The 20 UK universities where the most students stick with their studies - after the first year

This year’s university hopefuls are now waiting on their secondary school exam results, many with university offers hanging in the balance.

The outcome could see them land a place at their dream school, or left to navigate the Clearing process. But either way, there’s a good chance that come this autumn, they’ll be living in an entirely new city, forging a new life and future career for themselves.

The Complete University Guide recently released its brand new UK university league table for 2026. This comprehensive annual ranking compares some 130 universities across the country using the most recent data available on their entry standards, graduate prospects, research quality, how much they spend on academic services and facilities, student-to-staff ratio, and more – giving them an overall score.

But while things like graduates job outcomes are important, most students want to enjoy their time at university, immersed in a supportive culture that fosters their learning and ultimately helps them leave with a hard-earned degree. On this note, we’ve taken a closer look at how universities compare based on continuation.

According to the Guide, this is the proportion of first-year students who then go on to continue their studies, leave with a qualification, or transfer to a new university – rather than dropping out or deciding university isn’t for them. We’ve limited our list to only those with continuation rates over 95%, a real testament to an institution’s culture.

Here were the 20 universities that met the mark: