Language subjects have once again been highly ranked within the recently published Complete University Guide 2026 national league table and have taken several top ten positions:

• Italian – 4th overall, joint 6th for student satisfaction
• German – 5th overall, 6th for graduate prospects
• French – joint 7th for graduate prospects
• Iberian Languages (Spanish) – 9th for student satisfaction

Head of the School of Global Affairs, Dr Derek Hird said: "These fantastic results are due to the dedication and expertise of my amazing colleagues. They have created an inspiring and innovative environment for language study and research. Our students are also very much part of what makes languages at Lancaster so special. Congratulations everyone!"

Situated within the School of Global Affairs, the study of languages at Lancaster University offers a fresh, flexible, and global approach to modern languages and cultures. Covering English-, French-, Spanish-, Chinese-, German- and Italian-speaking worlds, students are offered the opportunity to acquire both high-level language skills and a thorough understanding of international cultures, societies and global issues.

The national league table confirms Lancaster is ranked tenth in the UK, and has also retained its spot as the top university in north-west England. It scored highly across a range of subjects, including several from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The main Complete University Guide league table includes 130 institutions and is based on ten measures: entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, research intensity, academic services spend, spending on student facilities, continuation, student-staff ratio, graduate prospects – outcomes, and graduate prospects – on track.

The subject tables are based on six measures (entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, continuation, graduate prospects – outcomes and graduate prospects – on track) and include 155 universities, university colleges and specialist higher education institutions.

For more information on Lancaster’s success and scores in individual subjects visit the LU news story.