University of Plymouth, three times winner of The Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, is one of the leading institutions in Marine and Ocean Engineering. University of Plymouth is ranked # 11 globally and # 2 nationally in Marine and Ocean Engineering in 2020 by Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). According to Research Excellence Framework, more than 2/3rd Research of University of Plymouth are ranked either world leading or internationally excellent.

University of Plymouth doesn't rely only on exam results and numbers, they treat every application individually. University of Plymouth’s Marine Institute is the first and largest such institution in the UK. University of Plymouth also have Outstanding Employer Engagement due to world leading experts, state of the art facilities and courses designed specifically for employment. University of Plymouth has been placed 25th in the UK for the quality of its teaching in the National Student Survey 2020. University is winner for Social and Community Impact in Guardian University Awards 2015. University got 4th rank in Whatuni Student Choice Awards in 2018, which is sponsored by IELTS. University of Plymouth is one of six universities Internationally to receive a Global Showcase award from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

University of Plymouth Ranking by U.S. News

U.S. News & World Report calculates the ranking of universities using 13 Indicators.

Indicators used by U.S. News to give rankings to universities:

Indicators Weightage
Global Research Reputation 12.5 %
Regional Research Reputation 12.5 %
Publications 10 %
Books 2.5 %
Conferences 2.5 %
Normalized Citation Impact 10 %
Total Citations 7.5 %
Number of Publications that are among the 10 % most cited 12.5 %
Percentage of Total Publications that are among the 10 % most cited 10 %
International Collaboration – Relative to Country 5 %
International Collaboration 5 %
Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1 % of the field 5 %
Percentage of Total Publications that are among the top 1 % highly cited papers 5 %

Rankings of University of Plymouth according to US News :-

  • # 534 in Best Global Universities
  • # 230 in Best Global Universities in Europe
  • # 42 in Best Global Universities in United Kingdom

Global score of University of Plymouth is 49.3 according to U.S. news.

Comparison of University of Plymouth with few other Universities according to US News

University Best Global Universities Ranking Best Global Universities in Europe Ranking Best Global Universities in United Kingdom Ranking
Aston University # 722 # 306 # 53
Northumbria University # 660 # 281 # 50
University of Kent # 591 # 257 # 45
University of St Andrews # 292 # 127 # 29
University of Plymouth # 534 # 230 # 42

Relative Ranking of University of Plymouth in Ranking Indicators according to US News :

Ranking Indicators Relative Ranking
Global Research Reputation # 664
Regional Research Reputation # 466
Publications # 736
Books # 271
Conferences # 951
Normalized Citation Impact # 433
Total Citations # 638
Number of Publications that are among the 10 % most cited # 572
Percentage of Total Publications that are among the 10 % most cited # 252
International Collaboration – Relative to Country # 777
International Collaboration # 393
Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1 % of the field # 506
Percentage of Total Publications that are among the top 1 % highly cited papers # 247

Subject wise ranking of University of Plymouth according to U.S. News :

Subject Ranking
Clinical Medicine # 572
Engineering # 340
Environment and Ecology # 129
Plant and Animal Science # 312
Social Science and Public Health # 447

University of Plymouth Ranking by QS World University Rankings

QS gives ranking using six metrics:

  1. Academic Reputation
  2. Employer Reputation
  3. Faculty/student Reputation
  4. Citations per Faculty
  5. International Faculty Ratio
  6. International Students Ratio

QS ranked University of Plymouth 651 - 700 globally in QS Global World Ranking in 2021.

Rankings of University of Plymouth in past few years according to QS Global World Ranking :

Year Ranking In QS Global World Ranking
2021 # 651 - 700
2020 # 651 - 700
2019 # 601 - 650
2018 # 701 - 750
2017 # 651 - 700
2016 # 651 - 700
2015 # 701+
2014 # 651 - 700

Comparison of University of Plymouth with few other Universities according to QS Global World Ranking :

University QS Global World Ranking in 2021 QS Global World Ranking in 2020
Aston University # 511 - 520 # 442
Northumbria University # 651 - 700 # 701 - 750
University of Kent # 380 # 368
University of St Andrews # 96 # 100
University of Plymouth # 651 - 700 # 651 - 700

Ranking of University of Plymouth in QS Global World Ranking is based on following criteria:

Ranking criteria Weight Score
Academic Reputation 40 % Not Available
Employer Reputation 10 % Not Available
Faculty Student 20 % Not Available
Citations per Faculty 20 % 31.3
International Faculty 5 % 50.6
International Student 5 % 28.6

Subject wise ranking of University of Plymouth according to QS :

Subject Ranking by QS in 2020
Earth and Marine Sciences # 151 - 200
Environmental Studies # 201 - 250
Medicine # 501 - 550
Biological Sciences # 551 - 600

University of Plymouth Ranking by Times Higher Education

In 2020, Times Higher Education (THE) rankings included 1400 universities from 92 countries. Times Higher Education (THE) uses 13 performance indicators grouped in 5 areas: Teaching, Research, Citations, International Outlook, and Industry Income.

Times Higher Education (THE) ranked University of Plymouth # 401 - 500 in World University Rankings 2021.

Since the University of Plymouth was established in 1992, it has been considered as Young University. University of Plymouth got # 101- 150 rank in Young University Rankings 2020.

University of Plymouth also got # 126 - 150 rank in European Teaching Rankings 2019.

Comparison of University of Plymouth with few other Universities according to Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings :

University Times Higher Education (THE) Global Ranking in 2021
Aston University # 401 - 500
Northumbria University # 351 - 400
University of Kent # 301 - 350
University of St Andrews # 201 - 250
University of Plymouth # 401 - 500

University of Plymouth Ranking by Academic Ranking Of World Universities

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) use four indicators to rank performance of more than 1800 universities all around the world and publish the Rank of the best 1000 Universities.

The Indicators used by Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) are:

  1. Quality of Education
  2. Quality of Faculty
  3. Research Output
  4. Per Capita Performance

University of Plymouth is ranked # 501 - 600 globally by Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) in 2020.

Rankings of University of Plymouth in past few years according to Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) :

Year Institutional Ranking of University of Plymouth According To Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
2020 # 501 - 600
2019 # 501 - 600
2018 # 801 - 900

The Queen's Anniversary Prizes Received By University Of Plymouth

The Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education is the highest national award that can be given to an educational institution. It is given every two years to a few universities and colleges.

University of Plymouth is three time winner of Queen's Anniversary Prize in following years :

  • Environment and Conservation, Round 13 Prize winner, 2019 – The University of Plymouth won its third Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education on February 20, 2020 for its research in microplastics pollution in the ocean and its impact on the environment. This prize was given for nearly two decades of world leading research on the effects of microplastics on our environment by Plymouth Researchers, led by Professor Richard Thompson OBE.
  • Environment and Conservation, Round 9 Prize winner, 2011 – The University of Plymouth won its second Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education on February 25, 2012 for their education and research solutions in the global marine sector. It was given for the legacy and impact of University's research, teaching and training in the marine and maritime sector.
  • Education and Training, Round 1 Prize winner, 1994 – The University of Plymouth won its first Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 1994 for widening access to education in a scattered rural community. The award was given for a detailed submission, formed in the latter stages of the 1993 – 1994 academic year, which improved the University led programme that has revolutionized the delivery of diploma and degree courses in the South West.

University of Plymouth Ranking by the Center for World University Rankings

University of Plymouth got # 600 world rank and # 43 national rank according to Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

Alumni Employment Rank of University of Plymouth is # 1458.

Research Performance Rank of University of Plymouth is # 565.

Overall score of University of Plymouth is 73.2 according to the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).