89 Best universities for Architecture in the United Kingdom

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in the United Kingdom ranked based on their research performance in Architecture. A graph of 483K citations received by 20.4K academic papers made by 89 universities in the United Kingdom was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Oxford

England | Oxford

For Architecture

#1 in Europe

#7 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

2. University of Cambridge

England | Cambridge

For Architecture

#7 in Europe

#18 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

3. University College London

England | London

For Architecture

#9 in Europe

#22 in the World

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

4. Imperial College London

England | London

For Architecture

#14 in Europe

#35 in the World

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

5. University of Manchester

England | Manchester

For Architecture

#20 in Europe

#50 in the World

Founded: 1824

6. University of Edinburgh

Scotland | Edinburgh

For Architecture

#22 in Europe

#63 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1583

7. University of Sheffield

England | Sheffield

For Architecture

#30 in Europe

#85 in the World

Founded: 1905

8. Lancaster University

England | Lancaster

For Architecture

#33 in Europe

#92 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1964

9. University of Southampton

England | Southampton

For Architecture

#38 in Europe

#112 in the World

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

10. Newcastle University

England | Newcastle upon Tyne

For Architecture

#48 in Europe

#127 in the World

Founded: 1963

11. University of Nottingham

England | Nottingham

For Architecture

#52 in Europe

#144 in the World

Founded: 1948

12. Cardiff University

Wales | Cardiff

For Architecture

#58 in Europe

#154 in the World

Founded: 1997

13. Loughborough University

England | Loughborough

For Architecture

#65 in Europe

#166 in the World

Enrollment: 19,449
Founded: 1966

14. University of York

For Architecture

#67 in Europe

#169 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Founded: 1963

15. Durham University

England | Durham

For Architecture

#71 in Europe

#176 in the World

Enrollment: 19,520
Founded: 1832

16. University of Strathclyde

Scotland | Glasgow

For Architecture

#75 in Europe

#186 in the World

Founded: 1964

17. Queen Mary University of London

England | London

For Architecture

#79 in Europe

#191 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Founded: 1989

18. University of Leeds

England | Leeds

For Architecture

#80 in Europe

#192 in the World

Founded: 1904

19. King's College London

England | London

For Architecture

#81 in Europe

#199 in the World

Founded: 1829

20. University of Bristol

England | Bristol

For Architecture

#86 in Europe

#205 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Enrollment: 27,513
Founded: 1909

21. Brunel University London

England | Uxbridge

For Architecture

#88 in Europe

#208 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Founded: 1966

22. University of Liverpool

England | Liverpool

For Architecture

#91 in Europe

#211 in the World

Enrollment: 28,693
Founded: 1881

23. University of Kent

England | Canterbury

For Architecture

#92 in Europe

#212 in the World

Founded: 1965

24. University of Birmingham

England | Birmingham

For Architecture

#94 in Europe

#215 in the World

Founded: 1900

25. University of Glasgow

Scotland | Glasgow

For Architecture

#112 in Europe

#251 in the World

Founded: 1451

26. University of Essex

England | Colchester

For Architecture

#115 in Europe

#256 in the World

Founded: 1964

27. University of Reading

England | Reading

For Architecture

#117 in Europe

#258 in the World

Founded: 1892

28. University of Surrey

England | Guildford

For Architecture

#119 in Europe

#260 in the World

Enrollment: 16,900
Founded: 1966

29. Ulster University

Northern Ireland | Coleraine

For Architecture

#123 in Europe

#273 in the World

Founded: 1968

30. University of Warwick

England | Coventry

For Architecture

#138 in Europe

#299 in the World

Enrollment: 27,278
Founded: 1965

31. University of the West of England

England | Bristol

For Architecture

#141 in Europe

#305 in the World

Enrollment: 30,732
Founded: 1992

32. Queen's University Belfast

Northern Ireland | Belfast

For Architecture

#146 in Europe

#315 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Founded: 1849

33. De Montfort University

England | Leicester

For Architecture

#153 in Europe

#335 in the World

Enrollment: 29,000
Founded: 1992

34. Oxford Brookes University

England | Oxford

For Architecture

#158 in Europe

#352 in the World

Enrollment: 16,900
Founded: 1865

35. Manchester Metropolitan University

England | Manchester

For Architecture

#164 in Europe

#362 in the World

Founded: 1992

36. University of Leicester

England | Leicester

For Architecture

#180 in Europe

#391 in the World

Enrollment: 24,409
Male:Female: 46:54
Founded: 1957

37. University of Westminster

England | London

For Architecture

#190 in Europe

#417 in the World

Enrollment: 19,000
Founded: 1838

38. University of St Andrews

Scotland | St Andrews

For Architecture

#203 in Europe

#450 in the World

Enrollment: 10,425
Founded: 1413

39. London School of Economics and Political Science

England | London

For Architecture

#204 in Europe

#452 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 9,218
Founded: 1895

40. University of Brighton

England | Brighton

For Architecture

#206 in Europe

#454 in the World

Founded: 1992

41. City, University of London

England | London

For Architecture

#211 in Europe

#463 in the World

Founded: 1966

42. University of London

England | London

For Architecture

#214 in Europe

#467 in the World

Enrollment: 50,000
Founded: 1836

43. Northumbria University

England | Newcastle upon Tyne

For Architecture

#222 in Europe

#495 in the World

Founded: 1992

44. University of Aberdeen

Scotland | Aberdeen

For Architecture

#223 in Europe

#498 in the World

Founded: 1495

45. Heriot-Watt University

Scotland | Edinburgh

For Architecture

#224 in Europe

#502 in the World

Founded: 1966

46. Liverpool John Moores University

England | Liverpool

For Architecture

#233 in Europe

#523 in the World

Founded: 1992

47. University of Sussex

England | Brighton

For Architecture

#237 in Europe

#528 in the World

Enrollment: 17,319
Male:Female: 44:56
Founded: 1961

48. University of Bath

For Architecture

#240 in Europe

#532 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 67%
Enrollment: 18,857
Male:Female: 53:47
Founded: 1966

49. University of Exeter

England | Exeter

For Architecture

#244 in Europe

#537 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Founded: 1955

50. Cranfield University

England | Cranfield

For Architecture

#250 in Europe

#549 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Enrollment: 4,825
Founded: 1993

51. University of Salford

England | Salford

For Architecture

#256 in Europe

#563 in the World

Founded: 1967

52. University of Plymouth

England | Plymouth

For Architecture

#259 in Europe

#566 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1992

53. Royal Holloway, University of London

England | Egham

For Architecture

#263 in Europe

#581 in the World

Founded: 1849

54. University of Portsmouth

England | Portsmouth

For Architecture

#285 in Europe

#642 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

55. Birkbeck, University of London

England | London

For Architecture

#292 in Europe

#657 in the World

Founded: 1823

56. University of Hertfordshire

England | Hatfield

For Architecture

#306 in Europe

#707 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1992

57. Coventry University

England | Coventry

For Architecture

#314 in Europe

#723 in the World

Enrollment: 22,980
Founded: 1992

58. Bournemouth University

England | Poole

For Architecture

#316 in Europe

#730 in the World

Enrollment: 14,293
Founded: 1992

59. Edinburgh Napier University

Scotland | Edinburgh

For Architecture

#321 in Europe

#749 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1992

60. University of the West of Scotland

Scotland | Paisley

For Architecture

#326 in Europe

#758 in the World

Enrollment: 15,555
Founded: 1897

61. Kingston University

England | Kingston upon Thames

For Architecture

#330 in Europe

#763 in the World

Founded: 1992

62. University of Huddersfield

England | Huddersfield

For Architecture

#334 in Europe

#774 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

63. Middlesex University

England | London

For Architecture

#339 in Europe

#795 in the World

Founded: 1973

64. Teesside University

England | Middlesbrough

For Architecture

#347 in Europe

#811 in the World

Enrollment: 19,290
Founded: 1992

65. University of Stirling

Scotland | Stirling

For Architecture

#356 in Europe

#833 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 14,000
Founded: 1967

66. Leeds Beckett University

England | Leeds

For Architecture

#359 in Europe

#841 in the World

Founded: 1992

67. University of East Anglia

England | Norwich

For Architecture

#360 in Europe

#842 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1963

68. University of Lincoln

England | Lincoln

For Architecture

#368 in Europe

#863 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Enrollment: 19,710
Founded: 1992

69. Keele University

England | Keele

For Architecture

#375 in Europe

#880 in the World

Founded: 1962

70. University of Hull

England | Kingston upon Hull

For Architecture

#378 in Europe

#889 in the World

Founded: 1954

71. Nottingham Trent University

England | Nottingham

For Architecture

#382 in Europe

#904 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1992

72. Swansea University

Wales | Swansea

For Architecture

#386 in Europe

#915 in the World

Founded: 1920

73. University of Greenwich

England | London

For Architecture

#389 in Europe

#924 in the World

Founded: 1890

74. Sheffield Hallam University

England | Sheffield

For Architecture

#395 in Europe

#940 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

75. University of Wales

Wales | Cardiff

For Architecture

#396 in Europe

#945 in the World

Founded: 1893

76. University of Dundee

Scotland | Dundee

For Architecture

#398 in Europe

#949 in the World

Founded: 1967

77. Aberystwyth University

Wales | Aberystwyth

For Architecture

#416 in Europe

#1000 in the World

Founded: 1872

78. Robert Gordon University

Scotland | Aberdeen

For Architecture

#423 in Europe

#1020 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Founded: 1992

79. University of Bradford

England | Bradford

For Architecture

#428 in Europe

#1040 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Founded: 1966

80. Aston University

England | Birmingham

For Architecture

#438 in Europe

#1069 in the World

Founded: 1895

81. Glasgow School of Art

Scotland | Glasgow

For Architecture

#442 in Europe

#1084 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 1,500
Founded: 1845

82. London Metropolitan University

England | London

For Architecture

#446 in Europe

#1105 in the World

Founded: 1848

83. Goldsmiths, University of London

England | London

For Architecture

#448 in Europe

#1109 in the World

Founded: 1904

84. Birmingham City University

England | Birmingham

For Architecture

#449 in Europe

#1110 in the World

Founded: 1992

85. London South Bank University

England | London

For Architecture

#455 in Europe

#1134 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 1892

86. University of Wolverhampton

England | Wolverhampton

For Architecture

#462 in Europe

#1150 in the World

Founded: 1992

87. University of Derby

England | Derby

For Architecture

#471 in Europe

#1175 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Enrollment: 25,000
Founded: 1992

88. Royal College of Art

England | London

For Architecture

#472 in Europe

#1178 in the World

Founded: 1896

89. University of East London

England | London

For Architecture

#495 in Europe

#1259 in the World

Founded: 1992

The best cities to study Architecture in the United Kingdom based on the number of universities and their ranks are Oxford, Cambridge, London, and Manchester.