Best universities for social work

Ulster University comes top for social work, with 96% of students staying on the course and 95% student satisfaction. Liverpool Hope University, University of East London and University of Bedfordshire complete the top four.

78 unis ranked£35k typical early salary90% in graduate jobs

#1 for social work100

Ulster University

Satisfaction95%better than 92% of social work unis
Stay on course96%better than 96% of social work unis
Graduate jobs–not published
Early salary–not published

Half of students who started had more than 122 UCAS points, counting all their qualifications

Ranked 2 to 5

2Liverpool Hope University10095% satisfied, £35k salary
3University of East London9888% satisfied, £40k salary
4University of Bedfordshire9294% satisfied, £37k salary
5University of Nottingham9191% satisfied, £35k salary

Scores are out of 100 and relative to other unis offering social work. Data: Discover Uni, September 2026.

Will my grades get me in?

Enter your predicted grades to see which social work courses you’d meet the offer for, where you’re a good match and which are a stretch.

We use each university’s typical offer from its course pages. Where we couldn’t get it, we show an estimated offer (marked ~) worked out from courses whose students had similar grades, so always check the course page. Your grades stay on this device. Jump to the table

Best for…

Happiest studentsLiverpool Hope University95%positive about their course
Highest early salaryGlasgow Caledonian University£42kmedian, 15 months after graduating
Best for graduate jobsUniversity of Bedfordshire100%of working graduates in professional jobs
Best if you’re aiming below ABBUlster University100/100half of starters had under 122 UCAS points

Full social work ranking

Tap a column to sort. Bars show where each uni sits between the lowest and highest for social work. ^* Ranked on fewer than five measures because some data isn’t published. ~ estimate = we couldn’t get the university’s own offer, so it’s estimated from similar courses. Check the course page.

Find a university

Region Fits my grades Placement year Year abroad Foundation year

	University
1	Ulster University^*3 courses	AAA	100	95%	96%	–	–	122
2	Liverpool Hope University3 courses	BBB	100	95%	95%	90%	£35k	139
3	University of East London1 course	112 UCAS points	98	88%	85%	95%	£40k	144
4	University of Bedfordshire1 course	112 UCAS points	92	94%	93%	100%	£37k	109
5	University of Nottingham1 course	ABB	91	91%	95%	90%	£35k	128
6	Glasgow Caledonian University1 course	–	91	91%	90%	80%	£42k	136
7	University of Hull2 courses	BBC+ others	90	93%	84%	94%	£35k	127
8	University of Bath1 course	120 UCAS points	90	90%	90%	100%	£35.5k	133
9	University of Sunderland1 course	104–120 UCAS points	89	92%	90%	90%	£34k	150
10	University of Lancashire6 courses	120 UCAS points	88	91%	84%	95%	£36k	128
11	University of Dundee1 course	–	87	85%	95%	90%	£39.5k	148
12	Wrexham University2 courses	96–112 UCAS points	87	91%	90%	100%	£36k	119
13	New College Durham^*1 course	120 UCAS points	86	93%	100%	90%	£35k	–
14	University of Greenwich (Part of London and South East University Group)^*1 course	120 UCAS points	86	95%	90%	–	–	138
15	University of Birmingham1 course	ABB	84	92%	80%	90%	£35k	145
16	Nottingham Trent University2 courses	112–120 UCAS points	84	89%	90%	100%	£36k	119
17	University of York1 course	BBB	83	89%	90%	95%	£35k	130
18	University of Northampton1 course	BBC	80	84%	90%	85%	£37.5k	130
19	University of Leeds1 course	ABB	79	86%	90%	85%	£35k	133
20	University of Huddersfield2 courses	BBB	79	94%	90%	70%	£34k	134
20	University of Hertfordshire^*1 course	ABB–BBB	79	85%	95%	–	–	137
22	Lancaster University1 course	BBB	77	79%	90%	90%	£36k	136
23	Teesside University^*1 course	112–128 UCAS points	77	97%	81%	–	–	128
23	Manchester Metropolitan University1 course	BBB	77	90%	81%	85%	£37k	125
25	Robert Gordon University1 course	CCC	76	90%	85%	75%	£40k	138
25	University of Sussex1 course	BBB–BBC	76	85%	75%	100%	£37k	128
27	Southampton Solent University1 course	104–120 UCAS points	76	94%	80%	95%	£35k	122
28	University of Portsmouth1 course	BBB–BCC	75	94%	90%	75%	£35k	114
29	University of Edinburgh1 course	–	75	83%	95%	90%	£32.5k	168
30	University of Worcester1 course	BBB	74	89%	85%	100%	£35k	115
31	University of Plymouth2 courses	96 UCAS points	73	78%	95%	85%	£36.5k	121
32	University of East Anglia1 course	BBB	73	81%	85%	100%	£36k	125
33	Buckinghamshire New University^*1 course	104–128 UCAS points	73	87%	100%	100%	–	104
34	University of Salford2 courses	120 UCAS points	72	79%	90%	90%	£36.5k	122
35	University of Essex1 course	~AAB–BBBestimate	72	90%	85%	95%	£31k	125
36	London South Bank University^*1 course	BBB	71	87%	95%	–	–	110
37	Keele University2 courses	BBC	71	95%	82%	83%	£35k	100
38	University of Lincoln^*1 course	BBC–BCC	70	87%	95%	–	–	110
39	University of the West of Scotland2 courses	BBC+ others	70	89%	80%	86%	£40k	108
40	University of Bristol2 courses	ABB	68	85%	95%	74%	£31k	139
41	Leeds Beckett University^*2 courses	~AAB–BBBestimate	68	90%	80%	–	–	129
42	Anglia Ruskin University3 courses	96–112 UCAS points	66	80%	85%	97%	£37k	111
43	University of Greater Manchester^*2 courses	120 UCAS points	66	88%	83%	–	–	121
44	University of Northumbria at Newcastle2 courses	96–112 UCAS points	66	75%	85%	90%	£37k	126
45	University of South Wales/Prifysgol De Cymru^*2 courses	CCC+ others	65	74%	–	80%	£40k	116
46	University of Cumbria1 course	BBB–BCC	64	88%	90%	75%	£33k	120
47	Birmingham City University2 courses	BBB+ others	64	82%	91%	90%	£30k	124
48	University of Staffordshire^*1 course	BBC	64	88%	85%	80%	–	116
49	University of Brighton1 course	BBB–BBC	64	84%	75%	95%	£37k	114
50	De Montfort University1 course	BBB	62	79%	80%	100%	£35k	122
51	University of Strathclyde1 course	ABB–BBB	62	75%	90%	90%	£32k	180
52	Kingston University2 courses	120–136 UCAS points	62	89%	88%	88%	£29.5k	103
53	University of Chester^*2 courses	BBB–BBC	62	88%	89%	–	–	98
54	University of Bradford1 course	BBB	61	71%	90%	90%	£34k	138
55	University of Gloucestershire1 course	BCC	58	77%	75%	95%	£34k	128
56	University of Winchester1 course	BBC–CCC	58	68%	95%	90%	£32k	120
57	Middlesex University1 course	BBB	57	86%	75%	90%	£37k	107
58	Cardiff Metropolitan University2 courses	CCC+ others	55	85%	82%	90%	£31k	117
59	London Metropolitan University1 course	BBB	53	93%	85%	80%	£40k	59
60	Edge Hill University^*5 courses	BBB+ others	53	95%	85%	53%	–	134
61	Oxford Brookes University1 course	~BBB–BBCestimate	52	70%	90%	85%	£35k	106
62	Canterbury Christ Church University2 courses	BBC	50	83%	83%	90%	£32.5k	99
63	Bournemouth University1 course	~ABB–BBCestimate	47	75%	75%	85%	£34k	120
64	University of Derby2 courses	BBC	46	78%	78%	89%	£32k	120
65	University of Glasgow1 course	BBB–CCC	42	91%	80%	55%	£30k	205
66	UWE, Bristol1 course	112 UCAS points	38	61%	90%	65%	£37k	114
67	South East London Teaching Partnership3 courses	CCC	37	82%	85%	76%	£30k	94
68	Queen's University Belfast2 courses	ABB	36	82%	89%	62%	£27k	137
69	Plymouth Marjon University2 courses	BBC–CCC	31	93%	55%	70%	£25k	116
70	University of Suffolk1 course	BBC	30	80%	80%	80%	£27k	93
71	Birmingham Newman University6 courses	BBC	26	90%	80%	60%	£24k	100
72	Swansea University1 course	BCC	24	80%	90%	50%	£27k	132
73	Coventry University1 course	BBB	17	81%	75%	60%	£28k	109
74	University of Stirling1 course	BBB	16	74%	85%	51%	£28k	159
75	City College Norwich^*2 courses	80 UCAS points	11	87%	82%	35%	£21k	–
76	Sheffield Hallam University^*2 courses	BBB+ others	9	48%	78%	–	–	130
77	University of Kent (Part of London and South East University Group)1 course	BBB	2	83%	70%	49%	£29k	118
78	University of Wales: Trinity Saint David2 courses	96–112 UCAS points	0	94%	70%	34%	£25k	84

What social work graduates earn

Typical (median) earnings for social work graduates, across the universities we rank.

£35kAfter 15 months
£29kAfter 3 years
£32.5kAfter 5 years

Highest earnings five years after graduating

The 15-month figure comes from the Graduate Outcomes survey and covers graduates in full-time work. The 3 and 5-year figures come from tax records and include everyone in work, including part-time, so they can be lower than the 15-month figure. Pay also depends on where people live. Compare earnings across all subjects or see what you’d repay on your student loan.

What the measures mean

Student satisfaction: Average share of final-year students answering positively across the seven themes of the National Student Survey: teaching, learning opportunities, assessment, support, organisation, resources and student voice.
Stay on course: Share of students still studying or having qualified a year after starting. Lower numbers mean more people drop out.
Graduate-level jobs: Of graduates in work 15 months after finishing, the share in professional or managerial roles.
Salary after 15 months: Median salary of graduates in full-time work in the UK, 15 months after finishing.
Entry points (median): The middle UCAS tariff score of students who started: half had more, half had less. It counts all their qualifications (a fourth A-level, EPQ, AS levels, music grades and so on), so it usually sits above the published offer, especially at selective universities. It shows how competitive entry is. Always check the real offer on the university’s course page.

See exactly how the overall score is calculated

Not ranked yet

These offer social work but don’t yet have enough published data to rank fairly, often because the course is new or small.

Blackpool and the Fylde College, Bradford College, Norwich University of the Arts, Plumpton College, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Yeovil College, Tec Partnership, Bridgend College, Moorlands College, Christ the Redeemer College