These are the 20 hardest unis to get into – only six of them are Russell Group

In what comes as a shock to absolutely no one – Oxford and Cambridge are the two hardest unis in the UK to get an offer for.

That’s according to Save The Student, who analysed UCAS data to determine the percentage of students who receive an offer after applying to each university in the UK, proving once and for all which unis are the hardest to get into.

However, only six Russell Group unis make the cut of the top 20 – a surprising amount considering how prestigious they claim to be.

The University of Strathclyde, for example, is apparently more difficult to get into than UCL – with a 48 per cent offer rate, compared to UCL’s 57 per cent.

These are the 20 hardest UK uni’s to get into:

1. University of Oxford- 21.5 per cent

2. University of Cambridge – 26.5 per cent

3. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) – 36.5 per cent

4. St George’s, University of London – 38.7 per cent

5. University of St Andrews – 41.0 per cent

6. Imperial College London – 42.9 per cent

7. Leeds Arts University – 43.5 per cent

8. University of the Arts London – 43.5 per cent

9. University of Strathclyde – 48.0 per cent

10. University of Bolton – 50.6 per cent

11. The University of Edinburgh – 51.0 per cent

12. Arts University Bournemouth – 51.8 per cent

13. University of Dundee – 52.0 per cent

14. Glasgow Caledonian University – 54.5 per cent

15. City, University of London – 54.8 per cent

16. Edinburgh Napier University – 55.8 per cent

17. University College London (UCL) – 56.6 per cent

18. University of the West of Scotland – 57.0 per cent

19. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh – 57.3 per cent

20. University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) – 58.5 per cent

The ranking shows how likely you are to get an offer if you apply in the first place. Selectiveness is the big factor behind an offer rate – which explains why you’ll see Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE right up there at the top with the lowest offer rates.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• It’s official: These are the 20 easiest unis to get into

• If you wanted to earn more than Russell Group grads, you should’ve gone to these unis