'Best value universities in the UK' revealed

Loughborough University provides the best return on investment for students, an independent study finds

Student finance
Student life

Seeta Bhardwa

Editor, THE Student

April 12 2017

Piggy bank wearing mortar board (tuition fees)

Loughborough University is the best value university for students in the UK, according to a new analysis.

The table, released by business consultancy Expert Market, cross-referenced the expenses associated with attending university – including tuition fees, accommodation and even the price of a pint – with the average income and opportunities available to students after graduating from each institution in the UK.

A weighted ranking was then applied to each factor, and the results claim to show which universities give students the best return on their investment.

University of Warwick for the cheapest annual food costs.

Financial resources for students

Highest and lowest graduate earners by degree subject in the UK

Richard Taylor, Loughborough University’s chief operating officer, said it was “pleasing to see it independently confirmed that Loughborough offers its students the best return on their educational investment".

With the exception of the University of Bath scored well for graduate prospects which balanced out its fairly high living costs.

Two Welsh universities featured in the top 10 (Swansea University) as did two Scottish universities (St Andrews and Dundee).

Both Cambridge and Oxford failed to make the top 10. Despite having excellent opportunities for graduates, both locations are expensive places to live. It will also come as no surprise that London universities were absent from the top 20, due to the high living costs in the capital.

The highest-ranked London university was St George’s, University of London in 21^st place. As a medical school, graduate prospects are among the best in the country, counteracting the increased cost of living in London.

Adelle Kehoe, head of research at Expert Market, said: “This is the first study of its kind to rank universities based on the return on investment they offer. Tuition fees have risen more than 200 per cent since 2007, so return on investment is more important than ever.

“Our study takes into account a broad spectrum of concerns for the prospective student to give a realistic picture of what that establishment has to offer, so that hopefully they can make a more informed decision.”

Rank	University
1	Loughborough University
2	Keele University
3	University of Warwick
4	Newcastle University
5	Cardiff University
6	University of Nottingham
7	University of St Andrews
8	University of Bath
9	Swansea University
10	University of Dundee
11	University of Southampton
12	University of Cambridge
13	University of Manchester
14	Durham University
15	University of Exeter
16	Lancaster University
17	University of Kent
18	University of Sussex
19	Robert Gordon University
20	Harper Adams University
21	St George's, University of London
22	University of Sheffield
23	University of Birmingham
24	University of Surrey
25	University of Huddersfield
26	University of Glasgow
27	Aston University
28	University of Hull
29	University of Cumbria
30	University of Leicester
31	King's College London
32	University of East Anglia
33	University of Strathclyde
34	University of Aberdeen
35	University of Leeds
36	University of Edinburgh
37	University of Bristol
38	University of York
39	Northumbria University
40	Abertay University
41	University of Liverpool
42	Heriot-Watt University
43	De Montfort University
44	Imperial College London
45	University of Reading
46	Glyndwr University
47	University of Hertfordshire
48	University of Essex
49	Royal Agricultural University
50	Trinity University
51	Edge Hill University
52	University of Oxford
53	Queen's University Belfast
54	University College London
55	University of Lincoln
56	University of Northampton
57	Sheffield Hallam University
58	Edinburgh Napier University
59	University of Portsmouth
60	Bangor University