Lancaster has been named ‘University of the Year in the Northwest 2026’ and also ranks in the UK top 15 within a new league table released today.

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 ranks Lancaster 15^th out of 130 in the UK with ten individual subject areas positioned in the Guide’s top ten, and including four subjects ranked among the top five nationally.

Lancaster subject areas ranked in the top ten are: Linguistics (2); French (3); Social Work (4); Sociology (5); Subjects Allied to Medicine (6=); Iberian Languages (7); Natural Science (7); Physics and Astronomy (8); Criminology (10); Mathematics (10).

The news comes on the back of recent league tables including the Guardian University Guide 2026, which ranked Lancaster as 14th out of 123 institutions, and The Complete University Guide 2026 (10th of 130).

Lancaster holds a Gold standard for teaching in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework and in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2021), 91% of Lancaster’s research was independently rated as “internationally excellent” or “world leading”.

Lancaster has been awarded University of the Year in the Northwest 2026 – which has been introduced this year by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Rebecca Lingwood said: “Lancaster is a research-intensive University with a strong focus on teaching excellence, meaning that our students are taught to the highest standards by people who are leaders within their field.

“Our graduates go on to make a difference in society across a range of critical sectors and disciplines from the civil service and management to cyber and climate change both nationally and within our region. This year we also published key information about the significant scope and scale of our economic impact on the region which makes us additionally proud to receive this recognition.”

Helen Davies, the editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “Many more undergraduates are choosing to stay at home and commute. It is why this year we have an award for the top university in each region and the best for scholarships and bursaries.

“It is exciting to see universities across the UK working to deliver extraordinary medical and technical breakthroughs, lead economic regeneration and inspire. New degrees are launching to meet the interests of today’s students and equip the next generation to power industry and progress positive change, such as programmes in electrical and electronic engineering with robotics, and AI and public policy.”

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 provides a comprehensive overview of higher education in Britain. A searchable website with 70 subject tables, full interactive tables and additional features was made available online on Friday, September 19: https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings