Best Universities for Mathematics in the UK 2027
University of Exeter tops our 2027 mathematics ranking with 159 points, combining 95% academic support, 90% teaching quality and the highest overall score in the field. University of Lincoln comes second with 153 points and 100% academic support. Northumbria University is third with 152 points and 100% academic support. We ranked 61 UK universities offering mathematics degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Mathematics graduate earnings range from £21,500 (University of Hull) to £52,000 (Imperial College London, joint 36th). LSE (16th) produces £43,000. UCL (22nd) and Cambridge (joint 27th) both produce £40,000. Seven universities achieve 100% academic support: Lincoln, Northumbria, Reading, Liverpool John Moores, Sheffield, Hertfordshire, Aberdeen and London Metropolitan. University of Glasgow (43rd) has the lowest academic support at 63%. Edge Hill (11th) has the lowest teaching quality at 71%.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Mathematics University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£32,000 | 79% | 90% | 95% | 159 |
| 2 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£28,000 | 78% | 90% | 100% | 153 |
| 3 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£27,000 | 74% | 85% | 100% | 152 |
| 4 | Swansea University Swansea |
£25,000 | 79% | 81% | 96% | 151 |
| 4 | University of the West of England, Bristol Bristol |
£30,000 | 74% | 90% | 96% | 151 |
| 5 | Durham University Durham |
£31,500 | 78% | 84% | 86% | 147 |
| 6 | University of Reading Reading |
£30,000 | 74% | 83% | 100% | 144 |
| 7 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£29,000 | 75% | 88% | 95% | 143 |
| 8 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£25,000 | 72% | 91% | 100% | 138 |
| 9 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£24,000 | 73% | 94% | 98% | 136 |
| 9 | University of Essex Colchester |
£30,000 | 74% | 95% | 92% | 136 |
| 10 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£28,500 | 79% | 83% | 97% | 135 |
| 10 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£25,500 | 76% | 98% | 96% | 135 |
| 11 | Edge Hill University Ormskirk |
£30,000 | 83% | 71% | 88% | 133 |
| 12 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£33,000 | 73% | 85% | 83% | 131 |
| 13 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£30,000 | 75% | 83% | 96% | 130 |
| 13 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£29,500 | 71% | 84% | 87% | 130 |
| 13 | University of St Andrews St Andrews |
£33,000 | 84% | 94% | 94% | 130 |
| 14 | University of Bath Bath |
£35,000 | 80% | 93% | 90% | 129 |
| 14 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£26,000 | 73% | 93% | 97% | 129 |
| 15 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£30,000 | 82% | 90% | 92% | 126 |
| 16 | London School of Economics and Political Science London |
£43,000 | 69% | 94% | 94% | 125 |
| 16 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£28,000 | 75% | 94% | 100% | 125 |
| 17 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£31,000 | 74% | 88% | 90% | 124 |
| 18 | University of Kent Canterbury |
£32,000 | 72% | 88% | 88% | 123 |
| 19 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£33,000 | 78% | 94% | 96% | 120 |
| 20 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£28,000 | 74% | 84% | 86% | 118 |
| 20 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£28,000 | 81% | 87% | 89% | 118 |
| 21 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£30,000 | 70% | 84% | 92% | 117 |
| 22 | UCL (University College London) London |
£40,000 | 68% | 89% | 94% | 116 |
| 23 | King's College London London |
£35,000 | 67% | 84% | 94% | 114 |
| 23 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£26,000 | 71% | 85% | 100% | 114 |
| 23 | University of Salford Salford |
£27,000 | 73% | 89% | 82% | 114 |
| 24 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£28,000 | 77% | 98% | 95% | 113 |
| 25 | Coventry University Coventry |
£31,000 | 72% | 94% | 75% | 111 |
| 26 | University of York York |
£30,000 | 77% | 82% | 82% | 110 |
| 26 | University of Greenwich London |
£30,000 | 69% | 83% | 92% | 110 |
| 27 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£28,000 | 76% | 91% | 100% | 109 |
| 27 | University of Cambridge Cambridge |
£40,000 | 76% | 94% | 92% | 109 |
| 28 | University of Warwick Coventry |
£34,500 | 74% | 85% | 86% | 107 |
| 29 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£27,000 | 71% | 77% | 85% | 106 |
| 30 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£33,000 | 73% | 84% | 86% | 100 |
| 31 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh |
£32,000 | 75% | 84% | 93% | 99 |
| 32 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£25,500 | 71% | 94% | 96% | 98 |
| 33 | Aston University Birmingham |
£27,500 | 75% | 96% | 98% | 93 |
| 34 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£33,000 | 74% | 78% | 75% | 92 |
| 35 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£32,000 | 74% | 81% | 85% | 91 |
| 36 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£25,000 | 77% | 87% | 97% | 90 |
| 36 | Imperial College London London |
£52,000 | 66% | 94% | 91% | 90 |
| 37 | Queen Mary University of London London |
£30,000 | 69% | 82% | 89% | 88 |
| 38 | University of Dundee Dundee |
£30,000 | 75% | 80% | 96% | 87 |
| 39 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£26,000 | 75% | 82% | 94% | 86 |
| 40 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£30,000 | 72% | 79% | 93% | 84 |
| 41 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£33,000 | 76% | 80% | 83% | 82 |
| 41 | University of Chichester Chichester |
£30,000 | 80% | 96% | 94% | 82 |
| 42 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£28,000 | 68% | 77% | 91% | 79 |
| 43 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£27,000 | 75% | 76% | 63% | 74 |
| 44 | University of Hull Hull |
£21,500 | 76% | 91% | 91% | 68 |
| 45 | University of Stirling Stirling |
£23,500 | 78% | 79% | 84% | 64 |
| 46 | London Metropolitan University London |
£26,500 | 66% | 88% | 100% | 63 |
| 47 | City St George's, University of London London |
£29,000 | 67% | 78% | 94% | 62 |
What the ranking tells you about studying mathematics
Mathematics is one of the most employment-versatile degrees in the UK — with graduates accessing premium careers in finance, data science, actuarial work, technology, engineering, economics and academia. With 61 universities in this ranking, the variation in graduate earnings (£21,500 to £52,000) is the widest of any subject in this ranking series. The course delivery data matters because the rigour of a mathematics degree shapes graduate competitiveness for the highest-earning roles.
Imperial at joint 36th: £52,000 — the highest mathematics graduate earnings in the UK
Imperial College London ranks joint 36th with 90 points and produces mathematics graduates earning £52,000 — by far the highest in this ranking, £9,000 above the next-highest (LSE at £43,000) and £12,000 above UCL and Cambridge (both at £40,000). Imperial's mathematics graduates predominantly access quantitative finance roles (quant analysts, algorithmic traders, derivatives pricing), technology (Google, DeepMind, Jane Street, Goldman Sachs quantitative strategies), and high-end actuarial and risk management roles. Imperial ranks joint 36th because London's maximum cost of living, the lowest student satisfaction in the field (66%), and low social life and sustainability scores all suppress its overall position. Its course delivery of 94% teaching quality and 91% academic support is solid but below the leaders. For students specifically targeting quantitative finance or technology research roles, Imperial's employer connections and alumni network in these sectors are the most significant in this ranking.
LSE at 16th: £43,000 — second-highest maths earnings
London School of Economics ranks 16th with 125 points and produces mathematics graduates earning £43,000 — the second-highest in the field. LSE offers mathematics primarily through its Mathematics and Economics programme (not a standalone maths degree), which produces graduates who almost exclusively enter finance, economics research, consulting and quantitative roles at top-tier firms. The earnings premium reflects this focused career pathway. LSE ranks 16th rather than higher because of London's maximum cost of living and the lowest student satisfaction in the top 20 at 69%.
Cambridge at joint 27th and Oxford not in the top 10. University of Cambridge ranks joint 27th with 109 points, achieving 94% teaching quality and 92% academic support, producing graduates earning £40,000 — the joint-highest outside Imperial and LSE alongside UCL. Cambridge ranks 27th rather than near the top because of its high cost of living and low sustainability and social life scores. Its course delivery scores are above the field average. For students comparing Cambridge against first-ranked Exeter (159 points), the position gap is entirely a city-metrics story. Cambridge mathematics graduates access the same premium finance, technology and academic pathways as Imperial — at lower earnings but with the same elite employer connections. Oxford does not appear in this ranking with sufficient data for inclusion at current data collection.
University of Glasgow at 43rd: the academic support warning
University of Glasgow ranks 43rd with 74 points and has the lowest academic support in this field at 63% — the only mathematics department in this ranking below 75% on that metric. The field average academic support is approximately 90%. Glasgow's mathematics department is research-active and the university overall is a leading Scottish institution. But 63% academic support for a technically demanding degree where the quality of tutorial sessions, office hours, problem class instruction and individual feedback directly shapes learning is a data point applicants should verify at open day.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data, see the employability ranking.
