72 Best Acting (Performing arts/Drama theatre) schools in England

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in England ranked based on their research performance in Performing arts. A graph of 146K citations received by 11.6K academic papers made by 72 universities in England 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 College London

For Performing arts

#1 in the United Kingdom

#1 in Europe

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

2. University of Oxford

For Performing arts

#2 in the United Kingdom

#2 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

3. University of Manchester

For Performing arts

#3 in the United Kingdom

#3 in Europe

Founded: 1824

4. University of Cambridge

For Performing arts

#4 in the United Kingdom

#4 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

5. University of Leeds

For Performing arts

#5 in the United Kingdom

#5 in Europe

Founded: 1904

6. University of Sheffield

For Performing arts

#7 in the United Kingdom

#7 in Europe

Founded: 1905

7. University of Warwick

For Performing arts

#8 in the United Kingdom

#8 in Europe

Enrollment: 27,278
Founded: 1965

8. King's College London

For Performing arts

#9 in the United Kingdom

#9 in Europe

Founded: 1829

9. University of Reading

For Performing arts

#10 in the United Kingdom

#11 in Europe

Founded: 1892

10. University of Nottingham

For Performing arts

#11 in the United Kingdom

#12 in Europe

Founded: 1948

11. University of Bristol

For Performing arts

#12 in the United Kingdom

#13 in Europe

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

12. University of Birmingham

For Performing arts

#13 in the United Kingdom

#14 in Europe

Founded: 1900

13. University of Exeter

For Performing arts

#14 in the United Kingdom

#15 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Founded: 1955

14. Lancaster University

For Performing arts

#15 in the United Kingdom

#21 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1964

15. University of East Anglia

For Performing arts

#16 in the United Kingdom

#22 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1963

16. Royal Holloway, University of London

For Performing arts

#17 in the United Kingdom

#24 in Europe

Founded: 1849

17. Queen Mary University of London

For Performing arts

#18 in the United Kingdom

#26 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 18%
Founded: 1989

18. Durham University

For Performing arts

#19 in the United Kingdom

#28 in Europe

Enrollment: 19,520
Founded: 1832

19. University of Liverpool

For Performing arts

#20 in the United Kingdom

#33 in Europe

Enrollment: 28,693
Founded: 1881

20. University of Southampton

For Performing arts

#23 in the United Kingdom

#37 in Europe

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

21. Newcastle University

Newcastle upon Tyne

For Performing arts

#24 in the United Kingdom

#38 in Europe

Founded: 1963

22. University of London

For Performing arts

#25 in the United Kingdom

#43 in Europe

Enrollment: 50,000
Founded: 1836

23. University of York

For Performing arts

#26 in the United Kingdom

#44 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Founded: 1963

24. Imperial College London

For Performing arts

#28 in the United Kingdom

#47 in Europe

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

25. University of Leicester

For Performing arts

#29 in the United Kingdom

#48 in Europe

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

26. University of Kent

For Performing arts

#30 in the United Kingdom

#53 in Europe

Founded: 1965

27. University of Brighton

For Performing arts

#31 in the United Kingdom

#58 in Europe

Founded: 1992

28. Loughborough University

For Performing arts

#32 in the United Kingdom

#59 in Europe

Enrollment: 19,449
Founded: 1966

29. University of Sussex

For Performing arts

#34 in the United Kingdom

#66 in Europe

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

30. Goldsmiths, University of London

For Performing arts

#35 in the United Kingdom

#70 in Europe

Founded: 1904

31. London School of Economics and Political Science

For Performing arts

#38 in the United Kingdom

#79 in Europe

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

32. Keele University

For Performing arts

#39 in the United Kingdom

#80 in Europe

Founded: 1962

33. De Montfort University

For Performing arts

#40 in the United Kingdom

#81 in Europe

Founded: 1992

34. University of Hull

Kingston upon Hull

For Performing arts

#42 in the United Kingdom

#88 in Europe

Founded: 1954

35. University of Surrey

For Performing arts

#43 in the United Kingdom

#89 in Europe

Enrollment: 16,900
Founded: 1966

36. Sheffield Hallam University

For Performing arts

#44 in the United Kingdom

#92 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

37. Brunel University London

For Performing arts

#45 in the United Kingdom

#98 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Founded: 1966

38. Kingston University

Kingston upon Thames

For Performing arts

#46 in the United Kingdom

#99 in Europe

Founded: 1992

39. University of Roehampton

For Performing arts

#48 in the United Kingdom

#104 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Founded: 2004

40. Birkbeck, University of London

For Performing arts

#49 in the United Kingdom

#110 in Europe

Founded: 1823

41. University of Salford

For Performing arts

#50 in the United Kingdom

#111 in Europe

Founded: 1967

42. Northumbria University

Newcastle upon Tyne

For Performing arts

#51 in the United Kingdom

#113 in Europe

Founded: 1992

43. University of the West of England

For Performing arts

#52 in the United Kingdom

#118 in Europe

Enrollment: 30,732
Founded: 1992

44. University of Essex

For Performing arts

#54 in the United Kingdom

#125 in Europe

Founded: 1964

45. Oxford Brookes University

For Performing arts

#57 in the United Kingdom

#135 in Europe

Enrollment: 16,900
Founded: 1865

46. University of Huddersfield

For Performing arts

#58 in the United Kingdom

#143 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

47. Nottingham Trent University

For Performing arts

#60 in the United Kingdom

#153 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1992

48. University of Winchester

For Performing arts

#61 in the United Kingdom

#156 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 2005

49. University of Bath

For Performing arts

#62 in the United Kingdom

#158 in Europe

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

50. City, University of London

For Performing arts

#63 in the United Kingdom

#162 in Europe

Founded: 1966

51. Anglia Ruskin University

For Performing arts

#64 in the United Kingdom

#165 in Europe

Founded: 1858

52. Manchester Metropolitan University

For Performing arts

#65 in the United Kingdom

#166 in Europe

Founded: 1992

53. University of Plymouth

For Performing arts

#66 in the United Kingdom

#175 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1992

54. Edge Hill University

For Performing arts

#67 in the United Kingdom

#186 in Europe

Founded: 2006

55. Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

For Performing arts

#68 in the United Kingdom

#190 in Europe

Founded: 1932

56. Birmingham City University

For Performing arts

#69 in the United Kingdom

#207 in Europe

Founded: 1992

57. University of Hertfordshire

For Performing arts

#70 in the United Kingdom

#212 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1992

58. Leeds Beckett University

For Performing arts

#71 in the United Kingdom

#218 in Europe

Founded: 1992

59. University of Lincoln

For Performing arts

#72 in the United Kingdom

#222 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 78%
Founded: 1992

60. Canterbury Christ Church University

For Performing arts

#73 in the United Kingdom

#225 in Europe

Founded: 2005

61. Liverpool John Moores University

For Performing arts

#74 in the United Kingdom

#227 in Europe

Founded: 1992

62. Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

For Performing arts

#75 in the United Kingdom

#240 in Europe

Enrollment: 1,000
Founded: 1906

63. University of Portsmouth

For Performing arts

#76 in the United Kingdom

#248 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Founded: 1992

64. Middlesex University

For Performing arts

#78 in the United Kingdom

#252 in Europe

Founded: 1973

65. University of the Arts London

For Performing arts

#79 in the United Kingdom

#253 in Europe

Founded: 1986

66. Bournemouth University

For Performing arts

#80 in the United Kingdom

#254 in Europe

Enrollment: 14,293
Founded: 1992

67. University of East London

For Performing arts

#81 in the United Kingdom

#257 in Europe

Founded: 1992

68. Teesside University

For Performing arts

#84 in the United Kingdom

#266 in Europe

Enrollment: 19,290
Founded: 1992

69. London South Bank University

For Performing arts

#85 in the United Kingdom

#268 in Europe

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Founded: 1892

70. Coventry University

For Performing arts

#86 in the United Kingdom

#271 in Europe

Enrollment: 22,980
Founded: 1992

71. University of Wolverhampton

For Performing arts

#87 in the United Kingdom

#274 in Europe

Founded: 1992

72. London Metropolitan University

For Performing arts

#88 in the United Kingdom

#287 in Europe

Founded: 1848

Closest to England states to learn Performing arts

State	Universities Unis	Best university country rank Best uni rank
Wales	7	27
Scotland	9	6