Best Universities for Nursing in the UK 2027
York St John University tops our 2027 nursing ranking with 210 points, combining 96% teaching quality and 94% academic support. University of Exeter comes second with 204 points. University of Plymouth is third with 194 points, also achieving 96% teaching quality. We ranked 85 UK universities offering nursing degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Nursing graduate earnings are tightly clustered because the majority of nursing graduates enter NHS pay bands, compressing the earnings range. Most universities produce graduates earning between £27,000 and £29,500. University of the West of Scotland (joint 43rd) produces £34,500 — the highest. University of Liverpool (joint 7th) achieves 97% teaching quality and 95% academic support. Oxford Brookes (9th) achieves 97% academic support. Abertay University (35th) achieves 100% academic support and 98% teaching quality. University of Brighton (48th) has the lowest academic support at 57%.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Nursing University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | York St John University York |
£28,500 | 80% | 96% | 94% | 210 |
| 2 | University of Exeter Exeter |
£28,500 | 79% | 93% | 91% | 204 |
| 3 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£28,500 | 75% | 96% | 91% | 194 |
| 4 | Glyndwr University, Wrexham Wrexham |
£28,000 | 74% | 89% | 85% | 187 |
| 5 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£28,000 | 74% | 81% | 90% | 186 |
| 6 | University of Worcester Worcester |
£28,000 | 79% | 85% | 76% | 185 |
| 7 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£28,500 | 79% | 85% | 93% | 179 |
| 7 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£27,000 | 71% | 97% | 95% | 179 |
| 8 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£28,500 | 71% | 90% | 89% | 177 |
| 9 | Oxford Brookes University Oxford |
£28,000 | 74% | 95% | 97% | 176 |
| 10 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£28,500 | 78% | 83% | 83% | 175 |
| 11 | Bournemouth University Bournemouth |
£28,000 | 71% | 83% | 85% | 174 |
| 12 | Edge Hill University Ormskirk |
£28,500 | 83% | 79% | 80% | 173 |
| 13 | Swansea University Swansea |
£27,000 | 79% | 67% | 72% | 171 |
| 14 | University of the West of England, Bristol Bristol |
£28,500 | 74% | 80% | 79% | 167 |
| 15 | Bangor University Bangor |
£28,000 | 76% | 70% | 74% | 165 |
| 15 | University of Essex Colchester |
£29,000 | 74% | 87% | 87% | 165 |
| 16 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£28,500 | 73% | 87% | 76% | 164 |
| 17 | University of York York |
£28,000 | 77% | 85% | 89% | 162 |
| 17 | Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow |
£29,500 | 71% | 89% | 81% | 162 |
| 18 | University of Sunderland Sunderland |
£29,000 | 74% | 88% | 86% | 161 |
| 19 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£28,000 | 72% | 82% | 78% | 160 |
| 20 | Coventry University Coventry |
£28,000 | 72% | 95% | 92% | 159 |
| 20 | University of Surrey Guildford |
£28,500 | 78% | 96% | 92% | 159 |
| 21 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£28,000 | 71% | 89% | 87% | 157 |
| 22 | University of Bedfordshire Luton |
£28,000 | 68% | 89% | 89% | 156 |
| 23 | Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh |
£28,000 | 72% | 83% | 81% | 155 |
| 23 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£25,500 | 76% | 87% | 78% | 155 |
| 23 | King's College London London |
£34,000 | 67% | 90% | 91% | 155 |
| 24 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£29,000 | 74% | 83% | 84% | 154 |
| 25 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£29,000 | 73% | 77% | 75% | 152 |
| 26 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£27,000 | 81% | 85% | 89% | 151 |
| 26 | University of West London London |
£29,000 | 72% | 86% | 81% | 151 |
| 26 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£30,000 | 74% | 89% | 86% | 151 |
| 27 | Robert Gordon University Aberdeen |
£27,000 | 77% | 79% | 87% | 149 |
| 28 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£28,000 | 75% | 89% | 85% | 148 |
| 29 | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£30,000 | 78% | 93% | 94% | 144 |
| 30 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£28,000 | 70% | 76% | 66% | 143 |
| 30 | Kingston University Kingston upon Thames |
£29,000 | 71% | 82% | 88% | 143 |
| 31 | University of Salford Salford |
£28,000 | 73% | 78% | 73% | 141 |
| 31 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£28,000 | 70% | 79% | 87% | 141 |
| 32 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£29,000 | 77% | 95% | 94% | 139 |
| 33 | Leeds Beckett University Leeds |
£28,500 | 70% | 81% | 72% | 137 |
| 33 | University of Winchester Winchester |
£28,500 | 82% | 83% | 71% | 137 |
| 34 | University of South Wales Pontypridd |
£29,000 | 72% | 67% | 67% | 136 |
| 35 | Abertay University Dundee |
£30,000 | 72% | 98% | 100% | 134 |
| 36 | University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham / Gloucester |
£28,000 | 76% | 73% | 69% | 133 |
| 37 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£28,000 | 70% | 79% | 71% | 132 |
| 37 | University of Greenwich London |
£29,000 | 69% | 83% | 70% | 132 |
| 37 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£27,000 | 75% | 90% | 85% | 132 |
| 38 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£28,000 | 69% | 80% | 72% | 127 |
| 38 | University of Derby Derby |
£28,000 | 74% | 83% | 73% | 127 |
| 38 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£28,000 | 75% | 87% | 87% | 127 |
| 39 | University of Suffolk Ipswich |
£27,000 | 76% | 88% | 93% | 126 |
| 40 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£28,000 | 74% | 84% | 87% | 125 |
| 41 | Solent University Southampton |
£27,000 | 71% | 93% | 94% | 123 |
| 42 | University of Chester Chester |
£28,000 | 78% | 82% | 74% | 122 |
| 43 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£28,000 | 73% | 73% | 63% | 121 |
| 43 | University of the West of Scotland Glasgow |
£34,500 | 73% | 87% | 85% | 121 |
| 43 | University of East London London |
£30,000 | 68% | 94% | 86% | 121 |
| 44 | Aston University Birmingham |
£28,000 | 75% | 91% | 92% | 117 |
| 45 | University of Dundee Dundee |
£30,000 | 75% | 88% | 85% | 116 |
| 46 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£27,000 | 74% | 79% | 75% | 113 |
| 46 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£28,500 | 76% | 84% | 80% | 113 |
| 47 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£28,000 | 72% | 83% | 88% | 112 |
| 47 | University of Chichester Chichester |
£28,500 | 80% | 97% | 98% | 112 |
| 48 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£28,000 | 72% | 72% | 57% | 111 |
| 49 | Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe |
£32,000 | 70% | 88% | 77% | 110 |
| 50 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£32,000 | 68% | 80% | 77% | 109 |
| 51 | Middlesex University Middlesex |
£28,000 | 69% | 93% | 84% | 107 |
| 52 | University of Bradford Bradford |
£28,000 | 71% | 78% | 63% | 106 |
| 53 | University of Cumbria Carlisle |
£28,500 | 77% | 73% | 70% | 103 |
| 53 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£28,000 | 75% | 82% | 86% | 103 |
| 54 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£28,500 | 71% | 80% | 78% | 102 |
| 55 | Leeds Trinity University Leeds |
£21,000 | 78% | 68% | 87% | 101 |
| 56 | University of Roehampton London |
£28,000 | 72% | 92% | 90% | 97 |
| 57 | City St George's, University of London London |
£34,000 | 67% | 87% | 79% | 96 |
| 57 | University College Birmingham Birmingham |
£28,000 | 79% | 91% | 87% | 96 |
| 58 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£27,500 | 78% | 87% | 77% | 95 |
| 59 | University of Stirling Stirling |
£30,000 | 78% | 74% | 74% | 94 |
| 60 | University of Hull Hull |
£28,000 | 76% | 88% | 79% | 93 |
| 61 | Newman University, Birmingham Birmingham |
£20,000 | 83% | 93% | 93% | 89 |
| 62 | London Metropolitan University London |
£28,000 | 66% | 84% | 83% | 82 |
| 63 | London South Bank University London |
£28,500 | 68% | 89% | 79% | 81 |
| 64 | University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton |
£28,000 | 71% | 87% | 73% | 77 |
What the ranking tells you about choosing a nursing programme
Nursing is the largest regulated healthcare profession in the UK, with over 700,000 registered nurses. All nursing degrees in the UK lead to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which is a prerequisite to practise. The degree is split between academic study and clinical placement hours — a minimum of 2,300 hours of clinical practice is required by the NMC alongside 2,300 hours of theory. This means the quality of placement partnerships, the range of clinical settings accessed during training, and the quality of academic support during clinical rotations are as important as the course delivery scores in this table.
Earnings data: why nursing graduate salaries vary
Most nursing graduates enter NHS Band 5 employment, which sets a national starting salary. Variation in six-month earnings across institutions in this ranking reflects location (London and Scotland attract different pay supplements and weighting allowances), pathway specialisation (some programmes enable direct access to higher-band roles), and the timing of NMC registration relative to the data collection period. University of the West of Scotland (joint 43rd) produces £34,500 — the highest in this field — reflecting Scotland's separate NHS pay scales and Scottish nursing workforce supplements. King's College London (joint 23rd) and City St George's (57th) produce £34,000, reflecting London weighting. Neither position reflects anything about course quality — they reflect pay geography.
University of Liverpool at joint 7th: 97% teaching quality, 95% academic support
University of Liverpool ranks joint 7th with 179 points and achieves 97% teaching quality and 95% academic support — the strongest course delivery combination among all joint 7th-placed or higher universities in this field, alongside strong placement partnerships with major Liverpool NHS Trusts. Liverpool ranks joint 7th rather than higher because of modest safety and social life scores. Its course delivery data makes it one of the strongest value propositions in the top 10 for nursing applicants prioritising quality of academic teaching and support.
Abertay University (35th) achieves 100% academic support and 98% teaching quality — the strongest course delivery double in this 85-university field — from 35th place overall. Abertay ranks 35th rather than in the top 10 because of a very low sustainability score and modest social life metrics. Its course delivery scores are the highest measured in UK nursing. University of Chichester (joint 47th) also achieves 97% teaching quality and 98% academic support from a very similar city-metrics-suppressed position. Both are institutions where the gap between overall ranking position and course delivery quality is the largest in this field.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
