Guardian University Guide 2026: How the North East's 5 universities ranked - for next year's students
One North East university made the UK’s top 5 this year 🏆
- The Guardian’s long-awaited university guide for students starting in 2026 is out now
- It rates universities on a variety of factors, including employment outcomes, student satisfaction and more
- This year’s results have been a mixed bag for the North East’s big 5, with some rising, and others dropping down the leaderboard
The North East of England may only be home to a handful of universities, but these academic powerhouses still rank amongst the best in the country according to one prestigious league table.
The Guardian’s latest university guide for the 2026 academic year went live last weekend. This annual ranking compares more than 120 universities from across the UK, giving them scores out of 100. It uses a comprehensive methodology too, factoring in the latest available data on student satisfaction, staff numbers, spending, future career prospects for graduates, and more.
We’ve looked up how each of the North East’s five major universities did in this latest guide, to help paint a clearer picture of the tertiary education options available to young people across the region. As well as their overall scores, we’ve included a few key details likely to be important to sixth form students considering studying there - including a score representing how satisfied final year students were with the teaching they received, and the proportion of recent graduates either employed in a graduate-level job or undertaking further study 15 months after their course finished.
But The Guardian warns prospective students that they should factor in more than just overall league tables when making important study decisions. “Rankings change annually, and some universities may benefit from temporary measures such as funding boosts or changes to their student intake. Don’t forget that universities languishing at the bottom of the overall table can be top for certain subjects,” its creators wrote.
Here is how each of the North East’s five universities did overall:
1. Durham University
Coming in 5th overall across the UK, this Durham-based university, rose one spot – up from 6th place last year.
The Guardian gave it an overall score of 85.4 out of 100. It had a rating of 90.5 for students satisfied with their teaching, and 89% of recent graduates were either employed or in further study after 15 months.
2. University of Sunderland
Next up was Sunderland, which came in 27th place overall this year – climbing up from 33rd last year.
The Guardian gave it an overall score of 62.3 out of 100. It had a rating of 88.9 for students satisfied with their teaching, and 73% of recent graduates were either employed or in further study after 15 months.
3. Northumbria University
Headquartered in Newcastle, Northumbria came in 47th this year, down from 38th last year.
The Guardian gave it an overall score of 58.2 out of 100. It had a rating of 83.9 for students satisfied with their teaching, and 81% of recent graduates were either employed or in further study after 15 months.
4. Teesside University
Teesside, which has its main campus in Middlesbrough, came 57th, up from 68th place last year.
The Guardian gave it an overall score of 55.3 out of 100. It had a rating of 88.5 for students satisfied with their teaching, and 83% of recent graduates were either employed or in further study after 15 months.
5. Newcastle University
Newcastle’s namesake university came in 81st this year, slipping down from 63rd place last year.
The Guardian gave it an overall score of 50 out of 100. It had a rating of 83.2 for students satisfied with their teaching, and 84% of recent graduates were either employed or in further study after 15 months.
Want to find out more about the UK’s highest performing universities overall according to The Guardian? Check out the rest of our coverage online here.