Best Universities for Geology in the UK 2027
University of Exeter tops our 2027 geology ranking with 91 points, achieving 100% on both teaching quality and academic support — the highest double in the field. Durham University comes second with 87 points, achieving 98% academic support and 96% teaching quality. University of Bristol and University of Plymouth are joint third with 70 points each. We ranked 21 UK universities across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Geology graduate earnings range from £25,000 (Keele, 7th) to £38,000 (Imperial College London, joint 15th). University of Leicester (10th) achieves 99% teaching quality and 90% academic support. University of Glasgow (joint 15th) has the lowest academic support (73%) and joint-lowest teaching quality (75%) in the field alongside Leeds. Imperial ranks joint 15th despite the highest graduate earnings — London cost of living is the dominant factor. Oxford ranks joint 6th.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Geology University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£30,000 | 79% | 100% | 100% | 91 |
| 2 | Durham University Durham |
£33,000 | 78% | 96% | 98% | 87 |
| 3 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£30,000 | 73% | 92% | 92% | 70 |
| 3 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£27,000 | 75% | 93% | 93% | 70 |
| 4 | Edge Hill University Ormskirk |
£26,500 | 83% | 90% | 90% | 69 |
| 4 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£28,000 | 79% | 95% | 90% | 69 |
| 4 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£27,500 | 71% | 95% | 93% | 69 |
| 5 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£27,500 | 71% | 93% | 100% | 68 |
| 5 | University of St Andrews St Andrews |
£28,000 | 84% | 97% | 94% | 68 |
| 6 | University of Oxford Oxford |
£30,000 | 76% | 92% | 96% | 65 |
| 6 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£27,500 | 74% | 96% | 96% | 65 |
| 7 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£25,000 | 81% | 92% | 96% | 60 |
| 8 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£27,000 | 76% | 98% | 96% | 59 |
| 9 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£28,000 | 74% | 75% | 76% | 54 |
| 10 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£26,500 | 73% | 99% | 90% | 50 |
| 11 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£29,500 | 74% | 88% | 88% | 48 |
| 12 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£29,500 | 76% | 91% | 91% | 47 |
| 13 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£25,500 | 72% | 93% | 95% | 43 |
| 14 | UCL (University College London) London |
£29,000 | 68% | 88% | 88% | 42 |
| 15 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£26,000 | 75% | 75% | 73% | 38 |
| 15 | Imperial College London London |
£38,000 | 66% | 88% | 94% | 38 |
What the ranking tells you about studying geology
Geology is a small, specialised discipline with only 21 universities offering standalone degrees in the UK. Every programme matters, and the variation in quality — particularly in fieldwork access, laboratory infrastructure, industry partnerships and course delivery — is significant despite the compact size of the field. This ranking scores all 21 on eight consistent metrics, revealing some surprising positions for well-known institutions.
Exeter at 1st: the strongest geology course delivery in the UK
University of Exeter tops this ranking with 91 points and achieves 100% on both teaching quality and academic support — the only institution in this field to achieve the perfect double. It produces graduates earning £30,000, joint-highest outside London. Exeter's geology programme is well-established for its integrated physical geography and geoscience curriculum, fieldwork programme in South West England, Portugal and Spain, and strong links to the oil, gas, mining and environmental consulting sectors. Its overall first place is reinforced by strong safety scores, reasonable cost of living and high sustainability. For students who want the best-measured teaching and support environment in UK geology, Exeter's data profile is the most compelling in the field.
Imperial at joint 15th: £38,000 graduate earnings
Imperial College London ranks joint 15th with 38 points — last in this ranking — and produces geology graduates earning £38,000, which is £5,000 higher than the next-highest earners (Durham at £33,000). Imperial's geology programme sits within one of the world's leading Earth Science and Engineering departments, with particular strengths in petroleum geoscience, rock physics and applied geophysics. Its last-place overall position reflects London's maximum cost of living (index score 91), very low social life score (1st — lowest in the field) and the lowest student satisfaction in the field at 66%. The £38,000 earnings reflect access to premium petroleum, mining and environmental geoscience roles from Imperial's employer network. For students aiming specifically at the hydrocarbon industry, mining sector or energy transition geology roles, Imperial's graduate earnings and industry connections are the most significant in this ranking.
University of Leeds at 9th: the most significant course delivery concern in this field. University of Leeds ranks 9th with 54 points, producing graduates earning £28,000. Its teaching quality of 75% and academic support of 76% are the joint-lowest in the entire 21-university field alongside Glasgow. The field average is approximately 93% for teaching quality and 91% for academic support. Leeds's geology department is research-active and benefits from strong links to the British Geological Survey and energy sector. But the course delivery scores sit 18 percentage points below Exeter and 20+ points below Aberdeen and Aberdeen. For a technically demanding degree where the quality of laboratory instruction, field mapping teaching and one-to-one supervision directly determines graduate competence, these are the most important figures in this table.
Accreditation: the most important pre-application check
The Geological Society of London (GSL) accredits geology degree programmes in the UK. An accredited degree provides a clearer pathway to Chartered Geologist (CGeol) status, which is the recognised professional benchmark for working geologists in the UK and internationally. CGeol accreditation is specifically valued by employers in oil and gas, mining, environmental consultancy, engineering geology and the British Geological Survey. Not all universities offering geology hold GSL accreditation — and accreditation applies to specific degree titles, not departments generally. Confirm GSL accreditation on the Geological Society website for your specific programme before applying. This is the most important single quality check available for geology applicants.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data, see the employability ranking.
