As any student will know, there’s a lot more to what makes a university a great place to learn than its exclusivity or the research it pumps out.
The end of the summer exam season is now just days away, and many A Level candidates have already begun the lengthy wait to find out how they did - with results day falling on August 14 this year. Many will have university offers hanging in the balance, and once their place has been confirmed, they can finally set out on an exciting new time in their lives - university, and all that comes with it.
As well as wanting an amazing student experience, they’ll no doubt be hoping to achieve good grades with expert teaching and guidance, leaving with a degree that will open the door to exciting careers or further study opportunities in the future. Most of them will also probably be taking out hefty student loans, and will no doubt want good bang for their buck.
The Complete University Guide has this month released its brand new UK university league table for 2026, to help keep this coming year’s university hopefuls in the loop. This comprehensive annual ranking compares dozens of institutions based on their entry standards, the proportion of students who stay on after their first year, research quality, how much they spend on academic services and facilities, student-to-staff ratio, and more. One of the factors it considers is how satisfied each institution’s students are with their education. They’ve each been given a score out of four based on responses to The National Student Survey (NSS), a poll of final-year undergraduates.
We’ve used this data to compile a league table of all the UK universities that scored around 80% or more when it comes to student satisfaction - so that prospective students can get an idea of how happy with their education current students are. Many are schools which didn’t make it to the upper echelons of the Complete University Guide’s overall performance table, but which each shine in their own unique way.
Here were the 17 universities that came out on top:
1. University of St Andrews
The fourth most highly ranked university overall - and the top Scottish institution on the list - this prestigious university is based in St Andrews, Fife. In the Complete University Guide’s new list for 2026, it had a student satisfaction score of 3.32 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Peter Thompson/Heritage Images/Getty Images
2. Bishop Grosseteste University
Moving to the East Midlands of England, Bishop Grosseteste is a university based in Lincoln. It came in 118th place overall on the new league table. It had a student satisfaction score of 3.31 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
3. Wrexham University
Wrexham University is based in northeast Wales, and came 129th overall in the Complete University Guide’s latest league table. It had a student satisfaction score of 3.30 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Google
4. Plymouth Marjon University
Marjon is a university in Plymouth, Devon - in the South West. It ranked 100th overall. It too had a student satisfaction score of 3.30 out of 4 - or about 83%. | Google