Top 20 Universities for Master in Data Science in UK 2026

Data science is a booming field as it is required by the ever transforming businesses. Data analysis helps companies make informed decisions by forecasting what to expect from the previous records. Studying this course from one of the top 10 data science universities in the UK can be really beneficial for students aiming to study abroad.

In today’s digital era, we all know the value of data. The study of gathering data and analysing it to extract relevant and useful information is known as Data Science. This helps organisations make appropriate decisions for their future businesses. The Information & Technology giants of the 22nd century, such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, etc., are thriving owing to the efficient application of this digital era. Their stronghold in the market results from the revenue generated from digital advertising through the efficient usage of data analytics.  

At present, the data industry is thriving with an estimated worth of $40m. The direct impact of growth means an increase in demand of data analysts across the world. Owing to this, the study of Data Science or Data Analytics is booming in the world and especially gaining popularity at UK universities. UK Universities are catering to this demand by providing a wide variety of courses at the postgraduate level for students to study and specialise in Data Analytics. This article highlights the top 20 colleges for master's in data science in the UK.

Also Check: MS in Data Analytics in Abroad

MS in Data Science in the UK

According to the report ‘Dynamics of Data Science Skills’, there is a huge demand for data science skills in the job market. In the last five years, there has been an increase of over 230% for workers with specialist data skills like data scientists and data engineers. Demand for all types of workers grew by 36% over the same period. Skills like data science, machine learning, and big data are some of the most frequently needed by employers. The UK is home to some popular institutions offering an MS in Data Science programme as a postgraduate degree. The duration of the full-time MS in Data Science program in the UK is one year, and a few universities offer this program as a part-time program with a duration of up to 2 years.

Top 20 Data Science Colleges in the UK in 2025

Below is the list of the top data science colleges and universities in the UK and their rankings as per the QS World University Rankings 2025 for the subject Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and the Complete University Guide - Undergraduate Data Science Courses starting in 2025.  

Let's now get into the details of some of the top data science colleges in UK.

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English nations and has a total of four academic units. From the year 2017-2023, it has been ranked the best in the world by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. As per the latest data available over 25,000 students are pursuing studies at Oxford, out of which 12,683 are undergraduates and 13,324 are postgraduates. Also, 46% of the students are from overseas. As of December 2022, students from over 160 nations including India, Australia, USA, China, Italy, France, Singapore, etc., make up the university's student population.

Course Offered: MSc in Social Data Science

Duration: 10 months

Offered by the Oxford Internet Institute, this course will help students gain technical as well as social expertise which is required for evaluating unstructured heterogeneous data about the behaviour of humans. 

University of Edinburgh

Established in 1583, the University of Edinburgh has a total of three colleges - College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, and College of Science and Engineering, and 21 schools.

Course Offered: MSc Data Science (full-time and part-time)

Students who wish to study in this programme need to hold 60% and above or a GPA of 8/10 in their Bachelor's degree. Applicants may be required to have a distinction in their degree as the competition is quite high.

Imperial College London

The institute 'Imperial College of London' was incepted in 1907 when the Royal School of Mines, the City & Guilds College and the Royal College of Science got together. Around 17,000 students are studying different courses in the college. Over 8,000 staff members exist in the college which has engineering, medicine, science and business as its four major disciplines. Each year, more than 6,700 degrees are awarded by the institute.

Course Offered: MSc Statistics (Data Science)

Duration: 1-year

Students opting for this programme will learn both the theoretical aspects of Data Science as well as applied statistics. They will learn about using analytic software, machine learning theory, scientific handling of data at scale, data transformation and representation, and data visualisation.

University College London (UCL)

Incepted in 1826, the University College London is a multidisciplinary institute and the first England which welcomed students irrespective of their social status and religion. It is also the first in England to welcome females to university education. Students from over 150 nations are studying in the university which offers 430 undergraduate and 720 postgraduate programmes. 34% of its staff are from around the world. The university has 350,000 alumni residing in 190 nations

Data Science Salaries Based on Job Profiles

The average base salary of a Data Scientist in the UK, as of 2023, is £41,154. Bonus ranged between £973 - £10K. 

Data Scientist Salaries based on experiences

• Entry-level (experience below 1 year): Average total salary £34,625.
• Early-career (experience 1-4 years): Average total salary £41,122.
• Mid-career (experience 5-9 years): Average total salary £51,028.
• Experienced (experience 10-19 years): Average total salary £50,625.
• Late-career (experience 20 ): Average total salary £50,868.

Note: Data based on input from payscale

Source: Payscale

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