Heriot-Watt climbs in Good University Guide
Heriot-Watt University has made significant gains in the 2025 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.
The University climbed 13 places, reaching 51st in the UK, and moved up four places to secure 8th position in Scotland.
Notably, six of its academic programmes ranked among the top three in Scotland, with the building programme taking the top spot. Other strong performances include second place rankings for aeronautical and manufacturing engineering, mathematics, and town and country planning & landscape.
We will look to build on this and strengthen our global influence, reaffirming our place as a forward-thinking institution that prepares students to thrive in an interconnected world.
The University’s improved standing is largely attributed to higher scores in both ‘teaching quality’ and ‘student experience’.
The rankings follow Heriot-Watt’s impressive showing in the 2024 Graduate Outcomes survey in which it was named 1st in Scotland and 2nd in the UK for graduate employability, with over 84% of graduates in full-time employment or further study 15 months after completing their studies.
Professor Richard A. Williams, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University welcomed the latest results saying: “The 2025 Good University Guide recognises the hard work and dedication of our students, staff and the entire university community.
“Our commitment to providing a first-rate student learning experience underpinned by a vibrant, supportive academic environment has been key to this latest success. We will look to build on this and strengthen our global influence, reaffirming our place as a forward-thinking institution that prepares students to thrive in an interconnected world.”
The Good University Guide provides rankings for 131 UK universities delivering a comprehensive overview based on eight indicators including research quality, graduate prospects, student experience and the quality of teaching.
Helen Davies, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “The best universities, whether they were founded in the 15th century or 2005, are local and global powerhouses of intellectual thought and creativity, from the arts to science, that can power economic regeneration and lead the way to a better life. But what and where to study — and how to pay for it — has never been tougher. This is where our comprehensive guide can help.
“This year we have tweaked our methodology to keep up with contemporary concerns around climate change and careers and have added in a sustainability metric, teaming up with People & Planet, and boosted the weighting of graduate prospects.
“The higher education sector is facing unprecedented challenges from debates on free speech to financial stability, but it is important to remember the force for good that going to university can be. See how the universities compare subject by subject, a guide on campus life, and what scholarships and bursaries may be on offer online.”
This year’s Guide crowned the London School of Economics and Political Science as best in the UK for the first time, replacing the University of St Andrews who topped the poll last year and who finished in second spot in the latest edition.
A full breakdown of the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide can be found on its website.