UK university league tables – hidden gems 2024

CONTENTS

1. What are UK league table hidden gems? 

2. Why do they matter? 

3. Study in Scotland

4. Study in Northern Ireland

5. Study in Wales

6. Study in Yorkshire and the Humber 

7. Study in the North West

8. Study in the West Midlands

9. Study in the East Midlands

10. Study in the East of England

11. Study in the South East

12. Study in London

13. Study in the South West 

14. Find your own hidden gems with Uniselect

15. Data sources

What are UK league table hidden gems?  

The Complete University Guide team have found universities throughout the country that really shine in particular subject areas. These areas of excellence or ‘hidden gems’ show that universities lower in the overall league table can rank amongst the best in the UK for certain subjects and could offer the best course and uni for many students.  

Why do they matter?  

There are many reasons why highlighting the hidden gems in our league tables can help students. If you have a clear idea of what you'd like to study or the career path you'd like to follow, our league table hidden gems can point you towards universities and areas of the UK you may not have considered before. For example, for those wanting a career that focuses on the development and wellbeing of children and young people, the South East of England has three universities in the top ten of our Childhood & Youth Studies rankings. 

If your final exam results were not as you expected and you want to go through Clearing, our hidden gems open up new avenues. In the area of health and medicine, both Scotland and Wales have several shining stars you may wish to consider.

With the cost of living putting increasing pressure on students and families, this new data highlights areas of excellence in students’ home regions too. Meaning that you don’t have to go far away from home to go far in your chosen field of study. Our hidden gems may even throw up some highly-rated subjects that you may not have previously considered. 

1. READ MORE
2. More students living at home in 2023
3. Guide to UCAS Clearing

Study in Scotland  

Scottish students who want to save money by staying closer to home will find top-ranking courses in medical and scientific subjects to the more creative like art and design or education.  

If you're looking for a university course that could open doors to a career in the sciences and the law, Robert Gordon University ranks second in the whole of the UK for Forensic Science.  

Study in Northern Ireland  

Ulster University in Northern Ireland, while ranking 49th in the main UK league table, features in the top five of four subject league tables. There’s a range of table-topping subjects to choose from at Ulster University whether you'd like to stay closer to home or want to move away to a university that ranks highly for your chosen subject.

Study in Wales  

Wales is no slouch when it comes to hidden gems. Swansea University glistens with three gems, coming first in our subject table for Complementary Medicine, third for Paramedic Science, and fourth for Childhood & Youth Studies. While the University of South Wales is the second best place in the country to study Complementary Medicine and Bangor University ranks highly for Health Studies and second in the UK for Information Technology & Systems. 

Study in Yorkshire and the Humber   

Students wishing to study Health Studies or Forensic Science may want to consider studying in Yorkshire and the Humber. The University of Bradford and the University of Huddersfield take sixth and seventh place respectively for Forensic Science, while for Health Science Sheffield Hallam is the second best place in the country and Huddersfield is in the top ten.  

Study in the North West  

The North West of England is brilliant with hidden gems. Three of its universities are in the top ten for Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies, which is no surprise when you consider the history and natural beauty of the region. As well as ranking fourth in the UK Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies subject table, Edge Hill University in the heart of Lancashire also ranks ninth in the country for Social Work.

Study in the West Midlands  

The stand-out subjects found at universities across the West Midlands are wide-ranging, from Building at Aston University in Birmingham to Medical Technology & Bioengineering at Keele University. Coventry University may not rank highly in our main league table but it's fifth in the UK for Health Studies.

Study in the East Midlands 

In the East Midlands the University of Lincoln, 45th in our overall UK university rankings, features in the top ten in three subject tables, while Nottingham Trent University ranks fifth in the UK for Forensic Science. The University of Northampton takes an impressive sixth place in the Childhood & Youth Studies table while it sits almost at the foot of our overall league table, showing that the highest ranking universities may not always be the best place for the subject you want to study.

Study in the East of England  

The University of Suffolk ranks fifth in the UK for Childhood & Youth Studies, so this previously overlooked university could be perfect for you if you want to stay close to home and get into a career working with children.

Study in the South East  

The South East of England particularly shines in Childhood & Youth Studies this year. Three of its universities feature in the top ten of our subject table, with the University of Sussex rated the best place in the country to study the subject. The University of Kent ranks tenth for Creative Writing and an impressive third place for Forensic Science. While Brighton ranks seventh in the UK for Physiotherapy. 

Study in London  

Not all London universities rank highly in our league tables, but what some may lack in overall score they more than make up for in individual subjects. City, University of London was ranked the second best place in the country to study Marketing and tenth for Business & Management, offering a chance to study a highly rated subject in a city with a vibrant jobs market for these sectors. While ranked 87th in the UK overall, Kingston University ranks sixth on our subject league table for Art & Design.

Study in the South West 

The stunning South West shimmers with gems with four of its universities ranking in the top ten of five of our subject tables, offering students who want to stay local or move to the country or coast a variety of top-rated subjects. It's no surprise that the South West should have two universities rated top ten in the UK for Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies, but those wanting to study Paramedic Science would do well to consider the region with Bristol, University of the West of England and Bournemouth University ranking fourth and sixth respectively.

Find your own hidden gems with Uniselect 

If these league table hidden gems aren’t quite right for you, our new university shortlisting tool, Uniselect, is here to help. 

Uniselect will build you a personalised shortlist of universities based on your answers to a few simple questions. You can choose where in the UK you’d like to study, customise the choices based on the subjects and sports you’d like the universities to offer, and Uniselect will serve you with a list of hidden gems of your own and even show you which ones are in Clearing! 

You can save as many shortlists to your Complete University Guide profile as you want based on different criteria for you to come back to whenever you like. 

Data Sources

The data has been extracted from our 2024 UK university league tables. To find out more about how these were compiled you can read our University and subject league tables methodology or check out the Data sources used in the creation of our subject tables.