The University of Strathclyde has been named Research University of the Year in the Daily Mail University Guide 2027.
The recognition highlights Strathclyde’s strengths in world-class, industry-engaged research and the benefits this brings to students, society and the economy.
It follows a series of strong performances for the University in national rankings, including being named Scottish University of the Year in the Daily Mail’s first University Guide in 2024 and UK University of the Year in its 2026 guide.
In the 2026 guide, Strathclyde also climbed to joint sixth in the UK – its highest position to date in a university league table.
Cutting edge
The Daily Mail University Guide editor Alastair McCall praised the scale and quality of Strathclyde’s research, saying: “Strathclyde sets standards to which other universities can only aspire.
“The university mixes it with the research giants of Imperial College London, Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol, in terms of its research income per capita, a measure of just how effective its research operation is and how much its academics are in demand at the cutting edge of their subjects.
“Conducting world-class research with industry-relevant applications lies at the heart of Strathclyde’s modus operandi with research embedded across all levels of study at Strathclyde and notable strength in energy, photonics, space and health research.
“Undergraduates benefit in several ways, particularly in advanced manufacturing where there is a large-scale internship programme provided by the university’s National Manufacturing Institute Scotland facility which links academia and industry.
“Students more widely reap a hefty dividend getting well paid, high-skilled jobs afterwards with graduate employability being a key by-product of having a strong research base.”
Resounding endorsement
Professor Stephen McArthur, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “This recognition reflects colleagues’ hard work, commitment and collective focus on delivering high quality education alongside impactful research and innovation.
“This is a resounding endorsement of our longstanding model of working hand-in-hand with industry, and of the benefits this brings to our research and, most importantly, to our students’ education and career prospects.”
The latest accolade comes alongside recent results showing Strathclyde placed second in Scotland for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey and joint first in Scotland for graduate positive outcomes.
The Daily Mail University Guide 2027 is due to be published on Thursday 13 August.