Best universities for architecture

Loughborough University comes top for architecture, with a median salary of £30k 15 months after graduating and 99% of students staying on the course. University of Dundee, University of Sheffield and Cardiff University complete the top four.

62 unis ranked£26k typical early salary79% in graduate jobs

#1 for architecture100

Loughborough University

Satisfaction92%better than 84% of architecture unis
Stay on course99%better than 98% of architecture unis
Graduate jobs85%better than 73% of architecture unis
Early salary£30kbetter than 83% of architecture unis

Half of students who started had more than 166 UCAS points, counting all their qualifications

Ranked 2 to 5

2University of Dundee9594% satisfied, £30k salary
3University of Sheffield9490% satisfied, £26.5k salary
4Cardiff University9180% satisfied, £29.5k salary
5Queen's University Belfast7887% satisfied, £25.5k salary

Scores are out of 100 and relative to other unis offering architecture. Data: Discover Uni, September 2026.

Will my grades get me in?

Enter your predicted grades to see which architecture courses you’d meet the offer for, where you’re a good match and which are a stretch.

We use each university’s typical offer from its course pages. Where we couldn’t get it, we show an estimated offer (marked ~) worked out from courses whose students had similar grades, so always check the course page. Your grades stay on this device. Jump to the table

Best for…

Happiest studentsUniversity of Gloucestershire94%positive about their course
Highest early salaryUniversity of Greenwich (Part of London and South East University Group)£32.5kmedian, 15 months after graduating
Best for graduate jobsUniversity of Sheffield100%of working graduates in professional jobs
Best if you’re aiming below ABBUniversity of Reading68/100half of starters had under 116 UCAS points

Full architecture ranking

Tap a column to sort. Bars show where each uni sits between the lowest and highest for architecture. ^* Ranked on fewer than five measures because some data isn’t published. ~ estimate = we couldn’t get the university’s own offer, so it’s estimated from similar courses. Check the course page.

Find a university

Region Fits my grades Placement year Year abroad Foundation year

	University
1	Loughborough University3 courses	AAA	100	92%	99%	85%	£30k	166
2	University of Dundee2 courses	–	95	94%	90%	90%	£30k	206
3	University of Sheffield2 courses	AAA	94	90%	93%	100%	£26.5k	161
4	Cardiff University3 courses	AAA–AAB	91	80%	94%	95%	£29.5k	168
5	Queen's University Belfast1 course	AAB	78	87%	97%	95%	£25.5k	152
6	University of Liverpool2 courses	AAA	78	93%	96%	80%	£25k	135
7	University of Cambridge2 courses	A*AA	77	68%	98%	95%	£29k	190
8	University of Edinburgh4 courses	AAA–AAA+ others	77	90%	88%	90%	£27.5k	173
9	Architectural Association School of Architecture^*1 course	~AAB–ABBestimate	75	91%	97%	90%	–	136
10	University of Leeds^*5 courses	AAA	70	93%	88%	80%	–	149
11	Manchester Metropolitan University1 course	AAA	70	85%	94%	85%	£25k	154
12	University of Nottingham2 courses	AAA	69	87%	95%	78%	£26.5k	149
13	University of Bath^*3 courses	A*AA	68	81%	98%	–	–	183
14	University of Reading1 course	ABB	68	84%	79%	100%	£30k	116
15	Nottingham Trent University5 courses	~ABB–BBCestimate	65	87%	93%	82%	£25.5k	116
16	UWE, Bristol6 courses	136 UCAS points	64	93%	92%	63%	£26.5k	135
16	Newcastle University2 courses	AAA+ others	64	87%	92%	75%	£27k	146
18	University of Northumbria at Newcastle4 courses	104–120 UCAS points	62	87%	88%	85%	£25k	131
19	University of Derby4 courses	BBC+ others	60	83%	89%	80%	£30k	108
20	Kingston University3 courses	112–128 UCAS points	58	83%	92%	68%	£30k	131
21	UCL^*4 courses	AAB+ others	58	80%	94%	–	–	161
22	University of Wales: Trinity Saint David^*1 course	120–136 UCAS points	55	92%	80%	–	–	136
23	Bath Spa University^*3 courses	BBB–BCC	52	92%	84%	–	–	111
23	Liverpool John Moores University3 courses	ABB+ others	52	90%	88%	80%	£24k	121
25	The Arts University Bournemouth^*1 course	~AAB–BBBestimate	51	86%	85%	–	–	131
26	University of Brighton1 course	AAA–BCC	51	79%	88%	80%	£30k	96
27	University of Portsmouth1 course	ABB–BBB	50	86%	92%	80%	£25.5k	98
28	University of Glasgow^*2 courses	AAB–BBB	50	84%	81%	–	–	193
29	Oxford Brookes University2 courses	AAB	48	88%	92%	80%	£23k	124
30	Anglia Ruskin University3 courses	96–112 UCAS points	48	91%	71%	78%	£29k	98
31	Leeds Beckett University4 courses	128 UCAS points	46	93%	86%	75%	£24k	113
32	Cardiff Metropolitan University^*2 courses	120–128 UCAS points	45	94%	81%	65%	–	116
33	University of Hertfordshire^*1 course	~ABB–BBCestimate	45	86%	85%	–	–	109
34	Southampton Solent University2 courses	104–136 UCAS points	44	89%	80%	90%	£26.5k	78
35	University of Gloucestershire1 course	BBC	44	94%	95%	60%	£25.5k	110
36	University of the Arts, London^*1 course	AAB	43	74%	92%	–	–	143
37	Robert Gordon University2 courses	BCC+ others	42	91%	75%	83%	£25k	162
38	University of Westminster8 courses	ABB+ others	42	89%	83%	64%	£28k	118
39	Lancaster University3 courses	AAA	40	70%	95%	80%	£25k	132
40	University of East London2 courses	112 UCAS points	38	91%	80%	62%	£28k	92
41	University of Huddersfield2 courses	AAB–BBB+ others	37	85%	75%	90%	£25k	108
42	Coventry University4 courses	ABB+ others	36	84%	80%	77%	£26k	105
43	Birmingham City University4 courses	AAB+ others	36	87%	84%	70%	£25k	110
44	Falmouth University1 course	104 UCAS points	35	87%	90%	60%	£25k	125
45	University of Wolverhampton5 courses	~BBB–BBCestimate	34	93%	60%	65%	£30k	85
46	Ulster University^*3 courses	AAA	34	81%	87%	64%	–	126
47	University for the Creative Arts2 courses	ABB	34	89%	74%	55%	£27k	106
48	University of Greenwich (Part of London and South East University Group)1 course	~ABB–BBCestimate	33	66%	75%	70%	£32.5k	115
49	London South Bank University4 courses	112 UCAS points	32	78%	80%	85%	£26k	103
50	Norwich University of the Arts^*2 courses	BBC	31	81%	77%	70%	–	104
51	Glasgow School of Art.3 courses	–	28	71%	92%	55%	£27k	180
52	University of Salford3 courses	128 UCAS points	24	77%	91%	56%	£29k	117
53	University of West London^*2 courses	112–120 UCAS points	23	78%	71%	–	–	86
54	University of Plymouth1 course	104 UCAS points	21	69%	91%	80%	£24k	111
55	De Montfort University2 courses	BBB+ others	19	78%	92%	55%	£25k	102
56	Sheffield Hallam University2 courses	~ABB–BBCestimate	16	79%	88%	60%	£25k	115
57	University of Kent (Part of London and South East University Group)2 courses	ABB	15	64%	88%	80%	£25k	105
58	Edinburgh Napier University1 course	CCC	12	67%	90%	65%	£25k	149
59	University of Lincoln2 courses	BBC–CCC	10	72%	90%	68%	£24k	101
60	London Metropolitan University^*3 courses	BBB+ others	8	69%	72%	–	–	84
61	Ravensbourne University London8 courses	BBC+ others	2	86%	72%	48%	£26k	102
62	University of Lancashire2 courses	DDD	0	58%	85%	60%	£23k	106

What architecture graduates earn

Typical (median) earnings for architecture graduates, across the universities we rank.

£26kAfter 15 months
£24.5kAfter 3 years
£29.5kAfter 5 years

Highest earnings five years after graduating

The 15-month figure comes from the Graduate Outcomes survey and covers graduates in full-time work. The 3 and 5-year figures come from tax records and include everyone in work, including part-time, so they can be lower than the 15-month figure. Pay also depends on where people live. Compare earnings across all subjects or see what you’d repay on your student loan.

What the measures mean

Student satisfaction: Average share of final-year students answering positively across the seven themes of the National Student Survey: teaching, learning opportunities, assessment, support, organisation, resources and student voice.
Stay on course: Share of students still studying or having qualified a year after starting. Lower numbers mean more people drop out.
Graduate-level jobs: Of graduates in work 15 months after finishing, the share in professional or managerial roles.
Salary after 15 months: Median salary of graduates in full-time work in the UK, 15 months after finishing.
Entry points (median): The middle UCAS tariff score of students who started: half had more, half had less. It counts all their qualifications (a fourth A-level, EPQ, AS levels, music grades and so on), so it usually sits above the published offer, especially at selective universities. It shows how competitive entry is. Always check the real offer on the university’s course page.

See exactly how the overall score is calculated

Not ranked yet

These offer architecture but don’t yet have enough published data to rank fairly, often because the course is new or small.

Buckinghamshire New University, Middlesex University, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Southampton, University of York, Roehampton University, Wrexham University, Pembrokeshire College, Centre for Alternative Technology, Regent's University