The University of Lincoln has topped The Guardian’s list of best universities to study pharmacy and pharmacology in 2024.

Universities are ranked based on eight criteria including students’ satisfaction with teaching, quality of feedback from teachers, the number of students per staff member, money spent on each student excluding academic staff costs and typical UCAS scores of entrants under 21.

Other criteria includes how effectively students are taught, percentage of students who find graduate-level jobs or are in further study within 15 months of graduation and the percentage of first year students continuing into their second year.

The University of Lincoln posted a maximum 100 points out of 100 followed by Ulster (96.2), Portsmouth (87.9), Leeds (86.3), Glasgow (85.7), Sunderland (84.3), St George’s (84.3), Aberdeen (81.3), UCL (81) and Queen’s, Belfast (80.1).

Westminster came bottom in 40^th place with 33.9 points, while Wolverhampton (35.4), Newcastle (46.6), King’s College London (46.8) and Keele (48.2) made up a group of five universities with the lowest overall scores.

Second-placed Ulster posted higher scores in students’ satisfaction with teaching and quality of feedback from teachers than Lincoln.

However, Lincoln had a higher score when it came to how effectively students are taught while 98 per cent of its graduates find graduate-level jobs or are in further study within 15 months of graduation. Ulster was not given a figure for this.

Lincoln runs six courses including MSci pharmaceutical science with business, BSc (hons) pharmaceutical science (optional year abroad), MSci applied pharmaceutical science, BSc (hons) pharmaceutical science with science foundation year (foundation year, optional year abroad), MPharm pharmacy and MPharm pharmacy with science foundation year. Ulster runs one course, the MPharm (hons) pharmacy.

According to the list, other universities that teach pharmacy and pharmacology include Anglia Ruskin, Bedfordshire, Chester, East London, Edinburgh, Glasgow Caledonian, London Met, Northampton, Southampton and Suffolk. These universities were not ranked.