The Best Universities for Mathematics in the UK (2024)

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

• The UK is home to some of the world's leading universities with prestigious mathematics departments, offering students access to high-quality education and research opportunities.
• Masters programmes in the UK offer a wide range of specialisations including pure mathematics, applied mathematics, financial mathematics, statistics, and operational research among others. This enables students to tailor their studies according to their interests and career aspirations.
• Many UK universities are at the forefront of mathematical research, providing Masters Degree students with the opportunity to work alongside leading mathematicians on cutting-edge projects.
• Living and studying Mathematics in the UK provides exposure not only to British culture but also offers easy travel opportunities across Europe allowing personal growth outside academics as well.

The following tables gives the 10 top universities in the UK for Mathematics, 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.

For more information on using international rankings as a postgraduate, see our guide.

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.

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.

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.