Gaining admission to university can be markedly more difficult depending on which one you wish to attend.placeholder image
Gaining admission to university can be markedly more difficult depending on which one you wish to attend. | Canva/Getty Images

Toughest UK Universities To Get Into 2026: Scottish universities dominates top 10 - according to latest figures

Six Scottish universities are amongst the hardest to get into according to a recent report.

The Guardian newspaper has published its annual university guide, ranking educational institutions out of a maximum of 100 points.

This year saw Oxford University claim top spot, with the University of St Andrews named the best in Scotland.

Compilers used eight metrics, namely; satisfaction with teaching, satisfaction with feedback and assessments, the student-to-staff ration, the money spent on each student, the typical Ucas score of entrants, the effectiveness of teaching, how many students find a graduate job (or continue their education) 15 months after graduating, and the percentage of first year students who continue to second year.

The figures relating to the average number of UCAS points (a system of translating various types of exam results into a simple universal number) make for fascinating reading, as they don’t necessarily tally with the best universities overall.

UK-wide the figures range from just 87 points at Roehampton University, to 209 at the University of Cambridge.

Universities in Scotland dominate, taking up six places in the top 10 most difficult to get into universities according to UCAS points.

Here’s the full top 10.

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