Durham has been recognised as the UK's leading Russell Group university in the Unifresher 2027 Rankings, achieving the highest number of subject wins!
We secured 10 wins, more than any other Russell Group university, alongside 34 top-five finishes, achieving our strongest performance in a national ranking focused on student experience and a broad range of subjects.
Exceptional breadth across disciplines
Our winning subjects span Biochemistry, Biology, Civil Engineering, Classics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Law, Music, Physics and Statistics.
This mix of STEM, humanities and social sciences has been highlighted as the most diverse subject wins of any institution in the rankings, demonstrating excellence across the full academic spectrum.
Durham is also the only Russell Group university to win more than three subjects in the 2027 rankings, reinforcing our position as a consistently high-performing university across multiple subjects.
Strong performance for student experience
The Unifresher Rankings are based on eight measures designed to reflect the student experience, including:
- Teaching quality
- Student satisfaction
- Academic support
- Graduate earnings
- Safety and cost of living
- Social life and sustainability
These strong results show that we are delivering high-quality teaching and support alongside strong graduate outcomes, aligning with the priorities of prospective and current students.
A student-focused ranking
Unlike league tables that emphasise research output, the Unifresher Rankings prioritise what students actually experience during their studies - from teaching and academic support to lifestyle and value for money.
This shows that research excellence and outstanding student experience can go hand in hand.
