Can university rankings even be progressive? Let’s see…

Welcome to UKPUR, the United Kingdom Progressive University Ranking, from the team who brought you University Wankings!! It’s a little different to most other rankings…

1. We’re suggesting a different model of ‘excellence’, one that isn’t about age, wealth, exclusivity, organisational optimisation, or being ruthless. It’s about being decent – a nice place to study and a nice place to work.
2. We critically engage with our method. We are very open about why we rank and what the shortcomings of our approach are. This is not a product.
3. We’re not in this for the money! This is primarily about promoting discussion around the ways in which university rankings are enormously problematic – but potentially useful.

See our methodology and rationale in the menu at the top, or click on the categories below. In the UKPUR, we’ve ranked all UK HEIs based on the following criteria:

• STUDENT DIVERSITY
• STAFF DIVERSITY
• LEADERSHIP

Click on the links in each category to see the ranking/breakdown within each area, or look below for the full ranking. We like it, but it’s imperfect – and we’re not pretending it isn’t. Here goes…

THE UK PUR

For clarification, the universities at the top have the most diverse populations and score higher on our measures of leadership.

HEI	PUR RANK	STUDENT DIVERSITY	STAFF DIVERSITY	LEADERSHIP
University of Derby	1	7	38	5
Newman University	2	2	13	18
Glyndwr University	3	10	51	3
The University of Bolton	4	1	5	41
The University of Salford	5	19	122	4
University for the Creative Arts	6	14	39	12
University of South Wales	7	35	128	2
University of Cumbria	8	17	77	24
University College Birmingham	9	18	104	22
The University of Northampton	10	25	9	31
The University of Bradford	11	3	26	81
Solent University	12	46	125	6
Canterbury Christ Church University	13	31	2	40
The University of Huddersfield	14	7	101	61
Staffordshire University	15	9	94	64
Anglia Ruskin University	16	50	47	19
University of Suffolk	17	12	81	52
Cardiff Metropolitan University	18	76	64	8
York St John University	19	60	105	12
Liverpool John Moores University	20	40	32	36
The University College of Osteopathy	21	77	24	17
Bishop Grosseteste University	22	14	141	46
Teesside University	23	11	36	83
Plymouth College of Art	24	32	45	46
University of St Mark and St John	25	22	123	50
Bath Spa University	26	58	69	26
Birmingham City University	27	24	36	67
The University of Sunderland	28	28	27	63
The University of Portsmouth	29	23	35	70
The University of Chichester	30	51	154	14
University of the West of England, Bristol	31	49	114	33
St Mary’s University, Twickenham	32	58	111	27
The University of Brighton	33	57	57	37
Writtle University College	34	38	101	48
Norwich University of the Arts	35	19	79	73
Leeds Arts University	36	55	120	31
Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance	37	78	15	34
University of Bedfordshire	38	36	32	61
Buckinghamshire New University	39	102	3	21
University of Hertfordshire	40	85	9	38
The University of Central Lancashire	41	16	107	83
The National Film and Television School	42	55	159	20
London South Bank University	43	21	7	101
Kingston University	44	42	22	72
Leeds Beckett University	45	86	89	29
The University of the West of Scotland	45	94	121	16
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland	47	109	140	7
The University of Greenwich	48	80	28	44
University of Chester	49	48	53	65
Oxford Brookes University	50	115	98	9
Falmouth University	51	93	130	23
Liverpool Hope University	52	26	43	97
Middlesex University	53	66	48	59
Sheffield Hallam University	54	27	109	88
The University of Wolverhampton	55	4	16	143
The Robert Gordon University	56	106	63	28
The Arts University Bournemouth	57	75	94	57
Glasgow School of Art	58	67	143	48
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts	59	73	156	35
SRUC	60	97	132	29
Bournemouth University	61	73	20	74
De Montfort University	62	5	6	149
Glasgow Caledonian University	63	120	137	11
Guildhall School of Music and Drama	64	143	149	1
London Metropolitan University	65	45	1	109
The University of East London	66	29	30	111
University of Gloucestershire	67	43	98	92
Edinburgh Napier University	68	124	61	25
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama	69	116	49	38
Aberystwyth University	70	78	79	70
Leeds Trinity University	71	13	77	122
Ravensbourne University London	72	88	39	75
Cranfield University	73	84	52	78
The University of Essex	74	82	4	98
University of Northumbria at Newcastle	75	91	144	53
University of Wales Trinity Saint David	76	6	141	140
The Nottingham Trent University	77	68	115	85
The University of West London	78	44	86	107
Goldsmiths College	79	88	12	87
Royal College of Art	80	72	11	105
St George’s, University of London	81	99	13	77
Heriot-Watt University	82	112	117	44
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance	83	127	157	15
Roehampton University	84	107	130	55
University of London (Institutes and activities)	85	61	159	81
The University of Westminster	86	97	82	79
The Manchester Metropolitan University	87	36	72	122
Royal College of Music	87	141	158	9
Brunel University London	89	91	57	92
University of Abertay Dundee	89	105	147	56
The University of Winchester	91	41	69	121
Loughborough University	92	110	90	69
University of the Arts, London	93	53	8	126
Conservatoire for Dance and Drama	93	101	146	65
Ulster University	95	123	134	50
The University of Leicester	96	95	90	91
London Business School	97	34	93	132
Keele University	98	39	44	137
The University of Dundee	99	111	64	79
The University of Lincoln	100	65	45	119
University of Worcester	101	30	59	143
Edge Hill University	102	33	138	127
The University of Buckingham	103	146	72	42
The Institute of Cancer Research	104	46	72	129
University of the Highlands and Islands	104	112	159	54
Heythrop College	106	68	159	99
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine	107	53	118	124
Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh	108	62	155	110
St Mary’s University College	109	99	108	103
Aston University	110	83	66	118
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine	111	64	16	141
The University of Hull	112	68	31	136
Coventry University	113	86	22	125
University of Plymouth	114	63	82	138
The University of East Anglia	115	96	61	116
Bangor University	116	52	97	145
Swansea University	117	135	20	92
The University of Manchester	117	107	68	112
The University of Wales (central functions)	119	117	159	76
Courtauld Institute of Art	120	135	90	86
The University of Stirling	121	117	150	88
City, University of London	122	122	24	113
The Open University	123	138	59	95
Birkbeck College	124	90	88	134
Queen Mary University of London	125	81	41	147
The University of Kent	126	68	28	156
Royal Northern College of Music	127	164	134	43
Royal Agricultural University	128	155	152	59
The University of Leeds	129	142	103	100
AECC University College	130	154	159	58
The University of Sheffield	131	114	55	129
The University of Strathclyde	132	131	127	108
Queen’s University Belfast	133	130	50	117
The University of Glasgow	134	145	111	101
The Royal Veterinary College	135	121	145	115
Harper Adams University	136	132	151	106
The University of Aberdeen	137	156	139	90
University of Nottingham	138	134	96	120
The University of Bristol	139	163	82	95
SOAS University of London	140	102	16	158
The University of Lancaster	141	119	41	151
Stranmillis University College	142	150	159	104
The University of York	143	153	132	114
The University of Edinburgh	144	140	111	131
Royal Academy of Music	145	165	153	67
The University of Oxford	146	149	72	139
The University of Southampton	147	127	72	152
The University of Sussex	148	104	19	164
The University of Birmingham	149	135	53	150
University College London	150	157	98	132
The University of Surrey	151	125	109	155
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College	152	127	126	154
The University of St Andrews	153	151	148	134
Cardiff University	154	146	119	148
Newcastle University	155	160	136	127
The University of Reading	156	132	82	157
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine	157	159	55	146
The University of Bath	158	158	129	142
King’s College London	159	139	32	162
London School of Economics and Political Science	160	146	106	161
The University of Exeter	161	151	86	160
The University of Warwick	162	144	69	163
The University of Liverpool	163	125	67	165
University of Durham	164	161	123	153
The University of Cambridge	165	162	115	159