Career guides Science

Science in the UK

• The UK’s long tradition of innovation in science, and its thriving science industry makes it an ideal place to study these subjects.
• There continues to be heavy investment in scientific research, particularly in new subjects such as environmental sciences, and universities continue to work with organisations such as the Royal Society to keep the UK at the forefront of new developments. 

A history of success and innovation

• Britain has made its mark on the scientific world over the centuries. From Isaac Newton’s revelation about gravity to Charles Darwin’s publications on evolution, to the world’s first vaccine and the world’s first computer – the UK has been home to some of the greatest scientific discoveries ever made.
• Since 1901, 91 Nobel Prize-winners have been British and an extraordinary 38% of the others who chose to study abroad, chose to do it right here in the UK. 

Globally recognised universities

• UK universities have an excellent global reputation for their both their Life Sciences and Physical Sciences degrees. 
• The Times Higher Education world university rankings 2024 placed the University of Cambridge 5th, the University of Oxford 8th and Imperial College 11th globally for Physical Sciences.
• For Life Sciences, the rankings placed the University of Cambridge 2nd, the University of Oxford 3rd, Imperial 10th and UCL 20th globally for Life Sciences.