Be University Wise guides › Rankings › Philosophy and religious studies
Top universities for philosophy and religious studies in the UK: the Be Wise ranking
18 UK universities and colleges ranked for philosophy and religious studies on official data.
Providers need at least 50 survey responses in philosophy and religious 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 philosophy and religious studies.
The table
| Position | University or college | Score out of 100 | Student experience | Continuation | Graduate prospects | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of WarwickWarwick and Leamington Spa, England | 100.0 | 91.3% | 91.0% | 69.0% | £44,30030% above the UK average for this subject |
| 2 | Durham UniversityDurham, England | 92.3 | 87.8% | 94.8% | 66.4% | £43,60028% above the UK average for this subject |
| 3 | University of OxfordOxford, England | 91.1 | 87.1% | 95.0% | 66.3% | £44,30030% above the UK average for this subject |
| 4 | UCL (University College London)London, England | 82.0 | 80.8% | 96.0% | 67.5% | £51,20051% above the UK average for this subject |
| 5 | University of YorkYork, England | 68.2 | 88.1% | 95.0% | 59.0% | £33,7001% below the UK average for this subject |
| 6 | University of BirminghamBirmingham, England | 65.6 | 90.1% | 85.6% | 68.5% | £33,3002% below the UK average for this subject |
| 7 | University of ExeterExeter, England | 62.4 | 82.0% | 92.5% | 65.8% | £42,50025% above the UK average for this subject |
| 8 | University of SouthamptonSouthampton, England | 60.6 | 88.5% | 91.3% | 61.1% | £31,8006% below the UK average for this subject |
| 9 | University of BristolBristol, England | 59.1 | 85.1% | 91.2% | 62.8% | £38,10012% above the UK average for this subject |
| 10 | University of LeedsLeeds, England | 55.4 | 86.0% | 95.0% | 55.0% | £35,1003% above the UK average for this subject |
| 11 | University of ManchesterManchester, England | 50.3 | 81.9% | 93.0% | 65.4% | £32,9003% below the UK average for this subject |
| 12 | Cardiff UniversityCardiff, Wales | 46.8 | 88.9% | 89.8% | 58.0% | £27,40019% below the UK average for this subject |
| 13 | University of NottinghamNottingham, England | 38.1 | 82.9% | 89.6% | 60.9% | £34,000In line with the UK average for this subject |
| 14 | University of EdinburghEdinburgh, Scotland | 35.8 | 80.3% | 87.7% | 64.8% | £38,40013% above the UK average for this subject |
| 15 | University of SheffieldSheffield, England | 34.5 | 84.5% | 89.9% | 55.9% | £32,9003% below the UK average for this subject |
| 16 | King's College LondonLondon, England | 33.1 | 81.7% | 85.9% | 64.0% | £37,30010% above the UK average for this subject |
| 17 | University of GlasgowGlasgow, Scotland | 31.2 | 83.6% | 89.2% | 57.1% | £32,8004% below the UK average for this subject |
| 18 | Manchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester, England | 0.0 | 86.2% | 83.3% | 46.8% | £28,00018% 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 (56)
These providers teach philosophy and religious 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.
Anglia Ruskin University; Assemblies of God Incorporated; Bangor University; Bath Spa University; Birkbeck, University of London; Birmingham Newman University; Canterbury Christ Church University; Coventry University; Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance; Keele University; Lancaster University; Leeds Trinity University; Lincoln Bishop University; Liverpool Hope University; London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); London School of Theology; Loughborough University; Moorlands College; Nazarene Theological College; Newcastle University; Nottingham Trent University; Oxford Brookes University; Queen's University Belfast; Royal Holloway, University of London; SOAS University of London; St Mary’s University, Twickenham; St Mellitus College Trust; Stranmillis University College; Swansea University; The Markfield Institute of Higher Education; UWE Bristol; University of Aberdeen; University of Brighton; University of Cambridge; University of Chester; University of Chichester; University of Cumbria; University of Dundee; University of East Anglia; University of Essex; University of Gloucestershire; University of Hertfordshire; University of Hull; University of Kent; University of Lincoln; University of Liverpool; University of Reading; University of Roehampton; University of St Andrews; University of Stirling; University of Surrey; University of Sussex; University of Wales Trinity Saint David; University of Winchester; University of Wolverhampton; York St John University
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Quick answers
Which universities have the highest student satisfaction for philosophy and religious studies?
In the 2026 National Student Survey, the highest average positive scores for philosophy and religious studies among providers with at least 50 responses were University of Warwick (91.3%), University of Birmingham (90.1%), Cardiff University (88.9%), University of Southampton (88.5%), University of York (88.1%). This is one measure; the full table also shows graduate earnings.
How much do philosophy and religious studies graduates earn?
Across UK providers, the typical (median) earnings of philosophy and religious studies graduates five years after graduating were £34,000 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 philosophy and religious 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.