30 May 2026
UK university entry rates: how competitive is each institution in 2026?
Some UK universities offer places to fewer than 1 in 5 applicants. Others accept almost everyone who applies. We used UCAS end-of-cycle data to rank 148 institutions by offer rate. For education advisors, this is the clearest way to set realistic expectations for your students.
Why offer rates matter for international students
When an education advisor recommends a university, the student needs to know how likely they are to receive an offer. A student with moderate grades applying to a university with a 17% offer rate faces a very different reality to one applying where the rate is 90%. Both might be excellent universities with strong graduate outcomes. The difference is the probability of getting in.
Offer rate is the percentage of applicants who receive an offer of a place. A rate of 80% means 4 in 5 applicants get an offer. A rate below 30% means fewer than 1 in 3. Some universities record rates above 100% because they make more offers than they receive applications through UCAS, using additional clearing or direct entry routes.
For international students, this data is essential for building a balanced shortlist. A strong application strategy includes a stretch choice (low offer rate, high prestige), a realistic target (moderate offer rate, strong outcomes) and a safe option (high offer rate, solid earnings). Without offer rate data, advisors are guessing.
The 2026 context: record applicants, growing selectivity
The UK saw a record 338,940 domestic 18-year-old applicants in 2026. This is a population event, not a change in behaviour: the cohort grew 4.5% while the application rate held flat at 40.7%. The growth is not distributed evenly. Higher tariff providers saw applications rise 6.9%, medium tariff 2.8%, and lower tariff just 1.8%.
This structural skew has a direct effect on selectivity. Russell Group universities now hold a record 29% of all enrolments. At the other end of the spectrum, 31 of 126 mid-to-large providers contracted for two consecutive years, and intakes fell 20-30% at several lower tariff institutions. The gap between the most and least selective universities is widening.
For advisors working with international students, this means two things. First, the most selective universities are getting harder to enter. The higher tariff main scheme offer rate reached 64.4% in 2025, up 3.2 percentage points, meaning more domestic applicants are competing for places that international students also want. Second, many accessible universities still deliver strong graduate outcomes and are actively looking for students. The data below shows exactly where these opportunities are.
How we measure entry competitiveness
UniLens uses the UCAS offer rate: the number of offers made divided by the number of applications received, expressed as a percentage. This is the broadest available measure of how competitive entry is at each institution.
Reading the offer rate
Below 30%: highly selective. The university turns away the majority of applicants. These institutions typically have high entry tariffs and strong brand recognition.
30% to 70%: selective. The university is choosy but a well-prepared student has a reasonable chance.
70% to 100%: accessible. Most applicants receive an offer. These universities often deliver strong outcomes at a realistic entry point.
Above 100%: the university makes more offers than it receives UCAS applications, often through clearing, direct entry or unconditional offers.
The 20 most selective UK universities
These institutions have the lowest offer rates, meaning they turn away the highest proportion of applicants.
| # | University | City | Offer rate | Applicants | 5yr earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BPP University | London | 8.7% | 115 | £31,400 |
| 2 | Oxford University | Oxford | 16.1% | 24,400 | £50,000 |
| 3 | London School of Economics | London | 17.1% | 27,115 | £57,700 |
| 4 | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland | Glasgow | 19.2% | 390 | £26,600 |
| 5 | LIPA | Liverpool | 19.6% | 4,050 | £24,200 |
| 6 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge | 21.4% | 23,100 | £49,800 |
| 7 | Rose Bruford College | London | 25.1% | 2,270 | £23,200 |
| 8 | Imperial College London | London | 28.0% | 30,020 | £54,000 |
| 9 | Leeds Conservatoire | Leeds | 34.7% | 2,120 | N/A |
| 10 | University of St Andrews | St Andrews | 41.1% | 18,415 | £40,000 |
| 11 | St George's Hospital Medical School | London | 41.6% | 6,840 | £39,800 |
| 12 | ESCP Europe Business School | London | 45.5% | 165 | N/A |
| 13 | Glasgow School of Art | Glasgow | 46.3% | 4,205 | £27,000 |
| 14 | Glyndwr University | Wrexham | 47.4% | 3,440 | £24,800 |
| 15 | UCL | London | 51.1% | 77,535 | £46,400 |
| 16 | University of Buckingham | Buckingham | 54.0% | 1,130 | £36,500 |
| 17 | King's College London | London | 54.0% | 70,970 | £43,400 |
| 18 | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh | 55.5% | 66,340 | £37,600 |
| 19 | Leeds Arts University | Leeds | 61.9% | 4,920 | £25,600 |
| 20 | University of Suffolk | Ipswich | 63.0% | 3,780 | £27,000 |
The list holds few surprises at the top. Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and Imperial are the names that international students and their families recognise. What is less obvious is the presence of specialist institutions like BPP University, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Rose Bruford College. These are small, focused providers where competition for places is intense because the cohorts are tiny. A low offer rate at a conservatoire means something different to a low offer rate at a research-intensive university with 70,000 applicants.
Check any university's entry data
Every university on UniLens shows offer rate, applicant numbers, graduate earnings and employment data on a single page.
Browse all 415 universities →The 20 most accessible UK universities
These institutions have the highest offer rates, meaning most applicants receive an offer. An offer rate above 100% means the university makes more offers than it receives applications through UCAS.
| # | University | City | Offer rate | Applicants | 5yr earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Ulster | Belfast | 181.2% | 17,700 | N/A |
| 2 | Hartpury University | Hartpury | 124.2% | 2,815 | N/A |
| 3 | The Royal Agricultural University | Cirencester | 122.7% | 880 | £33,200 |
| 4 | Queen's University Belfast | Belfast | 118.7% | 18,265 | N/A |
| 5 | Harper Adams University | Newport | 115.8% | 2,305 | £33,600 |
| 6 | University of Abertay Dundee | Dundee | 111.6% | 3,870 | £29,600 |
| 7 | BIMM University | Brighton | 109.5% | 6,805 | £23,400 |
| 8 | Southampton Solent University | Southampton | 106.7% | 5,665 | £28,100 |
| 9 | Istituto Marangoni | London | 103.7% | 540 | £28,500 |
| 10 | Northumbria University | Newcastle | 103.1% | 20,210 | £31,000 |
| 11 | Regent's University London | London | 102.0% | 2,035 | N/A |
| 12 | University for the Creative Arts | Farnham | 101.8% | 5,010 | £25,900 |
| 13 | Liverpool John Moores University | Liverpool | 101.6% | 26,765 | £28,500 |
| 14 | Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh | 100.5% | 8,480 | £35,400 |
| 15 | University of Derby | Derby | 100.3% | 13,005 | £27,700 |
| 16 | The University of Law | London | 100.1% | 6,210 | £32,300 |
| 17 | Canterbury Christ Church University | Canterbury | 99.9% | 6,030 | £29,900 |
| 18 | Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham | 99.4% | 40,610 | £31,000 |
| 19 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | Cardiff | 99.4% | 13,305 | £28,200 |
| 20 | University of Kent | Canterbury | 98.0% | 17,045 | £33,600 |
Several of these universities are large, well-established institutions. Nottingham Trent receives over 40,000 applications and offers to almost all of them. Northumbria and Liverpool John Moores are substantial universities with broad course portfolios. An offer rate above 100% does not mean low quality. It means these universities are actively recruiting and most applicants can expect an offer.
The sweet spot: accessible universities with strong earnings
This is the table that matters most for advisors. These universities have offer rates above 70% (so your student is likely to get in) and five-year graduate earnings above the sector median of £30,700 (so the degree leads to a solid financial return). This is where realistic entry meets strong outcomes.
| # | University | City | Offer rate | 5yr earnings | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Warwick | Coventry | 80.0% | £44,500 | 45,475 |
| 2 | Durham University | Durham | 79.5% | £43,800 | 36,675 |
| 3 | University of Bristol | Bristol | 74.7% | £43,100 | 62,830 |
| 4 | Loughborough University | Loughborough | 75.0% | £41,200 | 32,390 |
| 5 | University of Nottingham | Nottingham | 76.1% | £40,400 | 54,205 |
| 6 | University of Exeter | Exeter | 92.4% | £39,800 | 48,110 |
| 7 | University of Birmingham | Birmingham | 76.6% | £38,700 | 61,160 |
| 8 | Newcastle University | Newcastle | 81.9% | £38,300 | 35,605 |
| 9 | University of Surrey | Guildford | 72.1% | £38,300 | 32,755 |
| 10 | Aston University | Birmingham | 80.1% | £37,600 | 22,160 |
| 11 | University of Aberdeen | Aberdeen | 90.1% | £37,600 | 14,725 |
| 12 | University of Southampton | Southampton | 80.6% | £37,200 | 41,370 |
| 13 | University of Strathclyde | Glasgow | 72.8% | £37,200 | 19,275 |
| 14 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow | 79.0% | £36,500 | 33,075 |
| 15 | University of Sheffield | Sheffield | 78.1% | £36,100 | 44,640 |
| 16 | Cardiff University | Cardiff | 76.2% | £36,100 | 43,480 |
| 17 | University of Reading | Reading | 90.4% | £35,800 | 27,140 |
| 18 | Brunel University London | London | 75.6% | £35,800 | 17,160 |
| 19 | Lancaster University | Lancaster | 88.6% | £35,400 | 23,315 |
| 20 | Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh | 100.5% | £35,400 | 8,480 |
This list contains some of the strongest recommendations an advisor can make. Every university here gives most applicants an offer and delivers graduate earnings well above the sector median. For a student who does not have the grades for Oxford or Imperial, these are not consolation prizes. They are institutions where the return on investment is clear and the chance of admission is real.
Three institutions that tell the story
LSE: the hardest place to get an offer outside Oxford and Cambridge
The London School of Economics offers places to just 17.1% of its 27,115 applicants. That means roughly 5 in 6 applicants are rejected. Five-year graduate earnings of £57,700 are the highest of any institution in the dataset. LSE combines extreme selectivity with exceptional financial returns. For an advisor, the message is clear: only recommend LSE to a student with an outstanding academic profile. For everyone else, the probability of rejection is too high to treat it as a realistic target.
University of Exeter: 92% offer rate, £39,800 earnings
The University of Exeter offers places to 92.4% of its 48,110 applicants. Five-year graduate earnings are £39,800, placing it in the top quarter of all universities. Exeter is a Russell Group university with a strong campus, high student satisfaction and graduate outcomes that rival many more selective institutions. For a student who wants a prestigious university experience with a high probability of admission, Exeter is one of the strongest options in the country.
The contrast: selectivity does not determine outcomes
Compare University of Reading (offer rate 90.4%, earnings £35,800) with University of Edinburgh (offer rate 55.5%, earnings £37,600). Edinburgh is significantly harder to enter, but the earnings gap is modest. Reading offers places to 9 in 10 applicants and still delivers strong graduate earnings. For a student deciding between a stretch application to a selective university and a realistic application to an accessible one, the data shows that the financial outcome is often comparable. The difference in likelihood of admission is not.
What advisors should do with this data
Offer rate is one of the most useful numbers for building a balanced university shortlist. Three practical steps:
- Build a balanced list. Every shortlist should include at least one stretch choice (offer rate below 50%), one realistic target (50-85%) and one safe option (above 85%). This protects the student from a situation where every application is rejected.
- Pair offer rate with earnings. The "best value" table above shows that many accessible universities deliver strong earnings. An offer rate above 90% does not mean weak outcomes. Use both numbers together.
- Set expectations honestly. If a student is targeting LSE or Imperial, make sure they understand the probability. Show them the offer rate. Then show them what an accessible university with similar earnings looks like. The conversation becomes much easier when it is based on data.
Compare universities side by side
Search all 415 universities on UniLens and see offer rates alongside earnings, employment and student satisfaction data.
Browse universities →Data sources
Offer rate data comes from UCAS end-of-cycle data 2025, which reports the number of applications and offers for each provider. Five-year graduate earnings come from the Graduate Outcomes survey published by the Office for Students and HESA. Applicant numbers are from the same UCAS release.
Offer rates above 100% occur when a provider makes more offers than it receives UCAS applications. This can happen through clearing, direct entry, UCAS Extra or unconditional offers. UniLens reports the published figure without adjustment.
UniLens does not apply subjective judgement to these figures. The rankings are sorted mechanically by offer rate. Earnings data is the median five-year figure reported by LEO (Longitudinal Education Outcomes) for each institution.