Ulster University jumps 15 places to record UK ranking and NI University of the Year title
Sunday 20 September 2026
Ulster University has achieved its highest-ever position in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, climbing 15 places to rank 34th in the UK.
The university has also been named University of the Year, Northern Ireland, 2027, adding to a series of national rankings and awards for its teaching, research and student experience.
Ulster University has more than 30,000 students, according to 2023/24 HESA figures cited by the university, with students coming from more than 70 countries, and operates campuses in Derry~Londonderry, Coleraine and Belfast, delivering teaching and research across a wide range of disciplines.
Strong results for students
The 2027 Good University Guide results show student satisfaction with teaching quality at Ulster exceeded 90% across 15 course programmes.
History, Social Work, Geology, Radiography and Social Policy were ranked in the top five, while 84.6% of Ulster students graduated with a first or 2:1 degree. That placed the university 22nd in the UK for good honours, up from 34th.
Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University, said:
“These achievements represent a significant endorsement of the work taking place by our teams across Ulster University.
“These outcomes reflect the dedication of our staff, the ambition of our students and the strength of the partnerships we have built with employers, industry and organisations locally, nationally and internationally.
“We are focused on delivering excellent teaching and impactful research that makes a difference to peoples’ lives.”
Previous national recognition
The latest result follows a series of strong performances for Ulster across different university guides and assessments, although each uses its own methodology and measures different aspects of university performance.
Ulster was named UK and Ireland University of the Year 2024 by Times Higher Education. More recently, the Complete University Guide 2026 placed it first in the UK for Optometry, Ophthalmics and Orthoptics and second for Pharmacology and Pharmacy.
The Guardian University Guide 2026 ranked Ulster first in the UK for Nutrition and Food Science, while StudentCrowd’s 2025 awards placed it first for both job prospects and teaching quality, based on student reviews.
In the 2025 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, Ulster was second in the UK for overall satisfaction. It also ranked first for Research Support and Online Learning Resources, second for Professional Development and Research Responsibilities, and third for Research Community.
Research with international impact
Ulster’s research performance has also contributed to its wider reputation. In the most recent UK Research Excellence Framework, published in 2021, the university was placed within the top 10% of UK universities for research impact.
According to the university’s REF results, 97% of its research impact was assessed as having either outstanding or very considerable reach and significance, while 80.1% of its research outputs were judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent.
That research spans areas with economic and social significance for Northern Ireland and beyond, alongside partnerships with employers, industry and organisations nationally and internationally.
Five-star international assessment
The latest Good University Guide result also follows Ulster receiving an overall five-star rating in the international QS Stars assessment earlier this month.
Five-star ratings were awarded across teaching, research, employability, facilities, global engagement, environmental impact, good governance, and diversity, equity and inclusion. The assessment highlighted a 95% graduate employment rate and research collaborations spanning 129 countries and territories.
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide assesses institutions across measures including teaching quality, student experience, research, graduate prospects and continuation rates.
For students considering university in 2027, Ulster now enters the next admissions cycle at its highest-ever position in the guide — 34th in the UK and with the title of University of the Year, Northern Ireland, 2027.
