University of Cumbira ranked 93rd best in the UK

The Daily Mail has this week released its university rankings, with the University of Cumbria, which is split across various campuses in different towns and cities in the Northwest, ranked 93rd out of 129 universities ranked.’

The Daily mail said their ranking is based on recent performance data’ in areas like teaching and research, as well as the views of the 346,000 final year students.

They added that they’ve ‘crunched the numbers to identify universities where students stand the best chance of getting a high-skilled job when they graduate, the salaries they will earn (useful for paying off that student loan) and whether they feel, 15 months after leaving, that their careers are on track’.

Of the university, the newspaper wrote: “Cumbria is planning for a vibrant future with two new campuses in the offing and the opening of a graduate-entry medical school in Carlisle scheduled for next September.

“In the Northwest, there are two campuses in Carlisle (where a new flagship is planned) and further outposts in Lancaster, Ambleside and Workington, while another is due to open in Barrow-in-Furness next January.

“It even stretches down to London, where it runs a number of education and health programmes and a global business management top-up degree.

“Applications and admissions fell again in 2023, and they are both roughly at half the level they were a decade ago, after years of steady decline.

“However, it is hoped the new campuses and subjects offered will see student numbers start to grow.

“It supplies large numbers of students to the public sector, with healthcare and teacher training at the fore.

“The unique Ambleside campus, in the heart of the Lake District, offers courses tailored to its location, including marine and freshwater conservation; forest management; outdoor leadership; tourism management; and woodland ecology and conservation.”

This ranking is higher for Cumbria than in the Complete University Guide’s 2025 league table, in which it ranked 123rd, in the bottom 10 across the UK.

Topping the Daily Mail’s list was Imperial College London, followed by Oxford and Cambridge respectively, while Arts University Plymouth ranked the lowest.

A spokesperson for the University of Cumbria said: “In compiling this table, the Daily Mail measures National Student Survey (NSS), completion rates and graduate outcomes metrics.

“Interestingly, it also includes data on highly skilled jobs from graduate outcomes, research quality, attainment, and first-generation students.

“We are delighted that we have ranked 14th out of 129 universities for first-generation students, 14th for our graduates feeling that their career is on track, and have improved our overall position by 31 places to 93rd out of 129.

“This clearly demonstrates the impact, outcomes, and contribution that our university and its staff, students and graduates have in, for and on our communities, as we progress our Towards 2030 Strategy.”