UK university league tables 2027 – hidden gems
In our university rankings 2027, these are the surprising top universities where you could find a subject that’s a hidden gem.
CONTENTS
-
What are UK league table hidden gems?
-
Why do they matter?
-
Study in Scotland
-
Study in Northern Ireland
-
Study in Wales
-
Study in Yorkshire & the Humber
- Study in the North East
-
Study in the North West
-
Study in the West Midlands
-
Study in the East Midlands
-
Study in the East of England
-
Study in the South East
-
Study in the South West
-
Study in London
-
Find your own hidden gems with Uniselect
-
Data sources
Looking for Clearing advice?
The Clearing concierge has the answers
What are UK league table hidden gems?
The Complete University Guide team has uncovered some ‘hidden gems’ at universities that truly shine in particular subject areas. Though their overall rank is 40 or below, they show brilliance in the subjects we name here, ranking in the top ten of their table and placing them among the top 20% of UK universities. This means they might just provide the ideal course and university for many eager students.
Why do they matter?
There are many universities from outside the UK overall top 40 that excel in the subject rankings. So if you know what you want to study or which career to pursue, on this page we list the unis that excel in subject rankings. This may help you to consider universities you may have overlooked before.
For example, if you want a career in developing and supporting children and young people, the University of Sunderland and Oxford Brookes University both rank highly in the Childhood & Youth Studies rankings at 2nd and 3rd respectively, despite being lower in the overall league table.
The top universities for hidden gem subjects include the University of Bradford, which ranks 2nd in Optometry, Ophthalmics & Orthoptics, outperforming 12 other universities, the University of Stirling, which places 1st out of 45 in Paramedic Science, and the University of Plymouth, ranking top of the Food Science league table.
If your final exam results were not as you expected and you want to go through Clearing, our hidden gems open up new avenues at unis that might be overlooked in the main rankings.
And with the cost of living putting increasing pressure on students and families, this new data highlights areas of excellence in students’ home regions too. Meaning that you don’t have to go far away from home to go far in your chosen field of study. Our hidden gems may even throw up some highly-rated subjects that you may not have previously considered. We give you good examples across all UK regions for you to explore below.
Study in Scotland
Scottish students who want to save money by staying closer to home will find top-ranking courses in health-related and scientific subjects, among others.
In 2027, Stirling climbs one place to secure the top spot in Paramedic Science. Glasgow Caledonian University shines brightly with top ten spots in three separate subject tables. And Robert Gordon not only climbs an impressive 12 places in the overall university rankings, it also claims two subject ranking top tens.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow Caledonian University | 89 | Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy | 8 |
| Physiotherapy | 8 | ||
| Social Work | 8 | ||
| Robert Gordon University | 75 | Forensic Science | 6 |
| Physiotherapy | 9 | ||
| University of Stirling | 55 | Paramedic Science | 1 |
| Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 9 | ||
| University of the West of Scotland | 128 | Childhood & Youth Studies | 6 |
Study in Northern Ireland
Ulster University in Northern Ireland has climbed seven places to rank 47th in the main UK league table. It’s also a hidden gem in an impressive five subject rankings. From Building to Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Ulster offers a range of table-topping subjects to choose from – whether you'd like to stay closer to home or want to move away to a university that ranks highly for your chosen subject.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster University | 47 | Building | 5 |
| Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy | 6 | ||
| Food Science | 7 | ||
| Health Studies | 3 | ||
| Pharmacology & Pharmacy | 5 |
- READ MORE
- Studying in Northern Ireland
Study in Wales
Bangor University glistens in Wales for the 2027 rankings. Not only has it climbed six places in the main league table up to 49, but it has two hidden gem subjects to offer. Meanwhile, Swansea University is a hidden gem in six subjects – and the University of South Wales is the 1st in the rankings for Complementary Medicine.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth University | 56 | Agriculture & Forestry | 3 |
| Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 4 | ||
| Bangor University | 49 | Childhood & Youth Studies | 9 |
| Health Studies | 2 | ||
| Medical Technology & Bioengineering | 2 | ||
| Swansea University | 41 | Childhood & Youth Studies | 5 |
| Complementary Medicine | 2 | ||
| Health Studies | 5 | ||
| Manufacturing & Production Engineering | 5 | ||
| Paramedic Science | 6 | ||
| Social Work | 6 | ||
| University of South Wales | 91 | Complementary Medicine | 1 |
Study in Yorkshire & the Humber
Sheffield Hallam has climbed a remarkable 11 places in the Information Technology & Systems table to claim 3rd place in the university rankings 2027. Meanwhile, Leeds Beckett University climbed another place in the Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies table, having risen from 10th spot in that table two years ago.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds Beckett University | 86 | Health Studies | 4 |
| Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 5 | ||
| Sheffield Hallam University | 81 | Information Technology & Systems | 3 |
| Land & Property Management | 2 | ||
| University of Bradford | 98 | Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy | 9 |
| Optometry, Ophthalmics & Orthoptics | 2 | ||
| University of Huddersfield | 68 | Paramedic Science | 9 |
Study in the North East
The North East is renowned for its legendary warmth and community spirit. So it's appropriate that the hidden gem university for the region excels in subjects that focus on people. Whether you want to work with children, help people improve their lives, or train as a social worker, the University of Sunderland is the place to go.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Sunderland | 68 | Childhood & Youth Studies | 2 |
| Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy | 7 | ||
| Social Work | 9 |
Study in the North West
The North West of England also has its hidden gems, with two institutions excelling in the Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies rankings. Edge Hill has risen a remarkable 10 places to gain 3rd place in this subject, with Manchester Metropolitan not far behind. The region also claims a top ten in Social Work. This shows that unis at the top of our main league table may not always be the best place for the subject you want to study.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge Hill University | 58 | Social Work | 7 |
| Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 3 | ||
| Manchester Metropolitan University | 53 | Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 8 |
Study in the West Midlands
Two universities stand out in the 2027 rankings as areas of excellence. Keele University is a regular in the top ten of the Forensic Science rankings, this year continuing it’s upwards trend in this subject to reach 3rd place. It also ranks 3rd for Graduate outcomes, offering Forensic Science students strong career prospects. Meanwhile Coventry has advanced 15 places to rank 6th in the UK for Health Studies.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry University | 57 | Health Studies | 6 |
| Keele University | 54 | Forensic Science | 3 |
Study in the East Midlands
In the East Midlands, the University of Lincoln – 50th in our main UK university rankings – features as a hidden gem in three subject tables. It’s a new entry to the Social Work rankings, jumping straight in at 5th place in a field of 75 universities, boasting impressive Graduate outcomes of 100%. Not far from Lincoln, Nottingham Trent is a regular in the Forensic Science rankings top ten, coming second for Research quality in this table.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Trent University | 46 | Forensic Science | 4 |
| University of Lincoln | 50 | Forensic Science | 5 |
| Paramedic Science | 5 | ||
| Social Work | 5 |
Study in the East of England
The University of Hertfordshire continues its upward trend in the Food Science rankings, climbing five places in 2027 to reach 5th position. It also takes the top spot in this subject for Graduate outcomes, with a solid score of 100%. The university is also doing well in the main league table, moving up 12 places to enter the top half of the table.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hertfordshire | 70 | Food Science | 5 |
Study in the South East
The South East has five hidden gem universities with a diverse range of subject excellence to choose between, from Creative Writing to Information Technology & Systems. Among them all, the University of Reading excels, featuring in the top ten of an astounding six subjects and claiming the top spot in the Land & Property Management ranking.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford Brookes University | 45 | Childhood & Youth Studies | 3 |
| Royal Holloway, University of London | 42 | Creative Writing | 6 |
| Drama, Dance & Cinematics | 9 | ||
| Music | 5 | ||
| University of Portsmouth | 50 | Medical Technology & Bioengineering | 7 |
| University of Reading | 42 | Building | 6 |
| Education | 10 | ||
| Geology | 3 | ||
| Information Technology & Systems | 2 | ||
| Land & Property Management | 1 | ||
| Speech & Language Therapy | 3 | ||
| University of Winchester | 97 | Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 6 |
Study in the South West
The stunning South West shimmers with hidden gem universities at the top of seven of our subject tables. For students who want to stay local or move to the countryside or coast, they offer expertise in a variety of subjects. It's no surprise that the South West should do well in Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies. Those wanting to study Food Science would also do well to consider the region, with the University of Plymouth achieving the top place in this subject.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts University Bournemouth | 72 | Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 7 |
| Bournemouth University | 77 | Paramedic Science | 8 |
| Bristol, UWE | 74 | Paramedic Science | 3 |
| University of Gloucestershire | 98 | Physiotherapy | 7 |
| University of Plymouth | 67 | Building | 7 |
| Counselling, Psychotherapy & Occupational Therapy | 5 | ||
| Food Science | 1 | ||
| Nursing & Midwifery | 4 | ||
| Paramedic Science | 7 | ||
| Physiotherapy | 6 | ||
| Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies | 10 |
Study in London
Not all London universities rank highly in our league tables, but what some may lack in overall score they more than make up for in individual subjects. Kingston keeps its place in the top ten for Art & Design for a fourth year, amid a competitive field of 82 universities. And in the Childhood & Youth Studies rankings, Roehampton reaches the top ten – having climbed 19 places in the past two years.
| University | Main table rank | Subject table | Subject table rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston University | 88 | Art & Design | 10 |
| University of Roehampton | 123 | Childhood & Youth Studies | 8 |
Find your own hidden gems with Uniselect
If these league table hidden gems aren’t quite right for you, our university shortlisting tool, Uniselect, is here to help.
Uniselect will build you a personalised shortlist of universities based on your answers to a few simple questions. You can choose where in the UK you’d like to study and customise your choices based on the subjects and sports you’d like the universities to offer. Uniselect will serve you with a list of hidden gems of your own, and even show you which ones are in Clearing!
You can save as many shortlists to your Complete University Guide profile as you want based on different criteria for you to come back to whenever you like.
Data Sources
The data has been extracted from our 2027 UK university league tables. To find out more about how we compile our rankings, you can read our University and subject league tables methodology or check out How to use the league tables.
- SEARCH FOR YOURSELF
- Search the subject tables
- Search the regional table
The shortcut to your uni shortlist
Make your university search faster and less stressful.
Get a personalised shortlist by selecting what matters to you.
Related articles
Undergraduate courses with January starts
Many UK unis have courses with a January intake. Find out why a later start might suit...
Types of degrees in the UK
Learn about the different types of degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level that...