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The Best Universities for Engineering in the UK (2025)

Written by FAU Bot

This article was written with the assistance of generative AI. All AI content on our site is guided and vetted for accuracy by humans, and data referenced is collected from reliable, authoritative sources.

Why Study Engineering in the UK

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Engineering at a UK university. Here are just a few:

  • The UK is home to some of the most prestigious universities in the world, offering students a wide range of engineering courses and qualifications. From aerospace engineering to civil engineering, there are plenty of options for those looking to get an education in this field.
  • Many universities provide support services such as mentoring programmes and internships which can help you find employment once you have completed your course.
  • With its strong focus on innovation and creativity, studying Engineering in the UK can help you develop problem-solving skills as well as technical expertise.
  • Students studying Engineering can benefit from being part of an innovative community which encourages collaboration between academics and industry partners.

The Best UK Universities for Economics

The following tables gives the 10 top universities in the UK for Engineering, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which British universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

We have more information on how to use international rankings as a postgrad student in our detailed guide.


Top 10 UK Universities for Engineering (Times Higher Education)
University UK Rank Global Rank
University of Oxford 1 4
University of Cambridge 2 6
Imperial College London 3 12
The University of Manchester 4 45
University College London 5 48
University of Edinburgh 6 =76
University of Birmingham =7 =96
University of Sheffield =7 =96
University of Bristol 9 =100
University of Nottingham 10 101-125
This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the Times Higher Education rankings?

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.


Top 10 UK Universities for Engineering (QS)
University UK Rank Global Rank
University of Oxford 1 2
University of Cambridge 2 4
Imperial College London 3 8
The University of Manchester 4 32
University College London 5 =33
University of Edinburgh 6 =58
University of Leeds 7 92
University of Sheffield 8 =104
King's College London =9 =116
University of Bristol =9 =116
This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by QS World University Rankings. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the QS rankings?

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.


Top 10 UK Universities for Engineering (ARWU)
University UK Rank Global Rank
Imperial College London 1 12
University College London 2 26
University of Southampton 3 34
University of Oxford 4 47
Queen Mary University of London 5 51-75
The University of Manchester 6 51-75
University of Cambridge 7 51-75
King's College London 8 76-100
Queen's University Belfast 9 76-100
Loughborough University 10 101-150
This information is based on the latest rankings tables for Electrial and Electronic Engineering, researched and published by Academic Ranking of World Universities. Visit their website for more information and a comprehensive list of engineering subject rankings.

What should I know about the ARWU rankings?

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.


Last updated: 02 April 2025