University of Stirling ranked top 40 in the UK
It comes just weeks after Stirling was crowned Scottish University of the Year and UK Sports University of the Year
/filters:format(webp)/filters:no_upscale()/prod01/cdn/media/stirling/news/news-centre/2026/jul-26/1200X630CampusRSE.jpg)
The University of Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – has ranked top 40 in the UK in the latest Good University Guide from The Times and The Sunday Times.
Just weeks after being crowned Scottish University of the Year and UK Sports University of the Year in the Daily Mail University Guide, Stirling ranked 37th in the Good University Guide – up 18 places on last year’s ranking.
It is yet another indicator that the University of Stirling – nestled on a stunning 330-acre parkland campus in the heart of central Scotland – is one of the top destinations in the UK for students.
Referencing the University’s record-breaking summer at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where its athletes won a staggering 24 medals, the Good University Guide says: “Stirling has leapt up our league table while its student athletes have been ascending medal podiums. An impressive 18-place rise ranks the university 37th — helped by strong graduate prospects and improved rates of student satisfaction.
“To the southwest of Stirling’s stunning 330-acre campus, at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, 22 of the university’s students won 24 medals — many of them making a splash in the swimming pool. Their success reflects the university’s superb facilities for sport — up to par for Team Scotland, which appointed Stirling its official university partner for the games.”
It adds: “Beyond sport, connecting with nature is part of life on a campus that has its own loch and green spaces galore. The space to breathe — and think — is in keeping with the university’s strategic objective to create a nurturing and compassionate environment where students can flourish.
“New facilities will include a cloud-based information system to integrate all things student — and course-related — on one platform in 2027, the same year that Stirling celebrates its 60th anniversary. There are more than 120 clubs and societies, and for those in need of a big city hit, Glasgow and Edinburgh are within an easy train journey.”
/filters:format(webp)/filters:no_upscale()/prod01/cdn/media/stirling/news/news-centre/2026/jan-26/Principal700X600.jpg)
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Stirling
These results reflect the hard work taking place across our university every day, and we will continue to build on this momentum as we deliver for our students, staff and wider community in the years ahead.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, welcomed the news. He said: “To rise 18 places in Good University Guide, just weeks after our excellent performance in the Daily Mail University Guide, is further recognition of the strength of the University of Stirling.
“We are immensely proud of the dedication and talent of our staff and students, whose efforts underpin the outstanding student experience, world-class teaching, impactful research and sporting success for which Stirling is known.
“These results reflect the hard work taking place across our university every day, and we will continue to build on this momentum as we deliver for our students, staff and wider community in the years ahead.”
