Students with stellar grades find themselves competing against thousands of equally qualified candidates for a handful of spots every year.
At some universities, like Oxford and Cambridge, acceptance has become so rare that students feel receiving an offer is “almost impossible”.
A new comprehensive analysis, from Uni Compare, identified which UK universities have become the most selective.
Owen O'Neill, founder of Uni Compare, said: “These figures demonstrate the incredible global reputation UK universities have built.
Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.
“Students worldwide recognise the exceptional quality of education these institutions provide, which naturally creates intense competition for places.”
This analysis examined the top 25 most competitive UK universities based on 2024-2025 admission data, focusing on acceptance rates, application volumes, and International Baccalaureate score requirements.
The full list of the top ten universities, ranked from the lowest acceptance rate to the highest, is below:
9. University of Cambridge - 16.4%
The University of Cambridge has an acceptance rate of 16.4 per cent. They received 22,153 applications but only admitted 3,632 students. The university demands an International Baccalaureate score of 41 which is the highest on this list. | PA
10. Durham University - 16.6%
Durham University has an acceptance rate of 16.6 per cent. They received 31,325 applications but admitted 5,210 students. | Google