Behind the numbers: Exploring how our league tables are created

We rank more than 100 UK universities in our league tables every year using publicly available data. Here's a simplified explanation of how the rankings are calculated.  

For a more in-depth, or statistical view, of how we rank universities in our league tables read the University and subject league tables methodology. 

Where does the league tables data come from?  

All the data we use to calculate the rankings comes the National Student Survey (NSS), the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). On the odd occasion that data is not supplied, we ask the universities for it directly.  

How are the rankings calculated?  

Our league table compilers must take many factors in to account when calculating university rankings. Find out more about each of the measures we use and how the scores are calculated.

Entry Standards  

Entry standards show the average UCAS tariff score of new undergraduate students. They are calculated from the HESA data for 2021–22.

Students' exam results are turned into to a numerical score and then added up to give a score total.

As the Scottish education system offers more opportunities for students to accumulate tariff points, the points calculated for Scottish qualifications are reduced by 25%. This allows for a fairer comparison with unis where many of their students come from other parts of the UK. 

The compilers then work out the average for all students at the university and adjust the results to take account of the subject mix at the university. Students on a foundation year are excluded.  

A high Entry standards score could be due to the changes in the way grades were awarded in 2021 because of the pandemic, which caused higher UCAS tariff scores in 2021–22 HESA data.

High Entry standards don’t always mean that you’ll need to take lots of A Levels to get in. The grades you’ll need will vary by subject, and very few courses will ask for grades in more than three subjects.  

A low Entry standards score may reflect a university’s policy for accepting students with lower grades as part of their approach to widening participation. This means that the student body may be made up of people with diverse backgrounds and abilities.  

Student satisfaction  

Student satisfaction is calculated from the answers to National Student Survey (NSS) 2023. The NSS asked undergraduate students in their final year about the quality of teaching and other aspects of their experience at their university.  

Our league table compilers calculated an average satisfaction score for the first 24 questions in the survey. They adjusted it for the subject mix at the university and divided it by three. It is divided this way to stop this measure from changing the overall ranking too much, as the data in this survey has quite small differences between universities.  

A university that has a reputation for excellent teaching could score lower than university that exceeds a student’s expectations.

Research quality  

Research quality is calculated using data from the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and measures the quality of the research done in the university.  

Each university department that sent data to the REF achieved a research quality profile score of 1*–4*, these scores were then given a corresponding numerical value for calculation. An average was calculated according to the number of teaching staff involved in research recorded in each unit of assessment. If an institution didn’t give research data to the REF the minimum score was used.  

Research intensity  

Research intensity measures of the proportion of teaching staff involved in research. The data is taken from the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and HESA data from 201920. 

The number of teaching staff eligible for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) was multiplied by the proportion actually submitted, and divided by the total number of teaching staff. If a university did not make a submission to the REF, the minimum score was used.  

Graduate prospects – outcomes  

Graduate prospects – outcomes are calculated using the HESA data for 2020–21 and is a measure of the success of students in employment or further study after graduating.  

Our league table compilers take the number of graduates who get a graduate job or go on to further study and divide it by the total number graduates (whose future paths we know) and show that as a percentage.

A low score doesn't mean that many graduates were unemployed. They may have taken a non-graduate role or live in an area where graduate jobs are hard to find.  

Graduate prospects – on track  

The Graduate prospects – on track measure is calculated as the number of graduates who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘My [activity] fits with my future plans’ in the Graduate Outcomes survey, found in the HESA data for 2020–21.

While the Graduate prospects score shows measurable success, the on track score shows how happy the student is with their situation no matter how successful it might appear to be.  

Student-staff ratio  

The Student-staff ratio is calculated using HESA data for 2021–22 by adding up the total number of undergraduate and postgraduate students, dividing that by the number of academic staff and then adjusting for subject mix.  

A small number of students for each member of staff doesn't guarantee good quality teaching or good access to staff, which is why it’s important to take other measures into account.  

Academic services spend  

Academic services spend is calculated from the HESA data for 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22 using a three-year average to allow for uneven expenditure. It shows how much is spent per student on all academic services.

Our league table compilers added up all the university's expenditure on library and computing facilities, including staff, books, computers and software, or museums, galleries and observatories (but not buildings), and divided that by the number of full-time equivalent students in the latest year. 

Facilities spend  

The Facilities spend is calculated from the HESA data for 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22 using a three-year average to allow for uneven expenditure. It measures the expenditure per student on staff and student facilities.

Our league table compilers added up how much a university spends on student facilities such as sports, and careers, health, and counselling services and divide it by the number of full-time equivalent students in the latest year. 

This measure mostly includes money that comes from the university’s central budget and money spent by a university’s colleges is not considered.

Continuation 

Continuation measures the proportion of students who continue in their studies after their first year, using HESA data for entrants in 2020–21. 

Our league table compilers added up the number of students who continued to their second year, left with a qualification, or transferred to another university and divided by the total number of new students.