Best Universities for Linguistics

Linguistics is the study of languages, their formation, how they are learned by individuals and how we communicate using them. It’s a unique field that offers students the opportunity to examine the mechanics, terminology, structure and cultural nuances of one or more language. 

As a result of this focus, linguistics students are ideally placed to help improve communication and learning in an exciting range of ways, whether it’s working in translation, interpersonal communication, speech therapy, literacy, history, international relations or development. 

There are many universities in the UK offering postgraduate courses in linguistics. Some courses may be more relevant to you than others depending on your academic or professional goals, and existing background. This guide has been created to highlight the top universities for linguistics, making it a perfect place to start your research as a prospective postgraduate student and find the ideal study programme. 

Best Universities for Linguistics 

The Complete University Guide 2024 league tables are a comprehensive view of the best colleges for linguistics. While there are dozens of UK universities offering excellent programmes in this subject, there are three institutions which have topped the overall ranking table for their quality and performance. 

These universities have performed well across all the following subcategories, making them an ideal place to begin researching your ideal postgraduate course in linguistics. 

The best universities for linguistics are: 

• University of Cambridge 
• University of Oxford 
• Lancaster University 

Top choice for Student Satisfaction 

Student satisfaction is one of the most prominent categories in the Complete University Guide league tables, and many students will consider these scores carefully when making their choice. Student satisfaction describes the overall experience of learners at the uni, and how happy they were with the quality of their course, the campus and associated services. 

For linguistics students, it will reflect how effective their learning will be and the quality of their lifestyle while they study, leading to higher achievement and a positive overall experience. 

The top university for linguistics in terms of student satisfaction is Bristol, University of the West of England. 

Top choice for Graduate Prospects 

Graduate prospects is also an important consideration for linguistics postgraduate students, as many will look to move into competitive professional roles after studying. As a result, attending a university that offers a relevant, applied curriculum, varied opportunities to gain professional experience, quality careers support and a wealth of networking opportunities is crucial to success. 

Professional placements, project work and research activity in collaboration with a company or organisation are all major ways that linguistics students boost their graduate prospects during postgraduate study. 

For graduate prospects, the best university for linguistics is the University of Edinburgh. 

Go to: Search for linguistics courses at the University of Edinburgh

Top choice for Research Quality 

Research quality describes the university’s overall impact and achievements through academic and industrial research activity. For postgraduate students, it will determine the type and level of research opportunities they could access, the standard of research facilities, and the experience of teaching and training staff. 

This is particularly relevant for linguistics students who want to move into research heavy areas such as conversation analysis, developmental linguistics, sociolinguistics and historical or anthropological linguistics. 

The best linguistics university for research quality is the University of York. 

Go to: Search for linguistics courses at the University of York

Ranking Information Source   

We have used ranking information from the Complete University Guide’s league tables for these sections. To create the tables, Complete University Guide sources data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the 2021 Research Excellence Framework and the National Student Survey. The Complete University Guide calculates the rankings with its own methodology. 

Go to: See the 2024 Complete University Guide linguistics subject league table 

Student reviews 

With so many great linguistics universities scoring highly in the Complete University Guide league tables, it can still be difficult making your choice for postgraduate study. Turning to real student experiences through Whatuni student reviews is a great way to get further insight into the top universities for linguistics. 

The University of Chester stands out in particular for the high ratings it receives from students, including many five star reviews. One reviews of the university said, “I am having an awesome student experience at University of Chester. The staff, course delivery are great.” 

Go to: Search for linguistics courses at the University of Chester

More universities for studying Linguistics 

While this guide looks at some of the best universities for linguistics across a number of important categories, you could consider any one of over 375 postgraduate linguistics courses at over 60 different institutions in the UK. Our course search tool makes browsing and selecting from this range easy and stress-free. 

Next: Search for linguistics courses