Best universities for nightlife 2023

Great nightlife will mean different things to different people. It might be pubs, clubs, live music, live comedy, a dodgy kebab, beer, cocktails, mocktails or none of the above. There’s no right or wrong answer.  

Are university nightlife rankings possible? 

There’s plenty of polls out there on the best and worst universities for nightlife but they often contradict each other. This is because the definition of what makes a good night out will vary. Value for money, the number of different clubs and bars available, the range of takeaway options and how safe you feel are just some of the deciding factors. Then there’s that university nightlife anomaly where everything goes wrong but despite that or because of it, it goes down as one of the best night outs of all time.  

How do I find the best unis for nightlife? 

If great nightlife is a big part of the university experience for you, spend some time doing your own research. Bigger cities usually offer more clubs, bars, live music and food in the centre, for example, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow, and London often make the shortlist for best nightlife. In terms of value for money, northern towns and cities tend to rank higher than the south, particularly London.  

Safety is another important factor but hard to guarantee. Do some research into the university itself and the city or town you’ll be living in. Ultimately, it’s often about the precautions you put in place. You can find some tips on how to stay safe at university in our guide. 

Lastly think about where you’ll be living in relation to the nightlife you want to enjoy. Campus universities will have more limited nightlife options onsite and will be further away from the city or town centre. A night out will take more planning and will cost more in terms of travel.  

Read our campus university guide.

University shortlisting 

You may already have ideas about what you want to study and where you’d like to live. Our handy university shortlisting tool, Uniselect, can help you come up with a shortlist by answering a few simple questions.  

Once you have your preferences, do some research on nightlife. Each of our university profile pages has a student life section which will give you a good starting point. Our student city guides and regional overviews are also worth a read. Be sure to ask existing students for their opinions about nightlife at an open day or virtual event.