
Rankings and league tables
We’re committed to the continued improvement of our excellent research, teaching, employability and student experience. Rankings provide independent recognition of areas we’re proud of as a university, and the progress we’re constantly striving to deliver.
Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) - Gold

Based on the evidence available, the TEF Panel judged that the University of Surrey delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK.
UK rankings at a glance
- 34th in the Complete University Guide 2021
- 39th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021
- 54th in The Guardian University Guide 2021
THE Awards 2020
- THE DataPoints Merit Award in the THE Awards 2020.
Key subject rankings by UK league table
The Complete University Guide 2021
2nd | Food science |
2nd | Hospitality, leisure, recreation and tourism |
3rd | Materials technology |
5th | Nursing |
10th | Creative writing |
The Guardian University Guide 2021
5th | Modern languages and linguistics |
6th | Engineering: electronic and electrical |
6th | Sociology |
7th | Veterinary science |
9th | Music |
10th | Chemistry |
10th | Criminology |
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020
International league tables
QS World University Rankings
- Surrey ranked 267th in the QS World University Rankings 2021
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
We are 263rd in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021 and 124th in its list of the best universities in Europe (2020).
Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings
We are 59th in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings, a global ranking of universities assessing performance against a range of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
We are 5th for Hospitality and Tourism Management, 48th for Telecommunication Engineering and 50th for Aerospace Engineering in the Shanghai Ranking - 2020 subject rankings. We also ranked in the top 100 for the following subjects:
- Sociology
- Nursing
- Veterinary Sciences
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Transportation Science & Technology
Surrey ranked 378th globally, and 33rd in the UK by the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020.