The UK’s Russell Group unis are all super academic, but some are way better at particular subjects than others. The Daily Mail has dropped new university rankings for 2025, which include stats in which unis are better at which subjects. Here’s a rundown of what the Daily Mail says are the best three subjects to study at each Russell Group uni, so you can sus out what all their specialisms are.
You don’t get any prizes for guessing that the London School of Economics and Political Science is a good place to study economics and political science. But some unis’ specialities might surprise you. Who knew that Queen’s University Belfast was such a banging place to study food?
You can read more about how the Daily Mail came up with all these rankings here. The numbers refer to the position the uni is ranked for that subject out of all the unis in the UK.
So, here are the best three subjects to study at each Russell Group uni in 2025, according to the Daily Mail’s university guide.
University of Birmingham
1st for AI, 1st for computer science, 1st for English language
University of Bristol
7th for marketing, =8th for finance, 9th for accounting
Cardiff University
1st for Spanish, 1st for pharmacology, =3rd for medicine
University of Cambridge
1st for African and modern Middle Eastern studies, 1st for biosciences, 1st for Celtic studies
Durham University
If you go to Durham you can pretend you’re in a period drama
1st for economics, 1st for geography (as a social science), 1st for theology
University of Edinburgh
1st for geography (as a natural science), 2nd for education, 3rd for chemical engineering
University of Exeter
1st for general, applied and forensic sciences, 7th for business studies, 9th for psychology
University of Glasgow
=3rd for dentistry, 14th for finance, 15th for sociology
Imperial College London
1st for chemistry, 1st for mechanical engineering, 3rd for computer science
King’s College London (KCL)
3rd for psychology, 2nd for social policy, 2nd for genetics
University of Leeds
2nd for bioengineering, 4th for civil engineering, 5th for media studies
University of Liverpool
1st for dentistry, 2nd for nursing and midwifery, 2nd for counselling
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
1st for accounting, 1st for finance, 1st for politics
University of Manchester
3rd for tourism, transport, and travel, 2nd for pharmacology, 2nd environmental and public health
Newcastle University
It might be worth going to Newcastle for the cows, tbh
=2nd for media studies, 2nd for chemical, process and energy engineering, 4th for journalism
University of Nottingham
1st for product engineering, 1st for veterinary medicine, 5th for business studies
University of Oxford
1st for German and Scandinavian studies, 1st for materials and technology, 1st for philosophy
Queen Mary University of London
1st for linguistics, 16th for law, 7th for creative writing
Queen’s University Belfast
1st for agriculture, food and related studies, 5th for finance, 3rd for music
University of Sheffield
1st for law, 2nd for mechanical engineering, 3rd for artificial intelligence
University of Southampton
=1st for aeronautical and aerospace engineering, =1st for creative writing, 2nd for electrical and electronic engineering
University College London (UCL)
1st for anthropology, 1st for social policy, 1st for sociology
University of Warwick
2nd for economics, 2nd for physics, 4th for marketing
University of York
3rd for chemistry, 4th for cinematics and photography, 3rd for social policy
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