When deciding which university is right for you, you may consider its league table rankings.

League tables provide an indication of how well a university is performing in relation to its competitors. Each university is given an overall ranking, but more importantly, it receives subject-specific rankings too.

Subject-specific rankings provide much more insight into the courses that you're considering and the kind of experience you might have at university.

You should also be aware that there's a significant lag between when league table data is collected and when it is published, therefore the data may not accurately reflect what's currently on offer.

For example, league tables published in 2024/25 would usually draw on data from 2022/23. However, due to new reporting protocols, some metrics were actually based on data from 2021/22.

Key metrics

All league tables are compiled in slightly different ways, but generally publications use similar metrics to measure universities' performance. You can find an overview of the key metrics below.

Continuation

The proportion of students who continue their studies after their first year at university.

Some publications, such as the Guardian, also measure the extent to which this exceeds expectations based on entry qualifications.

Graduate Prospects

The percentage of graduates in graduate-level jobs or further study (in professional or higher education) within 15 months of graduation. This data is typically taken from the Graduate Outcomes survey.

Where this metric is split into two further categories:

  • 'Graduate Prospects – On Track' refers to the proportion of graduates who say their current employment or studies are on track with their future plans.
  • 'Graduate Prospects – Outcomes' refers to students' success in employability or further study of graduates after completing their first degree.

Satisfaction with Course

An opinion-led metric which provides an overview of how satisfied students are with their course overall.

This data is typically obtained from final year students' responses in the National Student Survey.

Satisfaction with Feedback

An opinion-led metric which gathers final year students' opinions on the quality of feedback and assessment throughout their course.

This data is typically taken from the National Student Survey. It provides a general overview of how often feedback has helped students to improve their work, how often they have received assessment feedback on time, and how fair they believe the marking and assessment has been.

Satisfaction with Teaching Quality

An opinion-led metric designed to gauge how good staff are at explaining things, as well as making the subject engaging, challenging and intellectually stimulating.

This data is typically obtained from final year students' responses in the National Student Survey.

Student Experience

A broader metric which encompasses all aspects of student life, rather than solely focusing on academic performance. This data is often based on the National Student Survey.

Value Added

A comparison of students' degree results against the entry qualifications that secured them a place at university.

This metric is designed to show how effectively students have been taught – in other words, how much they've progressed academically since beginning their degree.

Want to find out more?

You can find a full breakdown of each publication's league table methodology below: