How will Facility spend affect your experience at uni?

There’s a lot to think about when choosing a university. Our league tables do much more than show the top UK universities by region or by subject: you can also search by other elements that are important to you. If you want to play sports at uni or think you may need additional support, sorting the tables by Facility spend might be the right way for you. 

Why do we include Facility spend in our league tables? 

Facility spend is defined as the expenditure per student on supporting facilities. This measures a broader aspect of university life beyond the courses, teaching and their outcomes. It compares university investment in the non-academic facilities available to students. This includes careers services, health and counselling support and sports facilities. 

How do we calculate Facility spend?

The data for calculating facility spend comes from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) statistics from 2020–2023.

Our league table compilers look at the university's spending on student facilities. They average this spending over three years to account for any uneven costs. They then divide the average by the number of full-time equivalent students in the most recent year available to give a spend per student.

You should bear in mind that this measure mostly includes central university expenditure. Some universities, like Oxford and Cambridge, have a collegiate structure. This means they include independent colleges as well as central university services and academic departments. At these institutions, a significant amount of facilities expenditure may be made by colleges. This won't show in the university’s accounts and cannot be measured for our tables.

Find out more about how we calculate the rankings

How important is the Facility spend measure when choosing a university?

University life is about more than just what you study and who teaches you. A university that provides better facilities and support services to its students is likely to offer a better overall experience.  If sports matter to you or if you have specific challenges needing support, check how well the universities you’re looking into score in this area.  

Try sorting by Facility spend on one of our tables for yourself