Best Universities for Pharmacy in the UK 2027
Swansea University tops our 2027 pharmacy ranking with 118 points, combining 93% academic support and 93% teaching quality. University of Sunderland comes second with 109 points and £42,000 graduate earnings. Cardiff University and Liverpool John Moores University are joint third with 105 points. We ranked 32 UK universities offering pharmacy degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Pharmacy graduate earnings range from £26,000 (Huddersfield and Central Lancashire) to £42,000 (University of Sunderland and King's College London, joint 14th). University of Leicester (9th) achieves 100% academic support — the only institution in this field. Newcastle University (4th) achieves 97% academic support. University of Bradford (20th) has the lowest academic support at 64% and the lowest teaching quality at 77%. UCL ranks 18th with 77% academic support.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Pharmacy University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swansea University Swansea |
£28,000 | 79% | 93% | 93% | 118 |
| 2 | University of Sunderland Sunderland |
£42,000 | 74% | 94% | 96% | 109 |
| 3 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£36,000 | 71% | 90% | 89% | 105 |
| 3 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£35,500 | 72% | 93% | 90% | 105 |
| 4 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£35,000 | 75% | 89% | 97% | 102 |
| 5 | University of Reading Reading |
£38,000 | 74% | 83% | 92% | 98 |
| 6 | Bangor University Bangor |
£28,500 | 76% | 81% | 84% | 96 |
| 6 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£28,000 | 78% | 91% | 78% | 96 |
| 7 | University of East Anglia (UEA) Norwich |
£35,000 | 79% | 88% | 87% | 90 |
| 7 | University of Bath Bath |
£37,000 | 80% | 91% | 84% | 90 |
| 7 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£28,000 | 81% | 93% | 87% | 90 |
| 8 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£40,000 | 75% | 96% | 92% | 89 |
| 9 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£28,000 | 75% | 91% | 88% | 84 |
| 9 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£28,500 | 73% | 92% | 100% | 84 |
| 10 | University of Manchester Manchester |
£35,000 | 70% | 85% | 84% | 83 |
| 11 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£36,000 | 77% | 89% | 92% | 78 |
| 12 | Robert Gordon University Aberdeen |
£38,000 | 77% | 77% | 74% | 76 |
| 12 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£28,000 | 70% | 78% | 79% | 76 |
| 13 | University of Hertfordshire Hertfordshire |
£32,000 | 71% | 84% | 84% | 74 |
| 13 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£35,000 | 74% | 84% | 89% | 74 |
| 13 | Kingston University Kingston upon Thames |
£37,000 | 77% | 91% | 77% | 74 |
| 14 | King's College London London |
£42,000 | 67% | 89% | 76% | 73 |
| 15 | University of Suffolk Ipswich |
£28,500 | 76% | 90% | 87% | 72 |
| 15 | Aston University Birmingham |
£37,000 | 75% | 94% | 90% | 72 |
| 16 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£28,500 | 72% | 79% | 78% | 69 |
| 17 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£26,000 | 74% | 83% | 83% | 68 |
| 18 | UCL (University College London) London |
£35,000 | 68% | 88% | 77% | 58 |
| 19 | University of Birmingham Birmingham |
£37,000 | 72% | 88% | 80% | 57 |
| 20 | University of Bradford Bradford |
£28,500 | 71% | 77% | 64% | 55 |
| 21 | University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton |
£33,000 | 71% | 81% | 88% | 52 |
| 21 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£29,000 | 78% | 87% | 75% | 52 |
| 22 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£26,000 | 71% | 78% | 72% | 43 |
What the ranking tells you about choosing a pharmacy programme
Pharmacy is a regulated clinical science degree — all UK programmes lead to registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and qualification as an independent prescriber upon completion of the integrated pre-registration training now embedded within the MPharm. The degree is five years (four years MPharm plus one year integrated pre-registration) at most programmes from 2026 onwards, following the GPhC's curriculum reform. Course delivery quality is critical for a degree where pharmaceutical science, clinical pharmacology, patient consultation skills and dispensing accuracy all need to meet professional standards.
University of Sunderland at 2nd: £42,000 — joint-highest pharmacy earnings from a non-London base
University of Sunderland ranks 2nd with 109 points and produces pharmacy graduates earning £42,000 — the joint-highest in the field alongside King's College London (joint 14th). This is the most striking data point in this ranking. Sunderland's pharmacy programme is highly regarded, with strong placement partnerships across community and hospital pharmacy in the North East. Its £42,000 is not explained by London weighting — Sunderland is not a London university. This reflects genuine premium employer connections, a high proportion of hospital pharmacy placements (where Band 6 pharmacist salaries are higher than community rates) and potentially NHS Scotland pre-registration placements for some graduates. Sunderland also achieves 96% academic support and 94% teaching quality — the strongest course delivery combination in the top 5.
University of Strathclyde at 8th: £40,000 — second-highest and Scotland's highest
University of Strathclyde ranks 8th with 89 points and produces pharmacy graduates earning £40,000 — second-highest in the field — alongside 96% teaching quality, which is the highest in the entire field. Strathclyde's pharmacy programme benefits from Scotland's NHS pharmacist pay scales and Scotland's community pharmacy contract, which is more comprehensive than England's and commands higher earnings for pharmacists delivering additional clinical services. Strathclyde ranks 8th rather than higher because of low safety and sustainability scores. Its 96% teaching quality combined with £40,000 earnings makes it a genuinely strong combination outside the top 5.
University of Leicester at joint 9th achieves 100% academic support — the only institution in this 32-school field to do so — alongside 92% teaching quality. Leicester ranks joint 9th with 84 points, held at that position by modest safety and sustainability scores rather than course quality concerns. Leicester's pharmacy programme is a well-established MPharm with strong clinical pharmacology and patient-centred care modules. For students specifically seeking the strongest academic support infrastructure in a clinical science degree, Leicester's data makes it the most compelling choice in the field regardless of overall rank position.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking. For graduate employment data, see the employability ranking.
