Best Universities for Product Design in the UK 2027
Bangor University tops our 2027 product design ranking with 134 points, achieving 100% on both teaching quality and academic support. Bath Spa University comes second with 125 points and 95% academic support. Northumbria University is third with 122 points. We ranked 43 UK universities offering product design degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability.
Product design graduate earnings range from £21,000 (De Montfort and Plymouth) to £33,000 (University of Nottingham, 10th). University of Nottingham and University of Strathclyde (16th) both achieve 100% academic support. De Montfort (7th) achieves 100% academic support and 99% teaching quality. University of Glasgow (28th) has the lowest academic support at 61% and lowest teaching quality at 61% — the lowest in this field by a wide margin.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Product Design University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangor University Bangor |
£26,000 | 76% | 100% | 100% | 134 |
| 2 | Bath Spa University Bath |
£22,500 | 79% | 93% | 95% | 125 |
| 3 | Northumbria University, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne |
£22,500 | 74% | 91% | 91% | 122 |
| 4 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£29,000 | 72% | 90% | 92% | 121 |
| 5 | University of Leeds Leeds |
£32,000 | 74% | 90% | 90% | 119 |
| 6 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£30,500 | 71% | 93% | 93% | 118 |
| 7 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£21,000 | 70% | 99% | 100% | 117 |
| 8 | Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff |
£24,000 | 75% | 80% | 89% | 114 |
| 9 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£25,000 | 73% | 94% | 88% | 113 |
| 10 | University of Nottingham Nottingham |
£33,000 | 74% | 94% | 100% | 110 |
| 11 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£21,000 | 75% | 90% | 90% | 108 |
| 12 | University of the West of England, Bristol Bristol |
£24,500 | 74% | 78% | 88% | 104 |
| 13 | Falmouth University Falmouth |
£25,000 | 82% | 85% | 89% | 103 |
| 13 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£24,000 | 73% | 95% | 88% | 103 |
| 14 | Bournemouth University Bournemouth |
£27,000 | 71% | 80% | 82% | 102 |
| 15 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£24,000 | 69% | 95% | 93% | 101 |
| 16 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£27,500 | 75% | 98% | 100% | 100 |
| 17 | Leeds Beckett University Leeds |
£24,000 | 70% | 83% | 94% | 98 |
| 17 | University of Chester Chester |
£23,000 | 78% | 93% | 95% | 98 |
| 18 | University of Lincoln Lincoln |
£24,000 | 78% | 80% | 73% | 97 |
| 19 | York St John University York |
£23,500 | 80% | 68% | 74% | 95 |
| 19 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£30,000 | 73% | 70% | 86% | 95 |
| 19 | University for the Creative Arts Canterbury / Epsom / Farnham / Rochester |
£24,000 | 82% | 85% | 87% | 95 |
| 19 | University of the Arts London London |
£23,500 | 81% | 86% | 88% | 95 |
| 19 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£30,000 | 77% | 86% | 89% | 95 |
| 20 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£24,000 | 76% | 80% | 84% | 92 |
| 20 | Coventry University Coventry |
£24,000 | 72% | 86% | 94% | 92 |
| 20 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£25,000 | 77% | 91% | 96% | 92 |
| 21 | University of Bristol Bristol |
£23,500 | 73% | 80% | 79% | 91 |
| 21 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David Lampeter / Carmarthen / Swansea |
£24,000 | 79% | 85% | 87% | 91 |
| 22 | Kingston University Kingston upon Thames |
£25,000 | 71% | 89% | 91% | 90 |
| 23 | Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh |
£23,500 | 72% | 88% | 79% | 89 |
| 24 | Aston University Birmingham |
£30,000 | 75% | 94% | 82% | 79 |
| 25 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£31,000 | 68% | 76% | 90% | 75 |
| 26 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£24,000 | 74% | 82% | 81% | 74 |
| 26 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£24,000 | 74% | 83% | 77% | 74 |
| 27 | University of Dundee Dundee |
£24,000 | 75% | 85% | 90% | 73 |
| 28 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£28,000 | 75% | 61% | 61% | 70 |
| 29 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£24,000 | 75% | 87% | 92% | 69 |
| 30 | Middlesex University Middlesex |
£24,000 | 69% | 90% | 90% | 67 |
| 31 | University of East London London |
£29,000 | 68% | 84% | 87% | 66 |
| 32 | Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe |
£21,500 | 70% | 85% | 79% | 54 |
| 33 | London South Bank University London |
£28,500 | 68% | 84% | 89% | 52 |
What the ranking tells you about studying product design
Product design is an applied creative and technical discipline covering user research, conceptual design, prototyping, materials and manufacturing, ergonomics, sustainability and design for production. It sits between engineering design (more technical and quantitative) and industrial or graphic design (more visual and communication-focused). With 43 universities in this ranking, variation in workshop and prototyping facilities, industry project partnerships, live briefs, placement connectivity and graduate outcomes is significant.
University of Glasgow at 28th: 61% on both metrics
University of Glasgow ranks 28th with 70 points and achieves 61% on both teaching quality and academic support — the lowest in this field by a wide margin. The next-lowest teaching quality in this ranking is York St John at 68% and Canterbury Christ Church at 70%. Glasgow's product design programme sits within its school of design and benefits from Glasgow's creative sector connections, but the course delivery scores here are substantially below the field average of approximately 87% for both metrics. Glasgow ranks 28th rather than lower because its safety, social life and sustainability scores are reasonable. For students comparing Glasgow with other Scottish options, University of Strathclyde (16th) achieves 100% academic support and 98% teaching quality from a higher overall position.
De Montfort at 7th: 100% academic support and 99% teaching quality from the lowest earnings in the field
De Montfort University ranks 7th with 117 points and achieves 100% academic support and 99% teaching quality — the strongest course delivery double in this field outside Bangor. De Montfort produces graduates earning £21,000 — the lowest in the field alongside Plymouth. The earnings figure reflects the regional salary differential for design roles in Leicester rather than programme quality. De Montfort's 7th position reflects genuinely strong all-round metrics including strong safety and sustainability scores. For students comparing De Montfort with higher-earning institutions such as Nottingham (£33,000) or Leeds (£32,000), the course delivery data makes a clear counterbalancing case.
University of Nottingham at 10th achieves 100% academic support, £33,000 graduate earnings and 94% teaching quality — the strongest combination of course delivery and earnings in this entire field. Nottingham ranks 10th because modest safety and sustainability scores suppress the overall position. For students prioritising the best measured academic support alongside the highest graduate earnings, Nottingham's data makes it the most compelling entry in the top 10. University of Leeds (5th) produces £32,000 with 90% academic support and teaching quality. Brunel (25th) produces £31,000 with 90% academic support and 76% teaching quality from a position held down by very low safety and sustainability scores.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
