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Of the 45 Public Arts, Design & Architecture universities in the United Kingdom, University of Cambridge ranks highest at #6 in the QS World University Rankings 2026. Next come University College London (QS World #9) and University of Manchester (QS World #35). The universities on this list offer 209 matching courses between them.
45 universities · ranked best first
how we rankPublic University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 11 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 3 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 7 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 7 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 4 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 2 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 13 courses in Arts, Design & Architecture
Public University · 1 course in Arts, Design & Architecture
Arts, Design & Architecture at other levels
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17 of these universities hold a QS World position, from #6 (University of Cambridge) to #662 (University of Portsmouth); they are listed first, in that order. The rest are ordered by research impact. University College London has the largest research record in this group, with 67,811,539 citations and an h-index of 2,079. 3 universities have neither a QS position nor a research record yet and appear at the end, marked "Not yet ranked".
The split is 45 public to 0 private institutions. By location, England (3) account for the most of those we can place. The oldest is University of Cambridge, founded in 1209. University College London is the largest, with 46,000 students.
By level: 158 bachelor's, 21 master's, 5 foundation and 2 diploma. The usual length is 4 years and 3 years. 100% are full-time. Start dates lean to Fall (94% of courses with a stated intake) and Spring (85% of courses with a stated intake). Bath Spa University offers the widest choice, with 28 of these courses.
We hold indicative fees for 3 of these universities. University of Manchester is the least expensive at USD 34,000 a year and University of Cambridge the most at USD 43,000; the middle of the range is about USD 42,000. Check each university's own fee page before you budget — figures change every year.
University of Cambridge (QS World #6), University College London (QS World #9) and University of Manchester (QS World #35) lead this list. QS World positions come first; the rest are ranked by research impact.
Of those with published fees, University of Manchester is the least expensive at about USD 34,000 a year. Fees are indicative — confirm on the university's site.
45 public and 0 private universities are on this list.
Most listed courses run 4 years, with 3 years the next most common.
Fall is the main intake — 94% of courses with a stated start date begin then, and Spring is the second.
Bath Spa University, with 28, ahead of York St. John University (15).
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