Which universities are the easiest to get into?
New UCAS data shows that some universities offer places to over 90% of those who apply – but around a fifth of Oxford applicants get an offer.
Credit: Madrugada Verde (background), Dean Drobot (left), Antonio Guillem (right) – Shutterstock
Some universities are more difficult to get into than others. Places at Oxford and Cambridge are famously competitive. The lower you go in the university league tables, the easier it gets. Or so you might think.
We've crunched the numbers to reveal the percentage of students who receive an offer after applying to each university in the UK, proving once and for all which unis are the toughest nuts to crack.
Use the list and table below to see the acceptance rate for each uni. There are some surprises in there...
Easiest UK universities to get into
Based on the percentage of students who apply to each university and receive an offer, these are the easiest universities to get into:
- Plymouth College of Art (97.9%)
- University for the Creative Arts (96.7%)
- Solent University, Southampton (95.0%)
- Aberystwyth University (94.4%)
- Bishop Grosseteste University (93.4%)
- University of Sussex (92.7%)
- SOAS, University of London (92.7%)
- Northumbria University (91.2%)
- University of South Wales (90.9%)
- Nottingham Trent University (90.8%)
- University of Kent (90.7%)
- University of Winchester (89.8%)
- De Montfort University (89.3%)
- University of Gloucestershire (88.9%)
- Coventry University (88.1%)
- Royal Holloway, University of London (87.5%)
- Abertay University (87.0%)
- Lancaster University (86.8%)
- University of Reading (86.4%)
- University of Derby (86.4%)
- University of Northampton (86.3%)
In total, 11 unis offer places to 90% or more of all applicants.
Interestingly, as well as featuring in this top 20, Lancaster also ranks in the top 10 of the UK university league tables.
Hardest UK universities to get into
Once again, based on the percentage of offers made compared to the number of applications received, these are the hardest universities to get into in the UK:
- University of Oxford (20.3%)
- London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (21.0%)
- University of Cambridge (24.5%)
- University of St Andrews (30.0%)
- Imperial College London (32.8%)
- University College London (UCL) (35.2%)
- St George's, University of London (42.0%)
- The University of Edinburgh (43.6%)
- King's College London (44.3%)
- University of the Arts London (48.4%)
- University of Strathclyde (57.1%)
- University of Suffolk (57.2%)
- University of Manchester (57.7%)
- Wrexham University (59.8%)
- University of Leeds (59.9%)
- Leeds Arts University (61.1%)
- City, University of London (61.5%)
- Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (62.3%)
- London South Bank University (62.6%)
- University of Bath (62.7%)
Something which won't surprise anyone is that Oxford and Cambridge are in the top three most difficult unis to get into. In fact, Oxford only offers places to around one-fifth of those who apply.
But it may reassure you to know that beyond Oxbridge, some of the best unis in the UK offer places to around a third of their applicants. Imperial College London, for instance, has an acceptance rate of 32.8%.
University acceptance rates
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Of course, university admissions are also hugely affected by reputation. The more popular it is, the more applications it will receive. The more applications it receives, the fewer places there are to hand out, and hence the acceptance rate is lower. It's not all about great A Level grades and entry requirements.
In some cases, offer rates are low because unis have a limited number of places or cater to a niche subject area. This is likely to be true of the University of the Arts London and Leeds Arts University (two of only a few specialist arts universities in the UK). It may also apply to St George's, University of London, which is exclusively a medical school.
But some of the best and most prestigious universities in the UK have higher offer rates than you'd expect. Loughborough offers places to over 70% of those who apply, while Bath offers places to over 60% of applicants.
Taking all universities into consideration, the average acceptance rate is 72.3%. But feel free to use the table below to see how each university compares.
This data shows the acceptance rates for undergraduate applications starting September 2024 across all age groups (not just 18-year-olds).
Full list of UK university acceptance rates
| Rank | University | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oxford | 20.3% |
| 2 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | 21.0% |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | 24.5% |
| 4 | University of St Andrews | 30.0% |
| 5 | Imperial College London | 32.8% |
| 6 | University College London (UCL) | 35.2% |
| 7 | St Georges, University of London | 42.0% |
| 8 | University of Edinburgh | 43.6% |
| 9 | Kings College London | 44.3% |
| 10 | University of the Arts London | 48.4% |
| 11 | University of Strathclyde | 57.1% |
| 12 | University of Suffolk | 57.2% |
| 13 | University of Manchester | 57.7% |
| 14 | Wrexham University | 59.8% |
| 15 | University of Leeds | 59.9% |
| 16 | Leeds Arts University | 61.1% |
| 17 | City, University of London | 61.5% |
| 18 | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh | 62.3% |
| 19 | London South Bank University | 62.6% |
| 20 | University of Bath | 62.7% |
| 21 | Queen Mary, University of London | 64.5% |
| 22 | University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) | 65.1% |
| 23 | Keele University | 65.5% |
| 24 | University of Dundee | 65.5% |
| 25 | University of Greater Manchester (was Bolton) | 65.5% |
| 26 | University of Hertfordshire | 66.0% |
| 27 | University of Glasgow | 66.5% |
| 28 | Falmouth University | 67.1% |
| 29 | Durham University | 67.6% |
| 30 | University of Bristol | 67.6% |
| 31 | University of West London | 67.6% |
| 32 | University of Sunderland | 67.8% |
| 33 | Glasgow Caledonian University | 68.5% |
| 34 | University of Surrey | 68.8% |
| 35 | University of Birmingham | 69.6% |
| 36 | Middlesex University | 70.0% |
| 37 | University of Nottingham | 70.1% |
| 38 | University of Warwick | 70.8% |
| 39 | University of Central Lancashire | 70.9% |
| 40 | University of the West of Scotland | 71.2% |
| 41 | Edinburgh Napier University | 71.4% |
| 42 | Loughborough University | 72.3% |
| 43 | University of Chester | 72.4% |
| 44 | University of Wolverhampton | 72.8% |
| 45 | University of Bedfordshire | 73.0% |
| 46 | University of Liverpool | 73.2% |
| 47 | Aston University, Birmingham | 73.3% |
| 48 | Cardiff University | 73.4% |
| 49 | Brunel University London | 73.4% |
| 50 | Queens University Belfast | 73.5% |
| 51 | Goldsmiths, University of London | 73.9% |
| 52 | University of Chichester | 74.1% |
| 53 | University of Leicester | 74.3% |
| 54 | Leeds Trinity University | 74.3% |
| 55 | University of East London | 74.4% |
| 56 | Buckinghamshire New University | 74.7% |
| 57 | University of Salford | 74.9% |
| 58 | Arts University Bournemouth | 75.2% |
| 59 | University of the West of England, Bristol | 75.2% |
| 60 | University of Cumbria | 75.4% |
| 61 | Robert Gordon University | 76.1% |
| 62 | University of Southampton | 76.5% |
| 63 | Plymouth Marjon University | 76.6% |
| 64 | Sheffield Hallam University | 76.8% |
| 65 | Anglia Ruskin University | 76.9% |
| 66 | Leeds Beckett University | 77.0% |
| 67 | University of Sheffield | 77.7% |
| 68 | University of Worcester | 78.0% |
| 69 | Plymouth University | 78.3% |
| 70 | Birmingham City University | 78.3% |
| 71 | University of Wales Trinity Saint David | 78.5% |
| 72 | Bath Spa University | 78.6% |
| 73 | Teesside University | 78.6% |
| 74 | Manchester Metropolitan University | 78.7% |
| 75 | University of Greenwich | 79.0% |
| 76 | Swansea University | 79.0% |
| 77 | University of Brighton | 79.1% |
| 78 | University of York | 79.3% |
| 79 | Edge Hill University | 79.4% |
| 80 | University of Essex | 79.4% |
| 81 | University of Hull | 79.6% |
| 82 | Norwich University of the Arts | 79.9% |
| 83 | University of Huddersfield | 80.0% |
| 84 | Newcastle University | 80.2% |
| 85 | University College Birmingham | 80.9% |
| 86 | University of East Anglia (UEA) | 81.7% |
| 87 | University of Roehampton | 81.7% |
| 88 | Bournemouth University | 81.8% |
| 89 | University of Westminster, London | 81.8% |
| 90 | Canterbury Christ Church University | 82.4% |
| 91 | Staffordshire University | 82.5% |
| 92 | Harper Adams University | 82.5% |
| 93 | Bangor University | 82.5% |
| 94 | University of Stirling | 82.6% |
| 95 | University of Aberdeen | 82.6% |
| 96 | Heriot-Watt University | 82.8% |
| 97 | University of Bradford | 82.9% |
| 98 | Ravensbourne University, London | 83.0% |
| 99 | Ulster University | 83.1% |
| 100 | Kingston University | 83.3% |
| 101 | Oxford Brookes University | 83.9% |
| 102 | University of Portsmouth | 83.9% |
| 103 | Liverpool John Moores University | 84.2% |
| 104 | University of Lincoln | 84.5% |
| 105 | York St John University | 85.0% |
| 106 | University of Exeter | 85.1% |
| 107 | London Metropolitan University | 85.2% |
| 108 | Birmingham Newman University | 85.5% |
| 109 | Liverpool Hope University | 85.5% |
| 110 | St Marys University, Twickenham, London | 85.7% |
| 111 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 86.2% |
| 112 | University of Northampton | 86.3% |
| 113 | University of Reading | 86.4% |
| 114 | University of Derby | 86.4% |
| 115 | Lancaster University | 86.8% |
| 116 | Abertay University | 87.0% |
| 117 | Royal Holloway, University of London | 87.5% |
| 118 | Coventry University | 88.1% |
| 119 | University of Gloucestershire | 88.9% |
| 120 | De Montfort University | 89.3% |
| 121 | University of Winchester | 89.8% |
| 122 | University of Kent | 90.7% |
| 123 | Nottingham Trent University | 90.8% |
| 124 | University of South Wales | 90.9% |
| 125 | Northumbria University | 91.2% |
| 126 | SOAS, University of London | 92.6% |
| 127 | University of Sussex | 92.7% |
| 128 | Bishop Grosseteste University | 93.4% |
| 129 | Aberystwyth University | 94.4% |
| 130 | Solent University, Southampton | 95.0% |
| 131 | University for the Creative Arts | 96.7% |
| 132 | Plymouth College of Art | 97.9% |
Going to uni isn't all about the money. But we'd be lying if we said it wasn't a factor – so check out the graduate salary for your subject.
