Over the past year, the University of Liverpool has celebrated exceptional student feedback, climbed into the top 150 of the QS World University Rankings, and was named University of the Year at the Educate North Awards.
Just this week, the University maintained its position in the ShanghaiRanking Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). More than 2500 universities are ranked by ARWU every year and the best 1000 in the world are published. The 2025 table places Liverpool 101-150 in the world, and 9-12 in the UK.
Our students’ voice
In July, the University recorded significant improvements across all areas of the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS), outperforming both the Russell Group and the broader higher education sector overall.
Commissioned annually by the Office for Students (OfS), the NSS invites final-year undergraduates to provide feedback on their experience, including aspects such as academic support, student voice, and learning opportunities.
This year, Liverpool ranked in the top three within the Russell Group in several key areas:
- How well IT facilities and resources support learning (1st)
- Organisation and management (2nd)
- How well courses develop knowledge and skills that are needed for the future (3rd)
- Assessment and feedback (3rd)
- How good teaching staff are at explaining things (3rd)
Climbing the QS World University Rankings
In June, the University announced it had risen 18 places to 147th in the QS World University Rankings 2026, securing a position among the top 150 universities worldwide.
Among the 1,500 institutions included, Liverpool ranks 22nd among the 90 UK universities featured. Notably, the University has improved by 43 places over the past three years—demonstrating sustained upward momentum.
This success follows a strong performance in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, announced in March, where 12 subjects were ranked in the global top 100 for 2025.
Liverpool climbs in global and UK university rankings
This year’s achievements build on a series of strong performances in both global and national rankings. The University of Liverpool has five subjects featured in the global top 50 of the prestigious Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking.
Notably, the University has also moved up in several key UK university guides for 2025:
- Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide – moving up 6 places to 23rd year
- Guardian University Guide – rising 9 places to 27th
University of the Year: Educate North Awards
In April this year, the University was awarded the prestigious title of University of the Year at the Educate North Awards.
Judges praised the University’s impact, stating: “The University of Liverpool is one of the great beacons of knowledge, learning and enablement in the North and a global leader of international research and people development. It is a world leader in Health Sciences and a range of subjects stretching from the Arts through to Zoology.
“It has a long history of being inclusive, innovative and caring for all and is one of the few leading research universities to hold the Gold Standard in Teaching Award.”