Best universities for nursing

King's College London comes top for nursing, with a median salary of £33.9k 15 months after graduating and 90% student satisfaction. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Kingston University and University of East Anglia complete the top four.

92 unis ranked£30k typical early salary91% in graduate jobs

#1 for nursing100

King's College London

Satisfaction90%better than 78% of nursing unis
Stay on course88%better than 63% of nursing unis
Graduate jobs93%better than 67% of nursing unis
Early salary£33.9kbetter than 95% of nursing unis

Half of students who started had more than 134 UCAS points, counting all their qualifications

Ranked 2 to 5

2Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh8492% satisfied, £32k salary
3Kingston University8390% satisfied, £32.1k salary
4University of East Anglia8190% satisfied, £31k salary
5London South Bank University7685% satisfied, £34.2k salary

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

Will my grades get me in?

Enter your predicted grades to see which nursing 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 studentsBirmingham Newman University97%positive about their course
Highest early salaryCity St George's, University of London£35kmedian, 15 months after graduating
Best for graduate jobsQueen Margaret University, Edinburgh100%of working graduates in professional jobs
Best if you’re aiming below ABBKingston University83/100half of starters had under 116 UCAS points

Full nursing ranking

Tap a column to sort. Bars show where each uni sits between the lowest and highest for nursing. ^* 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	King's College London3 courses	BBC+ others	100	90%	88%	93%	£33.9k	134
2	Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh2 courses	BCC	84	92%	82%	100%	£32k	156
3	Kingston University11 courses	112–128 UCAS points	83	90%	92%	92%	£32.1k	116
4	University of East Anglia3 courses	BBB	81	90%	85%	97%	£31k	129
5	London South Bank University4 courses	BBC	76	85%	91%	91%	£34.2k	102
6	University of Hertfordshire4 courses	BBB–BBC	72	90%	92%	93%	£29.6k	124
7	University of Hull4 courses	BBC	71	91%	89%	95%	£28.4k	132
8	University of Liverpool2 courses	BBC	71	87%	95%	100%	£29.5k	129
9	Cardiff University3 courses	BBB–BCC	70	89%	84%	92%	£30k	146
10	University of East London3 courses	112 UCAS points+ others	70	90%	85%	88%	£32k	130
11	University of Edinburgh1 course	–	70	86%	85%	95%	£32k	154
12	Aston University2 courses	BBC	69	97%	95%	90%	£29k	131
13	University of Brighton3 courses	BBB–CCC	66	85%	94%	95%	£30.2k	112
14	University of Sheffield2 courses	BBB	65	88%	95%	90%	£29k	148
15	Middlesex University3 courses	BBC–CCC	62	91%	86%	88%	£31.2k	121
16	Oxford Brookes University3 courses	BBC	62	92%	91%	91%	£29.5k	112
17	University of Leeds3 courses	BBC+ others	61	86%	89%	93%	£28.9k	137
18	University of Plymouth9 courses	104 UCAS points	61	82%	86%	93%	£31k	128
18	Nottingham Trent University8 courses	104–112 UCAS points	61	83%	87%	96%	£31.2k	108
20	University of Northumbria at Newcastle^*8 courses	96–112 UCAS points	60	91%	83%	–	–	128
21	Brunel University of London3 courses	BBC–CCC	60	79%	86%	90%	£34k	109
22	University of Essex5 courses	112–120 UCAS points	59	93%	90%	90%	£30k	107
23	Keele University6 courses	BBC	59	90%	91%	93%	£29k	108
24	University College Birmingham2 courses	~ABB–BBCestimate	59	92%	80%	95%	£30k	123
25	Queen's University Belfast^*4 courses	BBC–BCC	58	84%	91%	–	–	127
26	University of Worcester6 courses	BBC	58	81%	92%	94%	£30.1k	117
27	BPP University2 courses	112 UCAS points	58	82%	93%	95%	£31k	104
28	University of Suffolk3 courses	CCC+ others	57	87%	80%	98%	£29.8k	120
29	Abertay University1 course	CCC	57	96%	87%	75%	£32k	124
30	University of Nottingham1 course	BBB	56	80%	90%	95%	£30k	126
31	University of Greenwich (Part of London and South East University Group)3 courses	112 UCAS points	56	81%	91%	90%	£32k	111
31	University of Exeter2 courses	BBB	56	82%	90%	100%	£30k	121
33	Coventry University8 courses	BBC+ others	56	89%	81%	96%	£29.1k	115
34	UWE, Bristol3 courses	112 UCAS points	54	84%	91%	91%	£30.1k	115
34	Buckinghamshire New University2 courses	BBC	54	88%	81%	90%	£32.7k	97
36	Manchester Metropolitan University2 courses	BBC–BCC	54	89%	87%	87%	£30.4k	119
37	Edinburgh Napier University4 courses	–	54	83%	87%	92%	£31.1k	127
38	York St John University2 courses	BBC	53	93%	84%	89%	£30k	119
39	University of West London7 courses	112 UCAS points	52	86%	81%	92%	£31.2k	117
40	University of Surrey3 courses	BBC	52	83%	88%	93%	£29.8k	120
41	University of South Wales/Prifysgol De Cymru^*4 courses	BCC+ others	52	80%	–	94%	£30k	132
42	University of Winchester6 courses	BBB–BCC+ others	51	86%	88%	94%	£29.7k	108
43	University of Lancashire5 courses	104 UCAS points	50	84%	87%	90%	£29.1k	139
44	University of Birmingham3 courses	BBB	50	79%	88%	93%	£29k	142
45	Birmingham Newman University^*2 courses	~ABB–BBCestimate	50	97%	91%	60%	–	108
46	University of Derby14 courses	BBC+ others	49	82%	88%	93%	£29.9k	113
46	City St George's, University of London3 courses	BBC	49	78%	85%	85%	£35k	114
48	University of Greater Manchester^*3 courses	104 UCAS points	49	83%	90%	–	–	118
49	University of York6 courses	BBB+ others	48	90%	79%	90%	£29.4k	129
49	University of Salford7 courses	104 UCAS points	48	80%	93%	90%	£29k	133
51	University of Northampton6 courses	BBC	47	82%	89%	91%	£29.6k	122
52	University of Manchester3 courses	BCC+ others	44	85%	91%	83%	£30.1k	130
53	University of Bradford6 courses	BBC+ others	43	75%	90%	92%	£30k	128
54	University of Sunderland3 courses	96–112 UCAS points	42	86%	71%	95%	£30k	124
55	Robert Gordon University7 courses	BCC	41	76%	91%	93%	£30.8k	118
55	University of Dundee10 courses	–	41	83%	85%	91%	£30.2k	121
57	Bangor University4 courses	96–120 UCAS points	41	80%	82%	94%	£30k	123
58	Roehampton University4 courses	112–128 UCAS points	40	86%	90%	87%	£32k	73
59	Sheffield Hallam University5 courses	BCC+ others	40	77%	89%	93%	£29.1k	126
60	University of Chester14 courses	BCC+ others	40	79%	84%	95%	£30.2k	110
61	University of Huddersfield10 courses	BBB–BBC	40	81%	93%	88%	£29k	125
62	University of the Highlands and Islands2 courses	–	40	85%	81%	87%	£31k	128
63	University of Portsmouth2 courses	BBB–BCC	38	88%	89%	86%	£30k	106
64	Leeds Trinity University^*4 courses	112 UCAS points	38	83%	85%	–	–	105
65	Edge Hill University15 courses	BBC–BCC+ others	38	84%	87%	86%	£30k	122
66	Leeds Beckett University2 courses	~ABB–BBCestimate	37	86%	79%	90%	£30k	117
67	Ulster University2 courses	BCC	36	90%	86%	86%	£28k	123
68	Glasgow Caledonian University8 courses	BCC	36	73%	86%	93%	£31.2k	131
69	University of Glasgow1 course	ABB–BBB	36	90%	95%	65%	£30.5k	184
70	Wrexham University3 courses	96–112 UCAS points	33	84%	86%	90%	£29k	106
71	University of Stirling^*4 courses	CCC	32	82%	86%	80%	–	127
72	University of Bedfordshire4 courses	112 UCAS points	32	87%	81%	90%	£28.9k	104
73	University of Leicester6 courses	BBB	30	82%	80%	85%	£30k	125
74	University of Staffordshire9 courses	BBC	30	84%	85%	92%	£28.9k	96
75	University of Wolverhampton8 courses	~BBB–BBCestimate	30	81%	85%	90%	£30k	101
76	Liverpool John Moores University6 courses	BCC+ others	29	78%	86%	90%	£30k	119
77	University of Southampton3 courses	BBC+ others	29	81%	86%	85%	£28.5k	137
78	Bournemouth University8 courses	ABB–BBC	26	76%	85%	95%	£29.9k	96
79	Birmingham City University14 courses	BBC+ others	21	78%	85%	90%	£29k	108
80	Teesside University4 courses	112 UCAS points	20	83%	79%	75%	£30k	124
81	University of the West of Scotland^*3 courses	DDD+ others	20	82%	79%	–	–	94
82	Southampton Solent University1 course	104–120 UCAS points	19	90%	74%	95%	£29.5k	72
83	Plymouth Marjon University1 course	BBB–BCC	18	72%	81%	90%	£29.5k	123
84	Anglia Ruskin University9 courses	96–112 UCAS points	18	78%	88%	89%	£29.2k	100
85	University of Gloucestershire3 courses	BBC	18	69%	84%	92%	£29.2k	122
86	University of Lincoln3 courses	BBC–BCC	17	77%	79%	89%	£30k	110
87	University of Cumbria4 courses	BBC–CCC+ others	16	76%	79%	90%	£29k	122
88	Canterbury Christ Church University6 courses	BBC	12	76%	84%	89%	£30k	93
89	De Montfort University4 courses	BBC	12	81%	84%	85%	£29k	103
90	Aberystwyth University^*2 courses	BCC–CCC	11	83%	85%	50%	–	106
91	Swansea University5 courses	BBB–BCC	9	70%	84%	87%	£30k	128
92	London Metropolitan University2 courses	BCC	0	76%	95%	63%	£30k	128

What nursing graduates earn

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

£30kAfter 15 months
£29kAfter 3 years
£32.9kAfter 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 nursing but don’t yet have enough published data to rank fairly, often because the course is new or small.

University Centre Somerset College Group, Truro and Penwith College, Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology