49 Best universities for Music 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 Music. A graph of 136K citations received by 6.95K academic papers made by 49 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 Cambridge

England | Cambridge

For Music

#1 in Europe

#7 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

2. University College London

England | London

For Music

#2 in Europe

#12 in the World

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

3. University of Oxford

England | Oxford

For Music

#4 in Europe

#16 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

4. University of Edinburgh

Scotland | Edinburgh

For Music

#7 in Europe

#26 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1583

5. Queen Mary University of London

England | London

For Music

#8 in Europe

#31 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Founded: 1989

6. University of London

England | London

For Music

#9 in Europe

#33 in the World

Enrollment: 50,000
Founded: 1836

7. Goldsmiths, University of London

England | London

For Music

#10 in Europe

#34 in the World

Founded: 1904

8. University of Leeds

England | Leeds

For Music

#13 in Europe

#45 in the World

Founded: 1904

9. University of Sheffield

England | Sheffield

For Music

#15 in Europe

#51 in the World

Founded: 1905

10. University of Manchester

England | Manchester

For Music

#16 in Europe

#53 in the World

Founded: 1824

11. University of Exeter

England | Exeter

For Music

#17 in Europe

#57 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Founded: 1955

12. Durham University

England | Durham

For Music

#21 in Europe

#72 in the World

Enrollment: 19,520
Founded: 1832

13. King's College London

England | London

For Music

#24 in Europe

#84 in the World

Founded: 1829

14. University of Reading

England | Reading

For Music

#26 in Europe

#88 in the World

Founded: 1892

15. University of Liverpool

England | Liverpool

For Music

#27 in Europe

#90 in the World

Enrollment: 28,693
Founded: 1881

16. University of Glasgow

Scotland | Glasgow

For Music

#28 in Europe

#91 in the World

Founded: 1451

17. University of Nottingham

England | Nottingham

For Music

#29 in Europe

#92 in the World

Founded: 1948

18. Keele University

England | Keele

For Music

#30 in Europe

#102 in the World

Founded: 1962

19. University of Southampton

England | Southampton

For Music

#31 in Europe

#104 in the World

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

20. Royal Holloway, University of London

England | Egham

For Music

#39 in Europe

#117 in the World

Founded: 1849

21. University of Birmingham

England | Birmingham

For Music

#42 in Europe

#124 in the World

Founded: 1900

22. City, University of London

England | London

For Music

#44 in Europe

#131 in the World

Founded: 1966

23. University of York

For Music

#45 in Europe

#132 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Founded: 1963

24. Royal College of Music

England | London

For Music

#49 in Europe

#139 in the World

Founded: 1882

25. University of Roehampton

England | London

For Music

#50 in Europe

#140 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 2004

26. University of Bristol

England | Bristol

For Music

#53 in Europe

#144 in the World

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

27. Newcastle University

England | Newcastle upon Tyne

For Music

#55 in Europe

#147 in the World

Founded: 1963

28. University of Warwick

England | Coventry

For Music

#57 in Europe

#152 in the World

Enrollment: 27,278
Founded: 1965

29. University of East Anglia

England | Norwich

For Music

#59 in Europe

#157 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1963

30. University of Sussex

England | Brighton

For Music

#68 in Europe

#176 in the World

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

31. Imperial College London

England | London

For Music

#70 in Europe

#180 in the World

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

32. Royal Academy of Music, University of London

England | London

For Music

#72 in Europe

#186 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 13%
Founded: 1822

33. University of Huddersfield

England | Huddersfield

For Music

#79 in Europe

#208 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

34. Queen's University Belfast

Northern Ireland | Belfast

For Music

#83 in Europe

#216 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Founded: 1849

35. Birmingham City University

England | Birmingham

For Music

#84 in Europe

#217 in the World

Founded: 1992

36. University of Leicester

England | Leicester

For Music

#85 in Europe

#218 in the World

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

37. Cardiff University

Wales | Cardiff

For Music

#87 in Europe

#223 in the World

Founded: 1997

38. University of St Andrews

Scotland | St Andrews

For Music

#90 in Europe

#232 in the World

Enrollment: 10,425
Founded: 1413

39. University of Plymouth

England | Plymouth

For Music

#100 in Europe

#256 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1992

40. Manchester Metropolitan University

England | Manchester

For Music

#103 in Europe

#259 in the World

Founded: 1992

41. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Scotland | Glasgow

For Music

#113 in Europe

#275 in the World

Founded: 1993

42. University of Surrey

England | Guildford

For Music

#124 in Europe

#318 in the World

Enrollment: 16,900
Founded: 1966

43. University of Dundee

Scotland | Dundee

For Music

#137 in Europe

#353 in the World

Founded: 1967

44. University of Hull

England | Kingston upon Hull

For Music

#143 in Europe

#369 in the World

Founded: 1954

45. Brunel University London

England | Uxbridge

For Music

#144 in Europe

#376 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Founded: 1966

46. Lancaster University

England | Lancaster

For Music

#146 in Europe

#379 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1964

47. University of Strathclyde

Scotland | Glasgow

For Music

#150 in Europe

#390 in the World

Founded: 1964

48. SOAS, University of London

England | London

For Music

#158 in Europe

#404 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 44%
Enrollment: 6,295
Founded: 1916

49. Birkbeck, University of London

England | London

For Music

#164 in Europe

#423 in the World

Founded: 1823

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