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Politics ranked 15th in the UK: Guardian University Guide 2026

Posted on 18 September 2025

York is ranked 15th in the UK for Politics in the latest release of the Guardian University Guide league tables (2026).

The Department of Politics and International Relations has placed 15th in the Guardian University Guide 2026 for the subject of Politics. The ranking recognises the quality of our courses, and the experiences and opportunities they provide to our students.

Professor Tony Heron, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations said:

I'm very pleased to see PIR move up to 15th place in the Guardian University Subject Guide. This is yet more evidence of the all round strengths of the department and a reflection of our very strong performance in this year's National Student Survey,

The Guardian University Guide is published annually to help students choose a university course. It ranks UK universities by undergraduate degree subjects in metrics such as student satisfaction, continuation, spend per student and graduate outcomes.

York’s overall position

In total, four subjects at York ranked in the UK top 10:

• Hull York Medical School
• 3rd for Medicine
• Department of Health Sciences
• 5th for General Nursing 
• 8th for Mental Health Nursing 
• Department of Sociology
• 10th for Criminology 

A further five subjects ranked in the UK top 20.