks joint 43rd overall — London cost of living is the primary factor. University of Bristol (15th) produces the second-highest graduate earnings at £40,000 but has the fourth-lowest teaching quality in the field at 79%. Edinburgh Napier and Glasgow Caledonian both achieve 100% academic support and both rank joint 9th. University of Huddersfield (45th) has the lowest academic support in the ranking at 57% and the joint-lowest teaching quality at 67%.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Electrical Engineering University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durham University Durham |
£32,000 | 78% | 90% | 94% | 170 |
| 2 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£31,000 | 74% | 86% | 94% | 163 |
| 2 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£33,500 | 75% | 91% | 93% | 163 |
| 3 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£33,000 | 79% | 81% | 94% | 161 |
| 4 | University of the West of England, Bristol Bristol |
£31,000 | 74% | 91% | 91% | 157 |
| 5 | Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff |
£23,000 | 75% | 89% | 91% | 154 |
| 6 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£30,500 | 71% | 92% | 93% | 152 |
| 7 | Swansea University Swansea |
£32,000 | 79% | 67% | 82% | 150 |
| 8 | Glyndwr University, Wrexham Wrexham |
£30,000 | 74% | 75% | 96% | 149 |
| 8 | Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh |
£30,500 | 72% | 94% | 100% | 149 |
| 8 | Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow |
£30,000 | 71% | 97% | 100% | 149 |
| 9 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£30,000 | 78% | 85% | 91% | 148 |
| 10 | University of South Wales Pontypridd |
£26,500 | 72% | 94% | 90% | 144 |
| 11 | University of Salford Salford |
£35,000 | 73% | 86% | 86% | 143 |
| 12 | University of York York |
£35,000 | 77% | 88% | 93% | 141 |
| 13 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£32,500 | 73% | 83% | 84% | 140 |
| 14 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£40,000 | 73% | 79% | 77% | 139 |
| 15 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£31,500 | 75% | 83% | 93% | 136 |
| 15 | University of Greenwich London |
£30,000 | 69% | 96% | 95% | 136 |
| 16 | University of Derby Derby |
£32,000 | 74% | 97% | 97% | 135 |
| 17 | UCL (University College London) London |
£37,500 | 68% | 91% | 94% | 133 |
| 18 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£30,500 | 71% | 84% | 88% | 132 |
| 19 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£32,000 | 74% | 85% | 88% | 131 |
| 19 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£35,000 | 70% | 87% | 85% | 131 |
| 20 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£30,000 | 79% | 80% | 88% | 129 |
| 20 | Leeds Beckett University Leeds |
£29,500 | 70% | 87% | 94% | 129 |
| 21 | University of West London London |
£29,500 | 72% | 88% | 90% | 127 |
| 21 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David Lampeter / Carmarthen / Swansea |
£25,000 | 79% | 98% | 98% | 127 |
| 22 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£29,500 | 72% | 75% | 82% | 125 |
| 23 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£29,000 | 73% | 84% | 89% | 122 |
| 24 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£29,000 | 70% | 80% | 73% | 121 |
| 25 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£30,500 | 76% | 69% | 83% | 120 |
| 26 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£33,000 | 82% | 68% | 95% | 119 |
| 26 | University of Warwick Coventry |
£35,000 | 74% | 82% | 90% | 119 |
| 27 | Robert Gordon University Aberdeen |
£32,000 | 77% | 77% | 82% | 118 |
| 27 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£30,000 | 71% | 89% | 86% | 118 |
| 28 | University of Bath Bath |
£34,000 | 80% | 77% | 83% | 116 |
| 29 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£28,000 | 69% | 81% | 88% | 114 |
| 29 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£30,000 | 72% | 85% | 85% | 114 |
| 30 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£33,000 | 78% | 91% | 82% | 112 |
| 31 | University of Sunderland Sunderland |
£25,500 | 74% | 76% | 84% | 109 |
| 31 | Coventry University Coventry |
£31,000 | 72% | 80% | 80% | 109 |
| 31 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£32,000 | 75% | 81% | 83% | 109 |
| 32 | Kingston University Kingston upon Thames |
£30,000 | 71% | 86% | 88% | 107 |
| 33 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£35,000 | 74% | 81% | 79% | 106 |
| 33 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh |
£32,000 | 75% | 83% | 96% | 106 |
| 34 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£37,000 | 76% | 89% | 86% | 105 |
| 35 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£33,000 | 69% | 90% | 86% | 104 |
| 35 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£30,000 | 77% | 91% | 82% | 104 |
| 36 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£35,000 | 76% | 75% | 85% | 101 |
| 36 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£30,000 | 73% | 83% | 90% | 101 |
| 37 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£33,000 | 75% | 82% | 93% | 100 |
| 38 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£28,000 | 70% | 64% | 73% | 98 |
| 38 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£31,000 | 71% | 92% | 82% | 98 |
| 38 | Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent |
£26,000 | 72% | 93% | 95% | 98 |
| 39 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£34,500 | 68% | 72% | 92% | 96 |
| 40 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£32,000 | 72% | 84% | 84% | 88 |
| 40 | University of Hull Hull |
£29,000 | 76% | 90% | 96% | 88 |
| 41 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£35,000 | 75% | 64% | 75% | 86 |
| 42 | University of East London London |
£30,000 | 68% | 80% | 93% | 85 |
| 42 | Imperial College London London |
£40,500 | 66% | 85% | 80% | 85 |
| 43 | Aston University Birmingham |
£35,000 | 75% | 75% | 88% | 83 |
| 44 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£25,000 | 74% | 67% | 57% | 77 |
| 45 | London South Bank University London |
£30,000 | 68% | 93% | 92% | 72 |
| 46 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£30,000 | 78% | 83% | 79% | 70 |
| 47 | Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe |
£22,500 | 70% | 85% | 83% | 68 |
| 48 | University of Chichester Chichester |
£27,500 | 80% | 83% | 77% | 55 |
What the ranking tells you about studying electrical engineering
Electrical engineering encompasses power systems, electronics, telecommunications, control systems, embedded systems and renewable energy — one of the broadest engineering disciplines and one of the most consistently employable. With 67 universities offering it in this ranking, quality varies substantially in terms of laboratory infrastructure, industry placement depth and graduate outcomes. This ranking scores all 67 on eight consistent metrics.
Edinburgh Napier and Glasgow Caledonian: 100% academic support at joint 8th
Both Edinburgh Napier (94% teaching quality, 100% academic support) and Glasgow Caledonian (97% teaching quality, 100% academic support) achieve 100% academic support — the highest in this field — and rank joint 8th with 149 points each. Glasgow Caledonian also achieves 97% teaching quality, among the highest in the ranking. Both sit below the top five on the earnings and cost of living metrics that reflect Glasgow and Edinburgh's city characteristics, but their course delivery data is the strongest of any institution in the top 10. University of Derby (16th) also achieves 97% on both teaching quality and academic support, and Wales Trinity Saint David (joint 21st) achieves 98% on both — the second-highest double in the field.
Imperial at joint 43rd: the earnings-rank paradox in electrical engineering
Imperial College London ranks joint 43rd with 85 points and produces the highest-earning electrical engineering graduates in the UK at £40,500. University of Bristol ranks 14th with 139 points and produces the second-highest graduate earnings at £40,000. Both are held down by London and Bristol's costs and lower satisfaction scores. Imperial's student satisfaction of 66% is the lowest in this ranking, and its academic support of 80% and teaching quality of 85% — while not exceptional — are above several universities that rank higher. For students targeting premium electronics, aerospace and defence employer graduate schemes that actively recruit at Imperial, the brand carries significant weight in those specific sectors. For students comparing the overall student experience, the rank position reflects reality.
University of Huddersfield ranks 44th with the lowest academic support in this field at 57%. Its teaching quality of 67% is the joint-lowest in the ranking alongside Swansea (7th) and Anglia Ruskin (38th). Swansea appears at 7th overall because its strong sustainability, safety and city metrics compensate — its course delivery scores are notable weaknesses for a department that otherwise performs well in the overall table. Huddersfield's low overall position reflects those poor course delivery scores more directly. Graduate earnings of £25,000 are among the lower end of the field. For a technically demanding degree where practical laboratory and simulation instruction directly determines graduate competence, both sets of course delivery scores are worth flagging.
IET accreditation: the pre-application check for electrical engineering
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) accredits electrical and electronic engineering programmes in the UK. An IET-accredited MEng is the standard route to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status, and an accredited BEng qualifies for Incorporated Engineer (IEng). CEng is the professional benchmark for senior engineering roles across energy, defence, telecoms and electronics sectors. All established electrical engineering departments should offer IET-accredited pathways, but confirm accreditation status directly on the IET website for your specific programme before applying — particularly at newer programmes or departments that may have restructured recently.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data, see the employability ranking.
