Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide (UK) - 28
Guardian University League Table (UK) - 50
Complete University Guide (UK) - 32
Times Higher Education (UK) - 27
QS World Rankings (UK/World) - 33 / 288
5th in Scotland, Wales and N Ireland for student satisfaction in The National Student Survey 2026
Ranked 18th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2026
Awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for research and teaching in Soil Science
Following our Health Services Research Unit receiving the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2017, the University of Aberdeen was again awarded the Prize in 2021 for research and teaching in soil science.
Gaelic has been taught as a subject at the University since the eighteenth century. Many distinguished Gaelic scholars have passed through as students or staff.
The national and global league tables are calculated using different criteria and weighting but all include; student satisfaction, student to staff ratio, graduate prospects, and entry grades.
| League Table | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide (UK) | 27 | 27 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 23 | 28 |
| Guardian University League Table (UK) | 34 | 20 | 20 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 50 |
| Complete University Guide (UK) | 29 | 26 | 38 | 37 | 35 | 41 | 30 | 32 |
| Times Higher Education (UK) | 25 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | |
| Times Higher Education (World) | 168 | 178 | 158 | 192 | 201-250 | 201-250 | 201-250 | |
| QS World Rankings (UK) | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 33 |
| QS World Rankings (World) | 194 | 207 | 205 | 220 | 208 | 236 | 262 | 288 |
| Shanghai Rankings (UK) | =21 | =21 | =22 | =21 | 23 | =19 | =26 | |
| Shanghai Rankings (World) | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 201-300 | 301-400 |
| Anatomy & Physiology | 11th |
| Anthropology & Archaeology | 12th |
| Earth & Marine Sciences | 13th |
| Medicine | 15th |
| Law | 15th |
| Zoology | 18th |
| Business, Management & Marketing | 22nd |
| Pharmacy & Pharmacology | 23rd |
| Accounting & Finance | 23rd |
| Mechanical Engineering | 24th |
| Linguistics | 2nd |
| Theology & Religious Studies | 3rd |
| Anatomy & Physiology | 8th |
| History of Art | 8th |
| Archaeology & Forensic Science | 9th |
| Geology | 10th |
| Law | 10th |
| Pharmacology & Pharmacy | 12th |
| Anthropology | 14th |
| History | 16th |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | 17th |
| Philosophy | 17th |
| Chemistry | 18th |
| Education | 18th |
| Medicine | 18th |
| Psychology | 19th |
| Accountancy & Finance | 20th |
| General Engineering | 20th |
| Physics & Astronomy | 20th |
| Cultural Studies | 21st |
| Geography & Environmental Science | 21st |
| Sports Science | 22nd |
| Biological Sciences | 23rd |
| Mechanical Engineering | 24th |
| Business Management & Marketing | 25th |
| Drama, Dance & Cinematics | 25th |
| Biomedical Sciences | 6th |
| Geology | 11th |
| General Engineering | 15th |
| Archaeology | 16th |
| Chemical Engineering | 17th |
| Law | 18th |
| Anthropology | 19th |
| Education | 20th |
| Geography & Environmental Science | 20th |
| History of Art, Architecture & Design | 21st |
| Sports Science | 23rd |
| Mechanical Engineering | 25th |
The Leiden University Rankings use bibliometric indicators to measure the performance of universities across the world.
Ranked 42nd in the UK for the scientific impact of its research.
The University is ranked 16th in the UK for collaborative research that takes place with partners across the world.
The University is ranked 35th in the world for the number of Open Access publications. 84% of publications by University of Aberdeen researchers are Open Access.
This year, the university is ranked 12th in the UK for gender diversity. The University has consistently been ranked highly in the UK for the gender diversity of its researchers.
