By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-29 14:16:10 | Updated at 2026-09-29 15:13:46
1 hour ago
New data has revealed the safest and most dangerous university towns and cities in the UK, according to student perception, just as millions begin their studies for the first time.
Safety is emerging as an increasingly important consideration for those choosing where to study, alongside factors such as course quality, accommodation and living costs.
The new UK University Safety Index, compiled by security specialist ID Card Centre, assesses 124 UK universities with more than 3,000 students to identify those offering the strongest overall safety picture for the 2026/27 academic year.
As Google searches for "safest university" soar by a whopping 1,200 per cent in the run-up to Freshers' Week this month, GB News has crunched the data to highlight the top five safest universities and the top five deemed most dangerous by students.
When it comes to the safest institutions, students awarded Loughborough University the top spot with a cumulative safety score of 87.1 out of 100, putting it some 20 points above the medium score.
It is followed by Ulster University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, which scores 84.6, while the University of Bath places third with 84.3, and the University of Surrey in fourth on 84.1.
The University of Oxford rounds out the top five, with a score of 83.6, with only the top ten universities achieving scores above 80.
The scores were calculated by blending both the results of a late 2025 National Student Survey on university safety measures and Google reviews.
The wider data set combines three measures to build a broader picture of university safety.
While student perception makes up 30 per cent, local crime levels account for 35 per cent of the final score, while the remaining 35 per cent assesses the security measures provided directly by each university.
A map of the top five safest UK universities, according to the new UK University Safety Index
GB NEWS
When accounting for wider crime data in university towns and cities, Northern Ireland's Ulster University prospers as the absolute safest, with a wider recorded crime rate of 42 crimes per 1,000 people, compared to Westminster universities with more than 400 crimes.
Ben O'Brien, of ID Card Centre, said: "With searches for 'safest university' up 1,200 per cent this year and hundreds of thousands of students about to move away from home for Freshers' Week, it's clear that safety has become a genuine factor in where people choose to study, alongside course quality and cost of living."
He added the findings indicate universities across the UK are increasingly making fundamental security provisions standard practice, with round-the-clock security and controlled access now widespread.
These measures include features such as 24-hour security personnel, controlled access to buildings, dedicated safety apps and anonymous reporting systems.
The research suggests that while universities are increasingly well equipped with basic security measures, these provisions alone are no longer enough to separate the highest-performing institutions from the rest.
Deemed the most dangerous of UK universities among students is the University of Gloucestershire, with an alarming score of 23 out of 100 for safety.
Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland, comes in second with a slightly improved score of 29.8, joined by the University of Brighton as the third most dangerous with a score of 30.
According to students, fourth most dangerous is awarded to Goldsmiths, University of London, on 31.5, while SOAS, University of London rounds out the top five with a score of 32.6.
Meanwhile, the London School of Economics, the University of Westminster and King's College London all share woeful overall composite scores of below 50 out of 100, with alarming crime rates of 422.9 crimes per 1,000 people.
New data assesses 124 UK universities with more than 3,000 students
Of the 124 universities assessed, 100 meet all five of the campus security measures included in the index.
With many universities now offering similar levels of physical security, differences in local crime rates and how safe students feel appear to have a greater influence on their overall position.
For prospective students, that means the environment beyond the university gates can be just as significant as what happens on campus.
The contrast is particularly pronounced in London. The capital's 19 universities achieve an average overall safety score of 73.7, compared with 82.4 across universities elsewhere in the UK.
According to the index, the difference is largely explained by London's wider crime statistics, rather than poorer university security. Campus-level safety measures remain strong across the capital.
Overall the top five safest universities are Ulster University, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Surrey, University of Aberdeen, and University of Bath – all boasting overall scores ranging from 91.7 to 95.2.
These placements differ, as it factors in crime rates and security measures, beyond just student perception.
St Mary's University, Twickenham, is London's highest-ranked institution overall, placing 17th nationally.
With Northern Ireland, Scotland and England's highest-ranking institutions all breaking the top five, Wales' first university does not appear on the list until Swansea University ranked 27th out of the 124 universities.
Overall, top spot Ulster University is situated on the banks of the River Bann with views toward the Causeway Coast, known to be a safe area attractive to tourists.
Coleraine and the nearby North Coast – including Portstewart and Portrush – have tight-knit, welcoming local communities with a low incidence of student-targeted street crime
