Be University Wise guides › Rankings › History and archaeology
Top universities for history and archaeology in the UK: the Be Wise ranking
40 UK universities and colleges ranked for history and archaeology on official data.
Providers need at least 50 survey responses in history and archaeology to appear in the table. Student experience is the average share of final-year students giving positive answers across the seven National Student Survey themes. Earnings are medians five years after graduating, compared with the UK average for history and archaeology.
The table
| Position | University or college | Score out of 100 | Student experience | Continuation | Graduate prospects | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)London, England | 100.0 | 90.6% | 96.7% | 78.9% | £51,10053% above the UK average for this subject |
| 2 | University of St AndrewsSt Andrews, Scotland | 80.3 | 93.3% | 94.8% | 66.4% | £39,90020% above the UK average for this subject |
| 3 | University of CambridgeCambridge, England | 70.8 | 83.5% | 98.8% | 72.1% | £43,90031% above the UK average for this subject |
| 4 | University of BristolBristol, England | 66.1 | 85.6% | 94.4% | 76.2% | £39,20017% above the UK average for this subject |
| 5 | University of WarwickWarwick and Leamington Spa, England | 63.8 | 88.8% | 94.2% | 64.5% | £39,50018% above the UK average for this subject |
| 6 | UCL (University College London)London, England | 59.9 | 85.6% | 92.8% | 71.7% | £40,60022% above the UK average for this subject |
| 7 | Durham UniversityDurham, England | 59.3 | 86.7% | 95.7% | 61.9% | £40,30021% above the UK average for this subject |
| 8 | University of SheffieldSheffield, England | 49.3 | 87.2% | 93.5% | 60.7% | £35,5006% above the UK average for this subject |
| 9 | University of BirminghamBirmingham, England | 49.2 | 88.3% | 92.1% | 61.2% | £34,8004% above the UK average for this subject |
| 10 | University of LeedsLeeds, England | 48.8 | 86.6% | 91.8% | 66.1% | £35,1005% above the UK average for this subject |
| 10 | University of SussexBrighton, England | 48.8 | 90.3% | 93.0% | 56.4% | £31,8005% below the UK average for this subject |
| 12 | University of NottinghamNottingham, England | 48.6 | 87.2% | 92.4% | 62.3% | £35,5006% above the UK average for this subject |
| 13 | Queen Mary University of LondonLondon, England | 47.9 | 92.1% | 87.4% | 56.3% | £37,00011% above the UK average for this subject |
| 14 | University of LeicesterLeicester, England | 47.2 | 88.7% | 88.2% | 69.9% | £31,8005% below the UK average for this subject |
| 15 | University of ExeterExeter, England | 45.9 | 83.1% | 95.2% | 62.5% | £38,10014% above the UK average for this subject |
| 16 | Royal Holloway, University of LondonEgham, England | 43.4 | 91.1% | 90.6% | 52.5% | £32,9001% below the UK average for this subject |
| 17 | Aberystwyth UniversityAberystwyth, Wales | 42.3 | 91.1% | 90.6% | 59.4% | £26,00022% below the UK average for this subject |
| 18 | Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon Tyne, England | 40.0 | 84.4% | 93.6% | 60.0% | £34,8004% above the UK average for this subject |
| 19 | University of YorkYork, England | 39.1 | 85.0% | 94.4% | 59.1% | £31,8005% below the UK average for this subject |
| 20 | University of SouthamptonSouthampton, England | 37.5 | 86.7% | 92.2% | 55.0% | £33,7001% above the UK average for this subject |
| 21 | King's College LondonLondon, England | 34.6 | 84.4% | 89.7% | 60.0% | £37,30012% above the UK average for this subject |
| 22 | Queen's University BelfastBelfast, Northern Ireland | 33.9 | 86.7% | 89.1% | 58.9% | Not in LEO data |
| 23 | University of ManchesterManchester, England | 33.5 | 83.9% | 90.3% | 62.9% | £34,0002% above the UK average for this subject |
| 24 | University of ReadingReading, England | 32.7 | 90.9% | 86.9% | 54.9% | £28,90013% below the UK average for this subject |
| 25 | University of EdinburghEdinburgh, Scotland | 31.6 | 78.9% | 92.8% | 64.6% | £38,80016% above the UK average for this subject |
| 26 | Lancaster UniversityLancaster, England | 30.9 | 82.5% | 93.0% | 61.4% | £31,5006% below the UK average for this subject |
| 27 | University of LiverpoolLiverpool, England | 30.2 | 86.5% | 89.5% | 57.5% | £30,7008% below the UK average for this subject |
| 28 | University of GlasgowGlasgow, Scotland | 29.5 | 85.9% | 90.2% | 54.1% | £33,2001% below the UK average for this subject |
| 29 | Swansea UniversitySwansea, Wales | 29.3 | 91.1% | 86.3% | 52.1% | £28,90013% below the UK average for this subject |
| 30 | Manchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester, England | 27.1 | 86.4% | 89.5% | 58.0% | £27,80017% below the UK average for this subject |
| 31 | University of East AngliaNorwich, England | 26.3 | 86.6% | 87.4% | 57.3% | £31,1007% below the UK average for this subject |
| 32 | Goldsmiths, University of LondonLondon, England | 25.5 | 87.9% | 86.1% | 57.6% | £29,30012% below the UK average for this subject |
| 33 | University of LincolnLincoln, England | 24.5 | 85.3% | 91.0% | 56.2% | £27,10019% below the UK average for this subject |
| 34 | University of WinchesterWinchester, England | 19.7 | 83.6% | 90.7% | 56.9% | £27,10019% below the UK average for this subject |
| 34 | York St John UniversityYork, England | 19.7 | 90.9% | 87.1% | 45.0% | £25,60023% below the UK average for this subject |
| 36 | Courtauld Institute of ArtCollegeEngland | 13.9 | 82.7% | 89.0% | Not published | £30,7008% below the UK average for this subject |
| 37 | Cardiff UniversityCardiff, Wales | 11.3 | 83.9% | 90.1% | 43.6% | £31,5006% below the UK average for this subject |
| 38 | University of KentCanterbury, England | 10.7 | 84.6% | 84.2% | 51.6% | £33,300In line with the UK average for this subject |
| 39 | Liverpool John Moores UniversityLiverpool, England | 10.0 | 87.1% | 86.1% | 45.4% | £28,20016% below the UK average for this subject |
| 40 | SOAS University of LondonLondon, England | 0.0 | 82.6% | 81.6% | 51.4% | £34,0002% above the UK average for this subject |
Sources: National Student Survey 2026, Office for Students (Open Government Licence v3.0), first degree, full-time, by teaching provider; LEO graduate outcomes, tax year 2023-24, Department for Education (Open Government Licence v3.0), median earnings five years after graduating; Discover Uni dataset, 8 September 2026 edition, HESA (CC BY 4.0), continuation and graduate prospects. All sources and licences.
Not enough data (60)
These providers teach history and archaeology but have fewer than 50 survey responses in the subject or too few published measures to include fairly. This says nothing about their quality. Discover Uni has their course-level data.
Anglia Ruskin University; Aston University; Bangor University; Bath Spa University; Birkbeck, University of London; Birmingham City University; Birmingham Newman University; Bournemouth University; Brunel University London; Canterbury Christ Church University; City St George's, University of London; City and Guilds of London Art School; Coventry University; De Montfort University; Edge Hill University; Keele University; Kingston University; Leeds Beckett University; Lincoln Bishop University; Liverpool Hope University; Loughborough University; Northumbria University; Nottingham Trent University; Oxford Brookes University; Sheffield Hallam University; St Mary’s University, Twickenham; Teesside University; The Glasgow School of Art; UWE Bristol; Ulster University; University of Aberdeen; University of Brighton; University of Chester; University of Chichester; University of Derby; University of Dundee; University of Essex; University of Gloucestershire; University of Greenwich; University of Hertfordshire; University of Huddersfield; University of Hull; University of Lancashire; University of Northampton; University of Oxford; University of Plymouth; University of Portsmouth; University of Roehampton; University of Salford; University of South Wales; University of Staffordshire; University of Stirling; University of Strathclyde; University of Suffolk; University of Sunderland; University of Wales Trinity Saint David; University of Westminster; University of Wolverhampton; University of Worcester; University of the Highlands and Islands
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Quick answers
Which universities have the highest student satisfaction for history and archaeology?
In the 2026 National Student Survey, the highest average positive scores for history and archaeology among providers with at least 50 responses were University of St Andrews (93.3%), Queen Mary University of London (92.1%), Royal Holloway, University of London (91.1%), Aberystwyth University (91.1%), Swansea University (91.1%). This is one measure; the full table also shows graduate earnings.
How much do history and archaeology graduates earn?
Across UK providers, the typical (median) earnings of history and archaeology graduates five years after graduating were £33,400 in the 2023-24 tax year, according to the Department for Education's LEO data. Earnings vary a lot by university, region and job.
How is this history and archaeology table put together?
It uses only official data: the National Student Survey 2026, Discover Uni and LEO earnings. We do not copy commercial league tables. Universities with too little data are listed as not enough data rather than guessed.