Herts goes up in 2026 Complete University Guide rankings

The latest CUG published this week - one of the UK’s most respected university league tables – not only saw the University improve on its ranking from last year but also show strong rises in a multitude of key performance areas including Graduate Prospects (up 14 places) and Continuation (up 13 places).

The University of Hertfordshire ranked highest in the East of England for Student Satisfaction, securing a position in the top third of all 130 UK universities. It earned top ten national rankings in three subject areas: Social Work (8th out of 73 and top in the East of England), Information Technology and Systems (10th out of 18), and Food Science (10th out of 36). Additionally, the university saw a nine-place rise in Nursing and Midwifery (now 16th out of 81 and top in the East of England) and a two-place improvement in Paramedic Science (12th out of 43). These achievements place all five subjects firmly within the top third nationally for subject rankings.

It also saw good rises in Business and Management Studies (up 13 places); Communications and Media Studies (up 11 places); and the Drama, Dance and Cinematics category (up 16 places).

Professor Quintin McKellar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, said:

“While there is still work to do, we are pleased to see our efforts recognised in this year’s Complete University Guide with an increase in overall ranking, and a number of strong results across key performance areas and subjects. This upward movement reflects the hard work of our staff and ambition of our students; the University’s continued commitment to academic excellence, student satisfaction, and graduate outcomes, and builds on a period of sustained progress across teaching, research, and student support.

“We hope this is the start of ongoing league table success, and remain focused on delivering high-quality, inclusive education that prepares our graduates for success in a rapidly changing world, while setting the standard for what a modern university should be.”

This latest achievement follows a streak of positive league table results, after the University rose 12 places in both the 2025 Times Good University Guide and 2025 Guardian University Guide, and eight places in the 2025 Daily Mail University Guide.

The annually published Complete University Guide assesses institutions on key performance indicators including student satisfaction, research quality, graduate prospects and entry standards to help students choose the right university for them.