The QS World University Rankings 2026 are out, so you can see exactly how your uni compares to others across the globe. Loads of UK unis smashed it this year in the rankings. Imperial College London is apparently the second best university in the world. But other UK unis didn’t fare so well in the rankings. Here are the absolute worst UK unis in the QS World University Rankings 2026.
Harper Adams University is apparently the sh*ttiest university in the UK right now, according to the QS World University Rankings. This uni specialises in farming and agriculture, and is in the middle of Shropshire. In September 2024, the rugby team at Harper Adams Uni was banned from playing in competitions after students claimed they’d been physically and sexually abused at the team’s initiations. Princess Anne is the chancellor.
Lots of research goes into the QS World University Rankings. These league tables put a strong emphasis on how influential academics think the university is, and what employers think of the grads. The ranking doesn’t take into account how happy the students are. This makes it different to the Complete University Guide.
The QS World University Rankings organises universities outside of the top 700 into bands, instead of assigning them all a specific number.
So, here are the absolute worst UK unis, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026.
Ranked between 711 and 720
Goldsmiths, University of London
Ranked between 721 and 730
University of the West of England
Ranked between 741 and 750
Aberystwyth University
Ranked between 801 and 850
At least Bournemouth students have the beach
University of Westminster, University of Lincoln, University of Greenwich, University of Brighton, Middlesex University, Keele University, De Montfort University, Bournemouth University
Ranked between 851 and 900
Liverpool John Moores University, Edinburgh Napier University
Ranked between 901 and 950
University of Salford, University of Hertfordshire, London South Bank University
Ranked between 951 and 1,000
Robert Gordon University
Ranked between 1,001 and 1,200
A moment of appreciation please for how peng the Leeds Beckett campus is
(Credit: Chemical Engineer)
University of Wolverhampton, University of East London, University of Lancashire (previously known as the University of Central Lancashire), Sheffield Hallam University, London Metropolitan University, Leeds Beckett University, Glasgow Caledonian University, Birmingham City University
Ranked between 1,200 and 1,400
University of Derby, University of Northampton, Queen Margaret University, Canterbury Christchurch University
Ranked 1,401+
Harper Adams University
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Featured image of Harper Adams University by Tklages. Featured image of Sheffield Hallam University by Chemical Engineer.
