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Top universities for languages and area studies in the UK: the Be Wise ranking
20 UK universities and colleges ranked for languages and area studies on official data.
Providers need at least 50 survey responses in languages and area studies 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 languages and area studies.
The table
| Position | University or college | Score out of 100 | Student experience | Continuation | Graduate prospects | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of St AndrewsSt Andrews, Scotland | 100.0 | 92.1% | 95.3% | 68.1% | £39,5009% above the UK average for this subject |
| 2 | University of BathBath, England | 94.9 | 86.2% | 95.1% | 72.4% | £44,30023% above the UK average for this subject |
| 3 | University of WarwickWarwick and Leamington Spa, England | 90.6 | 88.4% | 94.0% | 69.5% | £40,60012% above the UK average for this subject |
| 4 | Durham UniversityDurham, England | 89.9 | 84.5% | 93.2% | 72.5% | £46,50029% above the UK average for this subject |
| 5 | University of BristolBristol, England | 83.8 | 88.0% | 93.3% | 64.5% | £41,90016% above the UK average for this subject |
| 6 | University of OxfordOxford, England | 81.0 | 80.0% | 97.0% | 72.1% | £44,70024% above the UK average for this subject |
| 7 | University of ExeterExeter, England | 73.2 | 84.2% | 94.7% | 66.6% | £38,1006% above the UK average for this subject |
| 8 | University of BirminghamBirmingham, England | 73.1 | 87.7% | 93.8% | 63.4% | £34,8004% below the UK average for this subject |
| 9 | UCL (University College London)London, England | 64.2 | 80.6% | 89.0% | 69.2% | £43,90022% above the UK average for this subject |
| 10 | University of LeedsLeeds, England | 60.4 | 82.2% | 91.7% | 64.0% | £39,0008% above the UK average for this subject |
| 11 | Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon Tyne, England | 55.8 | 85.8% | 88.3% | 59.9% | £36,200In line with the UK average for this subject |
| 12 | University of ManchesterManchester, England | 53.7 | 85.0% | 90.0% | 58.4% | £35,5002% below the UK average for this subject |
| 13 | University of SheffieldSheffield, England | 48.9 | 82.8% | 92.0% | 60.6% | £31,80012% below the UK average for this subject |
| 14 | University of EdinburghEdinburgh, Scotland | 46.8 | 78.5% | 92.7% | 62.5% | £36,6001% above the UK average for this subject |
| 15 | University of LiverpoolLiverpool, England | 45.8 | 84.9% | 82.7% | 65.1% | £32,9009% below the UK average for this subject |
| 16 | University of GlasgowGlasgow, Scotland | 42.3 | 83.5% | 89.5% | 59.1% | £30,00017% below the UK average for this subject |
| 17 | King's College LondonLondon, England | 39.7 | 80.9% | 86.4% | 62.5% | £34,4005% below the UK average for this subject |
| 18 | Cardiff UniversityCardiff, Wales | 20.3 | 80.3% | 90.0% | 46.3% | £31,50013% below the UK average for this subject |
| 19 | University of LancashirePreston, England | 1.0 | 80.7% | 79.5% | 49.8% | £26,40027% below the UK average for this subject |
| 20 | SOAS University of LondonLondon, England | 0.0 | 76.9% | 78.2% | 53.7% | £31,70012% below 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 (41)
These providers teach languages and area studies 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.
Aberystwyth University; Aston University; Bangor University; Birkbeck, University of London; Canterbury Christ Church University; Coventry University; Heriot-Watt University; Lancaster University; London Metropolitan University; London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); Manchester Metropolitan University; Nottingham Trent University; Oxford Brookes University; Queen Mary University of London; Queen's University Belfast; Royal Holloway, University of London; Sheffield Hallam University; Swansea University; University of Aberdeen; University of Cambridge; University of Chester; University of Derby; University of Dundee; University of East Anglia; University of Essex; University of Greenwich; University of Hull; University of Kent; University of Leicester; University of London Institute in Paris; University of Nottingham; University of Portsmouth; University of Reading; University of Southampton; University of Stirling; University of Strathclyde; University of Surrey; University of Sussex; University of Westminster; University of York; York St John University
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Quick answers
Which universities have the highest student satisfaction for languages and area studies?
In the 2026 National Student Survey, the highest average positive scores for languages and area studies among providers with at least 50 responses were University of St Andrews (92.1%), University of Warwick (88.4%), University of Bristol (88.0%), University of Birmingham (87.7%), University of Bath (86.2%). This is one measure; the full table also shows graduate earnings.
How much do languages and area studies graduates earn?
Across UK providers, the typical (median) earnings of languages and area studies graduates five years after graduating were £36,100 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 languages and area studies 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.