Best Universities for Engineering in the UK 2027
Bangor University tops our 2027 general engineering ranking with 111 points, achieving 98% academic support and 97% teaching quality — the joint-highest course delivery double in the field. Swansea University and University of Plymouth are joint second with 104 points each. We ranked 30 UK universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Engineering graduate earnings range from £22,500 (Buckinghamshire New University) to £37,000 (King's College London). Exeter ranks joint 9th with the lowest teaching quality in the field at 59% and the lowest academic support at 68%. King's College London (joint 9th) produces the highest graduate earnings at £37,000, held back by London cost of living. Abertay University (16th) achieves 97% academic support and 93% teaching quality from a low base cost of living. University of York (4th) achieves 97% teaching quality — the joint-highest in the field.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Engineering University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangor University Bangor |
£30,000 | 76% | 97% | 98% | 111 |
| 2 | Swansea University Swansea |
£30,000 | 79% | 85% | 88% | 104 |
| 2 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£32,500 | 75% | 90% | 96% | 104 |
| 3 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£30,000 | 78% | 85% | 91% | 100 |
| 4 | University of York York |
£35,000 | 77% | 84% | 97% | 95 |
| 5 | Durham University Durham |
£32,000 | 78% | 73% | 86% | 94 |
| 5 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£30,000 | 79% | 86% | 91% | 94 |
| 6 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£30,500 | 71% | 93% | 93% | 92 |
| 7 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£29,500 | 71% | 83% | 96% | 91 |
| 8 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£32,500 | 75% | 97% | 95% | 87 |
| 9 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£33,000 | 79% | 59% | 68% | 85 |
| 9 | King's College London London |
£37,000 | 67% | 93% | 95% | 85 |
| 10 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£33,000 | 82% | 87% | 83% | 83 |
| 11 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£31,000 | 75% | 82% | 85% | 80 |
| 11 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£30,000 | 73% | 86% | 87% | 80 |
| 12 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£35,000 | 76% | 82% | 92% | 72 |
| 13 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£30,000 | 73% | 83% | 92% | 68 |
| 13 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh |
£32,000 | 75% | 85% | 91% | 68 |
| 14 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£30,000 | 73% | 75% | 75% | 67 |
| 15 | University of Warwick Coventry |
£34,000 | 74% | 82% | 75% | 66 |
| 15 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£30,000 | 69% | 87% | 93% | 66 |
| 16 | Abertay University Dundee |
£28,000 | 72% | 93% | 97% | 64 |
| 17 | University of Greenwich London |
£30,000 | 69% | 67% | 81% | 55 |
| 18 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£31,000 | 68% | 80% | 90% | 54 |
| 18 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£32,000 | 72% | 82% | 85% | 54 |
| 19 | Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent |
£26,000 | 72% | 80% | 85% | 50 |
| 20 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£35,000 | 75% | 78% | 77% | 49 |
| 20 | University of East London London |
£30,000 | 68% | 82% | 88% | 49 |
| 21 | Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe |
£22,500 | 70% | 85% | 83% | 39 |
| 22 | City St George's, University of London London |
£30,000 | 67% | 77% | 88% | 35 |
What the ranking tells you about studying engineering
General engineering degrees — distinct from the more specialised subject rankings for civil, mechanical, electrical or chemical engineering — cover a broad multidisciplinary curriculum that typically spans structural, electronic, thermodynamic and systems engineering, often with a specialism chosen in later years. With only 30 universities in this ranking, the field is smaller than most engineering disciplines, and the variation in quality is concentrated and measurable.
Bangor at 1st: the most complete engineering package in this ranking
Bangor University tops this ranking with 111 points — 7 points clear of joint-second — achieving 98% academic support and 97% teaching quality, the joint-highest course delivery double in the field. It also benefits from one of the lowest cost of living scores in this ranking and high safety scores. Bangor's engineering programme has strong ties to the renewable energy sector in Wales and North West England, with specialist teaching in power electronics, sustainable energy systems and communications engineering. Graduate earnings of £30,000 are in line with the field average. For applicants who are open to a Welsh university and want genuinely strong course quality data, Bangor's position is well-supported by the metrics.
Exeter at joint 9th: the most significant course delivery anomaly
University of Exeter ranks joint 9th with 85 points, producing graduates earning £33,000. Its teaching quality of 59% is the lowest in this entire ranking. Its academic support of 68% is also the lowest. No other engineering department in this 30-university table scores below 67% on teaching quality or below 75% on academic support. Both scores are substantially below the field average of approximately 84% and 88% respectively. Exeter's student satisfaction of 79% and strong sustainability and safety scores keep it in the top 10 overall, but the course delivery gap between Exeter and universities ranked around it — Sheffield (97% teaching, 95% support), Liverpool (93%, 93%), Cardiff (83%, 96%) — is significant for a hands-on technical discipline where the quality of laboratory teaching and expert supervision directly determines graduate competence.
University of Sheffield at 8th achieves 97% teaching quality and 95% academic support with £32,500 graduate earnings — the joint-highest teaching quality in the field alongside Bangor and York, and a strong earnings figure. Sheffield ranks 8th rather than higher because of lower sustainability and social life scores relative to the top five. Its engineering faculty is one of the most established in the UK, with Rolls-Royce, Network Rail and major aerospace companies among its regular placement and graduate scheme partners. The data supports a case for Sheffield as the best-value combination of course quality and employability in this ranking for students who prioritise those outcomes over city experience metrics.
Abertay at 16th: the underrated engineering department
Abertay University in Dundee ranks 16th with 64 points, achieving 97% academic support and 93% teaching quality — the highest course delivery double of any university ranked 13th or below in this table. Its graduate earnings of £28,000 and Dundee's low cost of living (sustainability score 33.9 — lowest in the field, reflecting a less research-intensive profile) account for its lower overall ranking. For students who want strong course delivery in a genuinely affordable city, Abertay's data stands out in the lower half of the table.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data, see the employability ranking.
