The Complete University Guide has ranked the University of Essex among the UK’s top 30 universities for 2026.
The Guide evaluates the best universities in the UK, both overall and across 74 subject areas. Rankings are based on key criteria such as student satisfaction, research quality and intensity, graduate prospects, student-to-staff ratio, spending on academic services and facilities, continuation rates, and entry standards.
Essex has climbed one spot to 29th place in the Complete University Guide 2026, achieving strong results in spending on academic services and facilities, student satisfaction, research quality, and research intensity.
Chancellor Professor Maria Fasli stated:
“We’re thrilled to once again be ranked among the top 30 in the Complete University Guide—and even more so to have moved up a place to 29th.
I’m especially pleased that our ranking reflects our commitment to delivering a world-class student experience, with high-quality teaching led by our globally renowned research leaders.”
The University of Essex is one of the most international universities in the world—ranked 17th globally for international outlook by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
It also ranks 23rd in the UK and is among the top 5 universities for “added value” according to the Guardian University Guide 2025. Additionally, Essex has secured a spot in the top 100 globally for the third consecutive year in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.