Be University Wise guides › Rankings › Physics and astronomy
Top universities for physics and astronomy in the UK: the Be Wise ranking
3 UK universities and colleges ranked for physics and astronomy on official data.
Providers need at least 50 survey responses in physics and astronomy 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 physics and astronomy.
The table
| Position | University or college | Score out of 100 | Student experience | Continuation | Graduate prospects | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCL (University College London)London, England | 100.0 | 80.5% | 90.5% | 75.5% | £55,60026% above the UK average for this subject |
| 2 | University of ManchesterManchester, England | 33.8 | 74.3% | 92.9% | 71.6% | £44,7001% above the UK average for this subject |
| 3 | King's College LondonLondon, England | 0.0 | 77.7% | 85.0% | 65.3% | £52,30019% 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 (46)
These providers teach physics and astronomy 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; Cardiff University; De Montfort University; Durham University; Heriot-Watt University; Imperial College London; Keele University; Lancaster University; Loughborough University; Newcastle University; Northumbria University; Nottingham Trent University; Queen Mary University of London; Royal Holloway, University of London; Sheffield Hallam University; Swansea University; University of Aberdeen; University of Bath; University of Birmingham; University of Bristol; University of Cambridge; University of Dundee; University of Edinburgh; University of Exeter; University of Glasgow; University of Hertfordshire; University of Hull; University of Kent; University of Lancashire; University of Leeds; University of Leicester; University of Lincoln; University of Liverpool; University of Nottingham; University of Oxford; University of Portsmouth; University of Salford; University of Sheffield; University of Southampton; University of St Andrews; University of Strathclyde; University of Surrey; University of Sussex; University of Warwick; University of York; University of the West of Scotland
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Quick answers
Which universities have the highest student satisfaction for physics and astronomy?
In the 2026 National Student Survey, the highest average positive scores for physics and astronomy among providers with at least 50 responses were UCL (University College London) (80.5%), King's College London (77.7%), University of Manchester (74.3%). This is one measure; the full table also shows graduate earnings.
How much do physics and astronomy graduates earn?
Across UK providers, the typical (median) earnings of physics and astronomy graduates five years after graduating were £44,100 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 physics and astronomy 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.