Featured University
Featured University
Universities in the United Kingdom
  1. United Kingdom
  2. Oldest Universities

Oldest Universities in the United Kingdom

What are the oldest Universities in the United Kingdom? uniRank answers this question by publishing a list of 164 UK higher education institutions sorted by year of establishment and meeting uniRank's selection criteria:

  • Official Recognition: institutions must be officialy chartered, licensed or accredited by the appropriate higher education-related organization in the United Kingdom.
  • Degree Authority: they must be authorised to grant bachelor's degrees of at least three years' duration and/or postgraduate master's or doctoral degrees.
  • Delivery Mode: they must deliver courses predominantly in a traditional, face-to-face, non-distance education format.

Oldest Universities in the United Kingdom


browse by: ranking a-z town oldest
filter by: public private non-profit for-profit

List of 164 UK universities by year of establishment
University Town/City #
University of Oxford Oxford 1
University of Cambridge Cambridge 2
University of St Andrews St Andrews 18
University of Glasgow Glasgow 7
University of Aberdeen Aberdeen 36
University of Edinburgh Edinburgh 4
City St George's, University of London London 24
The Royal Veterinary College University of London London 92
The Royal Academy of Music, University of London London 160
Birkbeck, University of London London 55
University of Manchester Manchester 6
University College London London 3
King's College London London 10
Durham University Durham 20
University of London London 74
University of Westminster London 70
University of South Wales Pontypridd 96
York St John University York 119
The Glasgow School of Art Glasgow 113
Norwich University of the Arts Norwich 156
Leeds Arts University Leeds 154
London Metropolitan University London 91
Queen's University Belfast Belfast 31
Royal Holloway, University of London Egham 43
St Mary's University, Twickenham Twickenham 125
Arts University Plymouth Plymouth 159
Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge 59
Lincoln Bishop University Lincoln 152
Oxford Brookes University Oxford 65
Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth 60
Guildhall School of Music and Drama London 131
University of Liverpool Liverpool 17
Royal College of Music London 121
Bangor University Bangor 69
Arts University Bournemouth Poole 137
University of Greenwich London 66
London South Bank University London 89
University of Reading Reading 28
University of Wales Cardiff 157
The London School of Economics and Political Science London 5
Aston University Birmingham 63
Royal College of Art London 84
University of the West of Scotland Paisley 118
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Liverpool 134
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London London 56
University of Birmingham Birmingham 12
Goldsmiths, University of London London 52
University of Leeds Leeds 13
University of Sheffield Sheffield 27
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama London 145
Imperial College London London 8
University of Bristol Bristol 22
SOAS, University of London London 58
Swansea University Swansea 40
Plymouth Marjon University Plymouth 155
The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London London 100
Hartpury University and Hartpury College Gloucester 149
University of Nottingham Nottingham 14
Rose Bruford College London 161
University of Southampton Southampton 9
University of Hull Hull 71
University of Exeter Exeter 19
University of Leicester Leicester 29
University College Birmingham Birmingham 148
University of Sussex Brighton 30
Keele University Keele 68
Ravensbourne University London London 139
The University of Law Guildford 110
University of East Anglia Norwich 32
Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne 16
The University of York York 15
London Business School London 82
University of Essex Colchester 38
Lancaster University Lancaster 21
University of Strathclyde Glasgow 35
University of Kent Canterbury 33
University of Warwick Coventry 11
Leeds Conservatoire Leeds 150
Brunel University of London Uxbridge 51
Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh 39
University of Bath Bath 26
Loughborough University Loughborough 37
University of Surrey Guildford 25
University of Bradford Bradford 99
University of Salford Salford 64
University of Stirling Stirling 53
University of Dundee Dundee 42
Ulster University Coleraine 73
Birmingham Newman University Birmingham 153
Richmond American University London London 158
Middlesex University London 81
The University of Buckingham Buckingham 129
Royal Northern College of Music Manchester 136
Bath Spa University Bath 106
Regent's University London London 143
Northern School of Contemporary Dance Leeds 162
University of the Arts London London 44
Walbrook Institute London London 142
European School of Economics London 163
Queen Mary University of London London 23
University of West London Ealing 115
University of Sunderland Sunderland 93
Kingston University Kingston upon Thames 80
Leeds Beckett University Leeds 88
University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton 86
Edinburgh Napier University Edinburgh 77
University of Lincoln Lincoln 79
Teesside University Middlesbrough 95
Nottingham Trent University Nottingham 48
University of the West of England Bristol 46
Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool 85
University of Brighton Brighton 62
University of Hertfordshire Hatfield 61
University of East London London 87
Robert Gordon University Aberdeen 97
University of Central Lancashire Preston 45
Bournemouth University Poole 72
Birmingham City University Birmingham 76
Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield 50
Coventry University Coventry 67
University of Derby Derby 90
University of Plymouth Plymouth 49
University of Portsmouth Portsmouth 41
De Montfort University Leicester 54
Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester 47
University of Huddersfield Huddersfield 83
University of Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent 98
Northumbria University Newcastle upon Tyne 57
BPP University London Un
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow 105
Cranfield University Cranfield 75
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Glasgow 138
Abertay University Dundee 122
School of Advanced Study, University of London London 78
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Liverpool 151
Cardiff University Cardiff 34
Buckinghamshire New University High Wycombe 141
University of Gloucestershire Cheltenham 107
University of Roehampton London 102
Solent University Southampton 117
University of Greater Manchester Bolton 109
Liverpool Hope University Liverpool 128
Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury 104
University of Worcester Worcester 120
The University of Northampton Northampton 101
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London 140
University of Chester Chester 108
University for the Creative Arts Farnham 114
University of Winchester Winchester 127
University of Chichester Chichester 132
University of Bedfordshire Luton 111
Edge Hill University Ormskirk 103
Queen Margaret University Edinburgh 133
University of Cumbria Carlisle 126
University of Suffolk Ipswich 144
Wrexham University Wrexham 130
University of Wales Trinity Saint David Carmarthen 112
Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff 116
University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness 94
Leeds Trinity University Leeds 147
Scotland's Rural College Edinburgh 123
Falmouth University Falmouth 124
Harper Adams University Newport 135
The Royal Agricultural University Cirencester 146
+ Add University Legend: Un Unranked

Useful? Don't forget to share the oldest UK Universities with your friends 👇

Online Courses You Can Trust

Coursera Courses

Frequently Asked Questions

How many universities are there in the United Kingdom?

There are 164 officially chartered, licensed or accredited UK higher-education institution(s) that meet uniRank's selection criteria.

What is the oldest university in the United Kingdom?

University of Oxford, located in Oxford, is the oldest university in the United Kingdom according to uniRank's research.

Related UK University Lists

Since 2005, UniRank provides original research, valuable information and resources to help you explore and make informed decisions about UK universities and their online presence.