The Best Universities for PhDs in Biological Sciences in the UK (2023) | FindAMasters.com

The Best Universities for PhDs in Biological Sciences in the UK (2023)

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Why Study Biological Sciences in the UK

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Biological Sciences at a university in the UK. Here are just a few:

  • The UK is home to several high-ranking universities with strong Biological Sciences programmes, providing students the opportunity for quality education.
  • State-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities in UK universities provide the necessary resources and equipment for advanced scientific exploration in the field of Biological Sciences.
  • Students gain from the mentorship offered by seasoned faculty members who lead them towards advanced research methodology, critical thinking, analysis skills, and problem-solving strategies.
  • Graduating with a doctorate degree in the UK often translates into huge career prospects – whether pursuing roles across academia post completion, or sci-tech industries including pharmaceuticals/bioinformatics/etc fields globally.

The Best Universities for Biological Sciences in the UK

The following tables give the 10 top universities in the UK for Biological Sciences, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which Canadian universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

Our guide has more information on how to use international rankings to decide on the best research universities for PhD study.


Top 10 Universities in the UK for Biological Sciences (Times Higher Education)
University UK Rank Global Rank
University of Cambridge 1 2
University of Oxford 2 4
Imperial College London 3 14
University College London 4 22
University of Edinburgh 5 29
King's College London 6 39
The University of Manchester 7 61
University of Bristol 8 =90
University of Aberdeen 9 101-125
University of Glasgow 10 =88
This information is based on the research score from the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the Times Higher Education rankings?

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.


Top 10 Universities in the UK for Biological Sciences (QS)
University UK Rank Global Rank
University of Cambridge 1 5
University of Dundee 2 =120
The University of Manchester 3 45
University College London 4 8
University of Oxford 5 4
University of Glasgow 6 =54
University of Edinburgh 7 20
King's College London 8 37
University of East Anglia 9 151-200
Imperial College London 10 11
This information is based on the citations per paper score from the latest rankings tables, researched and published by QS World University Rankings. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the QS rankings?

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.


Top 10 Universities in the UK for Biological Sciences (ARWU)
University UK Rank Global Rank
University of Oxford 1 11
University of Cambridge 2 5
University College London 3 10
Imperial College London 4 40
University of Edinburgh 5 45
King's College London 6 51-75
The University of Manchester 7 101-150
University of Bristol 8 76-100
University of Glasgow 9 101-150
University of Exeter 10 101-150
This information is based on the number of papers published by an institution in an academic subject in journals, this is from the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Academic Ranking of World Universities. Visit their website for more information.

What should I know about the ARWU rankings?

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.


Last Updated: 26 September 2023