When dreaming about higher education, many students have the United Kingdom in mind due to its prestigious universities and world-class academic programs. However, studying at a top UK university may come as pricey, with the cost of attending these institutions being a major concern for international students.
In this guide we will talk about tuition fees and rank top 10 most expensive universities in the UK, helping students at home and abroad to make the best choice of educational destinations and pursue ultimate dreams.
Top 10 Most Expensive Universities in UK
- Location: Bath, Somerset
- QS World University Ranking: 150
- Total Students: 18,560
- Student to Staff Ratio: 15.3
- Tuition FeePer Year: £19,800-£24,500
University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. It received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. The university’s main campus is located on Claverton Down, a site overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath and was constructed from 1964 in the modernist style of the times.
The university’s major academic strengths have been engineering, the physical sciences, mathematics and technology. Today, the university is also strong in management, humanities, architecture and the social sciences.
Different majors have different tuition fees. Tuition fees for Humanities and Social Science are relatively low, with annual tuition fees of £19,800; tuition fees for Management are £22,000; Science, Engineering and Psychology majors have annual tuition fees of £24,500. The university’s MBA program is relatively expensive, with tuition fees of £37,500 a year.
- Location: Loughborough, England
- QS World University Ranking: 224
- Total Students: 18,295
- Student to Staff Ratio: 14.1
- Tuition FeePer Year: £20,750-£25,700
Loughborough University is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. Loughborough University is one of the world’s leading research universities. There are three universities that many people consider to be the most desirable in the UK: Oxford University, Cambridge University and Loughborough University. In the Times Higher Education (THE) student experience survey, it ranked first in the UK for eight consecutive times; it has won the Queen’s Annual Award seven times, which is the highest honor award for British universities, second only to Oxford University in the number of awards.
Tuition fees for Medical majors are relatively expensive, around £20,000 a year. Other popular majors, such as Business majors have tuition fees of £15,000; Science and Engineering majors have tuition fees of £14,000; and Humanities majors have annual tuition fees of approximately £13,000.
- Location: Durham and Stockton-on-Tees, England
- QS World University Ranking: 89
- Total Students: 19,520
- Student to Staff Ratio: 13.5
- Tuition FeePer Year: £22,900-£28,500
Durham University is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognized university to open in England for more than 600 years, after Oxford and Cambridge, and is thus the third-oldest university in England.
Durham University is famous for its Business Studies and ranks among the top 1% of business schools in the world. In The Guardian 2024 subject rankings Durham ranks first in Archaeology, second in Education, and third in Chemistry, Earth Sciences, English, Geography & Environmental Studies, and Religious Studies & Theology. Popular majors such as Engineering majors have annual tuition fees of £28,500, Computer Science majors have annual tuition fees of £27,500, and Business School majors have annual tuition fees of £23,000–£35,000.
- Location: London, England
- QS World University Ranking: 50
- Total Students: 12,975
- Student to Staff Ratio: 12.8
- Tuition FeePer Year: £23,330
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specializes in the social sciences. LSE is a member of the Russell Group, Association of Commonwealth Universities and the European University Association, and is typically considered part of the “golden triangle” of research universities in the south east of England.
LSE excels in Social, Political and Economic Sciences, with Finance majors being the most expensive, with annual tuition fees exceeding £40,000. The remaining Business and Management related majors are basically £34,128 per year.
- Location: London, England
- QS World University Ranking: 9
- Total Students: 41,095
- Student to Staff Ratio: 10.9
- Tuition FeePer Year: £24,000-£32,100
University College London (branded as UCL) is a public research university in London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London, and is the second-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment and the largest by postgraduate enrolment.
UCL is a member of numerous academic organizations, including the Russell Group and the League of European Research Universities, and is part of UCL Partners, the world’s largest academic health science centre. It is considered part of the “golden triangle” of research-intensive universities in southeast England. UCL’s most expensive Medical School course costs between £29,400 and £38,000. Popular majors in Science and Engineering are relatively expensive. Annual tuition fees for the School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences are £29,400-£32,100; annual tuition fees for the School of Engineering Sciences are £32,100-£35,100.
- Location: St Andrews, Scotland
- QS World University Ranking: 104
- Total Students: 10,535
- Student to Staff Ratio: 11.9
- Tuition FeePer Year: £26,350-£33,570
University of St Andrews abbreviated as St And from Latin Sancti Andreae is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, following the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world.
In the 2024 versions of both The Guardian University Guide and The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, St Andrews was again ranked first in the United Kingdom. Physics, International Relations, Mathematics and Statistics, and Computer Science offered by the University of St Andrews are all ranked first in the UK, and Philosophy and Economics are also advantageous majors. The annual tuition fee for the Medical major is £28,200, and the annual tuition fee for the Arts, Theology, and Computer majors is £20,570.
- Location: Oxford, England
- QS World University Ranking: 3
- Total Students: 25,910
- Student to Staff Ratio: 10.3
- Tuition FeePer Year: £27,840-£39,010
University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s second-oldest university in continuous operation. Oxford has educated a wide range of notable alumni, including 31 prime ministers of the United Kingdom and many heads of state and government around the world. As of June 2024, 73 Nobel Prize laureates, 4 Fields Medalists, and 6 Turing Award winners have matriculated, worked, or held visiting fellowships at the University of Oxford, while its alumni have won 160 Olympic medals. Oxford is the home of numerous scholarships, including the Rhodes Scholarship, one of the oldest international graduate scholarship programs.
In terms of academics, University of Oxford ranks among the best in the world in the fields of Humanities and Medicine. At the same time, it is also one of the top ten universities in the world in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities. The most expensive majors are concentrated at Saïd Business School, where annual tuition fees for Financial Economics are as high as £52,560.
- Location: Coventry, England
- QS World University Ranking: 69
- Total Students: 26,825
- Student to Staff Ratio: 13.9
- Tuition FeePer Year: £22,280-£45,326
University of Warwick is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. Warwick is consistently ranked among the top ten in the three major national rankings of British universities. Warwick is a member of the ‘Sutton 13’ of top ranked universities in the UK. Warwick’s Economics department and Politics and International Studies department were ranked 1st in the UK by the Good University Guide 2024 ahead of Oxbridge.
Warwick’s Economics major is ranked among the top 30 in the world’s subject rankings all year round. Therefore, the cost of Finance and Economics is also relatively high, usually £32,300 per year, and Human Resources and Business are both £26,000 per year.
- Location: London, England
- QS World University Ranking: 2
- Total Students: 31,595
- Student to Staff Ratio: 11.9
- Tuition FeePer Year: £35,100-£46,650
Imperial College London is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural area including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, the Natural History Museum and several royal colleges. Imperial College London is a member of the Russell Group of universities and is one of the four major polytechnics in the world along with MIT, California Institute of Technology, and ETH Zurich.
The university focuses on science, engineering, business, and medicine, where it has an entrepreneurial culture. The Finance major in the Business School is one of the most expensive majors costing more than £40,000. The annual tuition fees for the School of Natural Sciences, Chemistry and Life Sciences are £34,500, and the tuition for Mathematics is £32,000. In addition, the average annual tuition fees for all majors in the School of Engineering is £33,750.
- Location: Cambridge, England
- QS World University Ranking: 5
- Total Students: 21,340
- Student to Staff Ratio: 11.6
- Tuition FeePer Year: £23,340-£60,942
University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the world’s third-oldest university in continuous operation. The university’s founding followed the arrival of scholars who left the University of Oxford for Cambridge after a dispute with local townspeople. The two ancient English universities, although sometimes described as rivals, share many common features and are often jointly referred to as Oxbridge. Cambridge alumni, academics, and affiliates have won 121 Nobel Prizes. Among the university’s notable alumni are 194 Olympic medal-winning athletes and several historically iconic and transformational individuals in their respective fields.
University of Cambridge has a lofty academic status and extensive influence in many fields such as Mathematics, Physics, Medicine, Law, and Business. In particular, Cambridge’s Department of Mathematics has been a gold-plated brand since ancient times.
University of Cambridge is the most expensive university in the UK and the most expensive university in the world. One of the most expensive courses offered by the University of Cambridge is the Bachelor of Medicine, which costs international students a whopping £58,038 per year, making it the most expensive of the top medical courses in the UK.
How to Apply to Study at a UK University?
Choose a University
The first step is to look for popular and high-ranking Universities in the UK that offer courses you are interested in. Refer to the table above to start your search. Here are some things to consider when applying:
- Location
- Employability/Graduate prospects
- Fees
- Entry requirements
- University Ranking
2. Preparations
Once you have narrowed down the search to your top universities, the first step is to prepare necessary documents and forms. This includes school leaving certificates, exam results, the UCAS application form and a written Personal Statement, among other documents that may be required.
3. Submit UCAS Application
The application process for UK universities differs from local universities as applications go through an organisation known as UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. UCAS handles all admission applications to UK universities, including those submitted by international candidates like you.
UK University Entry Requirements
Here are some of the common entry requirements and tests a student has to pass before being accepted at a UK university.
- English Language Test requirement – such as IELTS or TOEFL.
- Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland for Scottish Universities)
- Health checks.
- Entrance interviews.
- Personal statement. This is a supporting document and part of your application to a UK university. Usually, you will write about what you hope to achieve studying at the course, what you plan to do after graduating and why you are applying for this specific university.
Conclusion
The UK is home to some of the top universities in the world and consistently produces world-leading research. Without a doubt, the prestige of studying in a top UK university comes at a high financial cost, but it pays by giving its graduates a solid foundation in life with abundant opportunities. With this comprehensive and updated guide of most expensive universities in UK 2024, students can better know tuition fees and rankings to make best decision of educational destination.
After you have admitted into top universities in UK, uhomes.com will provide you with affordable, reliable and comfortable student accommodation in UK.
FAQ
The cost of college education in the UK and the US varies widely depending on a number of factors, including the specific college or university, the course of study, and the location. Generally speaking, however, the cost of college education in the UK tends to be less expensive than in the US.
The prestigious universities of Oxford and Cambridge proved to have the most assets, with a combined post-debt wealth of £27.5 billion – £6.4 billion more than the total net assets of the remaining 22 Russell Group universities.
The survey also highlights that 71 per cent of UK based millionaires attended state school. Both the University of Birmingham and Aston University are featured in the list; placing two West Midlands universities in the top 10. Others on the list include Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Imperial, Manchester and Bristol.
On average, 45% of students in the UK feel extremely stressed by their degree; Cambridge (60%) and Durham (57%) students are the most stressed by their degree studies; St Andrews residents (22%) are the least stressed by their studies whilst Stirling (30%) and Aberdeen (33%) also performed well.
The idea of the “poshest” university is unjust; however, institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, and the London School of Economics are frequently cited as some of the poshest because of their illustrious histories, superior academic programs, and powerful alumni.
List Of Most Difficult Universities To Get Into In The UK
The University Of St. Andrews.
The University Of Cambridge.
London School of Economics.
University of Oxford.
Imperial College London.
University of Edinburgh.
King’s College London.
University of Arts London.
Top 10 Most Beautiful Universities in the UK 2024
Royal Holloway, University of London.
University of Edinburgh.
University of Oxford.
University of Cambridge.
Keele University.
University of Glasgow.
Queen’s University Belfast.
University of Greenwich.
Here are the best global universities in the United Kingdom
University of Oxford.
University of Cambridge.
University College London.
Imperial College London.
King’s College London.
University of Edinburgh.
University of Glasgow.
University of Manchester.
The UK’s 10 best universities for student satisfaction
Birmingham Newman University.
St. Andrews.
Bishop Grosseteste University.
Wrexham University.
University of West London.
Plymouth Marjon University.
Aberystwyth University.
Buckinghamshire New University.
University of Glasgow. Securing the number one spot for the most fun place to be a student is Glasgow University. Surprised? We’re not! Glasgow is renowned for being one of the most friendly and welcoming cities in the UK and the most diverse in Scotland.
