Best Universities for Software Engineering in the UK 2027
Swansea University tops our 2027 software engineering ranking with 168 points, achieving 92% academic support and 74% teaching quality. University of the West of England, Bristol comes second with 162 points and 95% academic support. Cardiff University is third with 161 points. We ranked 58 UK universities offering software engineering degrees across eight metrics: graduate earnings, teaching quality, student satisfaction, academic support, safety, cost of living, social life and sustainability. Two partial entries were excluded.
University of Southampton (joint 29th) produces £36,000 — the highest software engineering graduate earnings in this ranking. Multiple institutions produce £35,000, including Royal Holloway (joint 9th), Edinburgh Napier (joint 12th), University of Kent (22nd), University of Edinburgh (joint 23rd), University of Glasgow (joint 23rd) and University of Aberdeen (joint 24th). University of Brighton (joint 9th) achieves 100% academic support. University of Winchester (33rd) has the lowest academic support at 54% and lowest teaching quality at 50%. Coventry University (joint 8th) achieves 95% teaching quality — the highest in the field.
For how these universities compare across all subjects, see the Unifresher best universities overall ranking and our best universities for employability.
Software Engineering University Rankings 2027
| # | University | Grad Earnings | Satisfaction | Teaching Quality | Academic Support | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swansea University Swansea |
£30,000 | 79% | 74% | 92% | 168 |
| 2 | University of the West of England, Bristol Bristol |
£29,000 | 74% | 83% | 95% | 162 |
| 3 | Cardiff University Cardiff |
£32,000 | 71% | 87% | 91% | 161 |
| 4 | Edge Hill University Ormskirk |
£30,000 | 83% | 71% | 88% | 150 |
| 4 | Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool |
£29,000 | 72% | 79% | 94% | 150 |
| 5 | Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester |
£27,000 | 73% | 88% | 87% | 149 |
| 5 | Leeds Beckett University Leeds |
£27,000 | 70% | 92% | 93% | 149 |
| 6 | Lancaster University Lancaster |
£33,000 | 82% | 92% | 83% | 147 |
| 7 | Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff |
£24,500 | 75% | 67% | 92% | 146 |
| 8 | Bournemouth University Bournemouth |
£28,000 | 71% | 75% | 84% | 140 |
| 8 | University of Liverpool Liverpool |
£32,000 | 71% | 82% | 82% | 140 |
| 8 | Coventry University Coventry |
£30,000 | 72% | 95% | 94% | 140 |
| 9 | University of Brighton Brighton |
£29,000 | 72% | 82% | 100% | 139 |
| 9 | Royal Holloway, University of London Egham |
£35,000 | 74% | 83% | 83% | 139 |
| 9 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David Lampeter / Carmarthen / Swansea |
£27,000 | 79% | 89% | 90% | 139 |
| 10 | De Montfort University Leicester |
£26,000 | 70% | 80% | 84% | 136 |
| 10 | Nottingham Trent University Nottingham |
£28,000 | 76% | 81% | 84% | 136 |
| 11 | University of Bradford Bradford |
£29,000 | 71% | 90% | 95% | 135 |
| 12 | Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh |
£35,000 | 72% | 69% | 83% | 132 |
| 12 | University of Sheffield Sheffield |
£33,000 | 75% | 85% | 81% | 132 |
| 13 | University of West London London |
£29,500 | 72% | 86% | 83% | 131 |
| 14 | University of Plymouth Plymouth |
£32,500 | 75% | 69% | 69% | 128 |
| 15 | University of Sussex Brighton and Hove |
£30,000 | 77% | 83% | 88% | 126 |
| 16 | Glyndwr University, Wrexham Wrexham |
£23,000 | 74% | 69% | 77% | 125 |
| 17 | Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge |
£26,000 | 70% | 78% | 85% | 124 |
| 18 | Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield |
£30,000 | 73% | 76% | 77% | 123 |
| 19 | University of Salford Salford |
£27,000 | 73% | 79% | 78% | 122 |
| 19 | Birmingham City University Birmingham |
£27,500 | 69% | 86% | 84% | 122 |
| 20 | University of Leicester Leicester |
£32,000 | 73% | 78% | 90% | 121 |
| 21 | University of Greenwich London |
£30,000 | 69% | 70% | 89% | 119 |
| 22 | University of Kent Canterbury |
£35,000 | 72% | 68% | 75% | 118 |
| 23 | University of Edinburgh Edinburgh |
£35,000 | 74% | 79% | 78% | 117 |
| 23 | University of Glasgow Glasgow |
£35,000 | 75% | 80% | 81% | 117 |
| 24 | Falmouth University Falmouth |
£26,500 | 82% | 74% | 80% | 116 |
| 24 | University of Aberdeen Aberdeen |
£35,000 | 76% | 75% | 85% | 116 |
| 24 | University of Portsmouth Portsmouth |
£32,000 | 77% | 86% | 87% | 116 |
| 25 | Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne |
£30,000 | 75% | 61% | 71% | 114 |
| 25 | Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury |
£26,000 | 73% | 68% | 72% | 114 |
| 25 | University of Strathclyde Glasgow |
£33,000 | 75% | 86% | 83% | 114 |
| 25 | Brunel University London Uxbridge |
£30,000 | 68% | 88% | 86% | 114 |
| 26 | University of Bedfordshire Luton |
£25,500 | 68% | 79% | 82% | 111 |
| 27 | Keele University Newcastle-under-Lyme |
£30,000 | 81% | 58% | 70% | 105 |
| 28 | Solent University Southampton |
£27,000 | 71% | 89% | 87% | 104 |
| 28 | Teesside University Middlesbrough |
£25,000 | 78% | 90% | 95% | 104 |
| 29 | Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh |
£33,500 | 75% | 75% | 80% | 103 |
| 29 | University of Southampton Southampton |
£36,000 | 76% | 77% | 77% | 103 |
| 29 | University of Westminster London |
£26,000 | 68% | 90% | 89% | 103 |
| 30 | University of Chester Chester |
£28,000 | 78% | 66% | 82% | 97 |
| 31 | University of Stirling Stirling |
£30,000 | 78% | 79% | 71% | 89 |
| 32 | University of Hull Hull |
£28,000 | 76% | 79% | 88% | 87 |
| 33 | University of Winchester Winchester |
£27,000 | 82% | 50% | 54% | 86 |
| 34 | Liverpool Hope University Liverpool |
£26,000 | 80% | 60% | 85% | 86 |
| 35 | University of Huddersfield Huddersfield |
£25,000 | 74% | 64% | 76% | 85 |
| 35 | Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe |
£25,000 | 70% | 71% | 88% | 85 |
| 36 | Staffordshire University Stoke-on-Trent |
£25,000 | 72% | 74% | 81% | 84 |
| 37 | Goldsmiths, University of London London |
£30,000 | 64% | 81% | 79% | 74 |
| 38 | University of Northampton Northampton |
£29,500 | 75% | 75% | 69% | 71 |
| 39 | University of Central Lancashire Preston |
£25,000 | 71% | 59% | 55% | 63 |
What the ranking tells you about studying software engineering
Software engineering is a distinct discipline from computer science — it emphasises the systematic design, development, testing and maintenance of software systems at scale, including software architecture, agile and DevOps methodologies, quality assurance, project management and professional practice. With 58 universities in this ranking, variation in industry project work, placement connectivity, software tooling and the balance between theory and hands-on development is significant. Software engineering graduates enter one of the highest-demand and highest-paying discipline areas in the UK and global job market.
University of Winchester at 33rd: 50% teaching quality, 54% academic support
University of Winchester ranks 33rd with 86 points and achieves 50% teaching quality and 54% academic support — the lowest scores on both metrics in this 58-university field. Winchester ranks 33rd rather than last because of strong safety and satisfaction scores and low cost of living. The next-lowest teaching quality is Keele at 58%, Liverpool Hope at 60% and Newcastle at 61%. The next-lowest academic support is University of Central Lancashire at 55%. For a discipline where the quality of code review sessions, software architecture lectures and hands-on lab support directly determines graduate readiness, 50% teaching quality and 54% academic support require direct investigation before any application.
University of Southampton at joint 29th: £36,000 — the highest software engineering earnings in the UK
University of Southampton ranks joint 29th with 103 points and produces £36,000 — the highest graduate earnings in this 58-university field. Southampton ranks joint 29th because of relatively low sustainability score and below-average safety score. Its 77% academic support and 77% teaching quality are both below the field average for the top 30. Southampton's strong employer connections in defence, aerospace and technology industries drive the premium earnings. For students weighing employer access against course delivery scores, Southampton's position mirrors the Exeter and Bath pattern in robotics: research reputation and employer access produce premium earnings that the ranking position does not reflect.
Coventry University (joint 8th) achieves 95% teaching quality — the highest in the field — and 94% academic support alongside 95% teaching quality from a mid-table position. University of Brighton (joint 9th) achieves 100% academic support. University of Bradford (11th) achieves 95% academic support and 90% teaching quality from 11th. University of the West of England (2nd) achieves 95% academic support with 83% teaching quality. Teesside University (joint 28th) achieves 95% academic support and 90% teaching quality from 28th. For students comparing on course delivery quality specifically, Coventry's teaching quality score is the strongest measured in this field, and Brighton's 100% academic support is unmatched.
For a broader view of how these universities compare, see the Unifresher overall best universities ranking.
