The University of Ulster has emerged as one of Britain and Northern Ireland's top nursing schools, according to the Guardian University Guide. UU ranked fifth in a Guardian listing of 50 top nursing institutions. In compiling the rankings, points were awarded for the quality of teaching, spending per student, student-staff ratios, job prospects and average entry points. UU achieved a total score of 28.5 out of a maximum of 38 points. The University of Northumbria was tops in nursing - followed by the University of Surrey and City University. South Bank University, which attracts a significant number of Irish students, ranked 49th. Queen's University Belfast is ranked 17th in the list of the top 20 medical schools. St George's Hospital Medical School, London, is Britain's top medical school by this measure, closely followed by Imperial College, London, Oxford and Bristol universities. St George's achieved 28 points and QUB 18, while the University of Sheffield, which is ranked 20th, came out with 16.

However, QUB fares better in the dentistry rankings, where it achieves fourth place, with 26 points. The University of Newcastle comes in at number one on that list, with 28 points, followed by Queen Mary and Westfield College and the University of Bristol.

In veterinary studies, Cambridge ranks number one with 28 points, followed by the Universities of Edinburgh and Liverpool.

QUB's pharmacy department (19.6) is ranked 14th, while a number of institutions, including the University of Nottingham, King's College, London, Bath and Robert Gordon universities all achieve scores above 28.