Philosophy 8th in the UK: Complete University Guide 2026
York is ranked 8th in the UK for Philosophy in the latest release of the Complete University Guide league tables (2026).
This week, we maintained our place among the UK’s most highly regarded institutions for the subject of Philosophy. York ranked 8th in the UK for the study of this subject in the Complete University Guide 2026.
Head of Department, Professor Keith Allen said, "We are delighted by this result, which recognises the high quality of our teaching and research, as well as the success of our students in securing employment and pursuing further study."
York’s overall position
The University of York ranked 12th overall and 8th in the Russell Group in the Complete University Guide 2026. The guide ranks 130 institutions across the UK.
In total, 15 subjects at York were ranked in the UK top 10:
- Archaeology: 6th
- Biological Sciences: 7th
- Chemistry: 6th
- Drama, Dance and Cinematics: 5th
- English: 6th
- French: 4th
- History: 8th
- History of Art, Architecture and Design: 7th
- Iberian Languages: 6th
- Linguistics: 5th
- Marketing: 7th
- Philosophy: 8th
- Psychology: 5th
- Social Policy: 8th
- Social Work: 9th
A further four subjects appeared in the UK top 20.
About the Complete University Guide
Published annually, The Complete University Guide league tables rank the best universities in the UK. It covers 74 separate subject areas, as well as an overall institutional ranking. Universities and subjects are ranked on entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, graduate prospects, completion rates, student-staff ratio and spend on academic services and facilities.
The rankings are based on public domain data collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the National Student Survey and the Research Excellence Framework 2021.