David Corney

The ultimate academic league table - How high is your university above sea level?

Prof. Joanna Bryson recently mentioned that Bath is the highest university above sea level in the UK. For some reason this suprised me, but my quick search for confirmation only found me endless league tables.

Thankfully, #OpenData came to the rescue!

First, JISC provides a portal covering equipment owned by UK universities which handily provides a clean CSV file of the address of every university in the UK.

And second, Get The Data provides not only a nice searchable index linking locations to altitude, but also lets you download a corresponding CSV file.

Loading both into Pandas dataframes let me quickly generate a list of all1 UK universities sorted by height above sea level. And I then discovered that Pandas now let’s you export direct to Markdown! So one copy/paste2 and here we are:

Learning Provider Town altitude (m)
UNIVERSITY OF BATH (THE) BATH 190
UNIVERSITY OF KEELE NEWCASTLE 190
NEWMAN UNIVERSITY BIRMINGHAM 190
LEEDS TRINITY UNIVERSITY LEEDS 170
UNIVERSITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON WOLVERHAMPTON 160
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM 140
UNIVERSITY OF ST MARK & ST JOHN PLYMOUTH 140
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM 140
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY Cirencester 130
ASTON UNIVERSITY BIRMINGHAM 120
UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD BRADFORD 120
STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY STOKE-ON-TRENT 120
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD SHEFFIELD 120
UNIVERSITY OF BEDFORDSHIRE LUTON 110
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITY BEDFORD 100
OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY OXFORD 100
UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON BOLTON 100
BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY BIRMINGHAM 100
HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY CURRIE 90
UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE HATFIELD 90
GLYNDWR UNIVERSITY WREXHAM 90
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY LONDON 80
COVENTRY UNIVERSITY COVENTRY 80
UNIVERSITY FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS FARNHAM 80
THE UNIVERSITY OF BUCKINGHAM BUCKINGHAM 80
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES/PRIFYSGOL DE CYMRU PONTYPRIDD 80
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK COVENTRY 80
UNIVERSITY OF DERBY DERBY 80
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER LEICESTER 80
LEEDS COLLEGE OF ART LEEDS 80
SRUC EDINBURGH 80
UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS LEEDS 80
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER EXETER 80
UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD HUDDERSFIELD 80
UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER WINCHESTER 70
OPEN UNIVERSITY(THE) MILTON KEYNES 70
UNIVERSITY OF READING READING 70
BATH SPA UNIVERSITY BATH 70
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX BRIGHTON 70
HARPER ADAMS UNIVERSITY Newport 70
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE NEW UNIVERSITY HIGH WYCOMBE 70
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOL BRISTOL 70
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH EDINBURGH 70
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL BRISTOL 70
EDINBURGH NAPIER UNIVERSITY EDINBURGH 70
LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY LOUGHBOROUGH 60
UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM DURHAM 60
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON,THE NORTHAMPTON 60
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD OXFORD 60
THE ROYAL CENTRAL SCHOOL OF SPEECH AND DRAMA LONDON 60
SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY SHEFFIELD 60
LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY LIVERPOOL 60
UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE Cheltenham 60
LEEDS METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY LEEDS 60
SWANSEA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY SWANSEA 60
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY LEICESTER 60
UNIVERSITY OF KENT CANTERBURY 60
BISHOP GROSSETESTE UNIVERSITY LINCOLN 60
UNIVERSITY OF SURREY GUILDFORD 60
EDGE HILL UNIVERSITY ORMSKIRK 60
UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER LANCASTER 60
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE 50
BANGOR UNIVERSITY BANGOR 50
BOURNEMOUTH UNIVERSITY POOLE 50
ROYAL HOLLOWAY COLLEGE AND BEDFORD NEW COLLEGE EGHAM 50
NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY NOTTINGHAM 50
ARTS UNIVERSITY BOURNEMOUTH, THE POOLE 50
NORTHERN SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE LEEDS 50
ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC MANCHESTER 40
THE LIVERPOOL INSTITUTE FOR PERFORMING ARTS Liverpool 40
UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD, THE SALFORD 40
UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON BRIGHTON 40
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON SOUTHAMPTON 40
FALMOUTH UNIVERSITY Falmouth 40
LEEDS COLLEGE OF MUSIC LEEDS 40
GLASGOW CALEDONIAN UNIVERSITY GLASGOW 40
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY UXBRIDGE 40
UNIVERSITY OF WALES: TRINITY SAINT DAVID CARMARTHEN 40
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW GLASGOW 40
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER MANCHESTER 40
PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY PLYMOUTH 40
NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY NEWCASTLE Newcastle Upon Tyne 40
GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART. GLASGOW 40
LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY LIVERPOOL 30
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL LANCASHIRE PRESTON 30
ROYAL CONSERVATOIRE OF SCOTLAND GLASGOW 30
UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, THE NOTTINGHAM 30
LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL LONDON 30
UNIVERSITY OF WEST LONDON LONDON 30
ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC LONDON 30
ANGLIA RUSKIN UNIVERSITY CHELMSFORD 30
UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND SUNDERLAND 30
LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY LONDON 30
ROEHAMPTON UNIVERSITY LONDON 30
UNIVERSITY OF WORCESTER, THE WORCESTER 30
QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY, EDINBURGH MUSSELBURGH 30
UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING STIRLING 30
WRITTLE COLLEGE CHELMSFORD 30
ROSE BRUFORD COLLEGE Sidcup 30
MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY MANCHESTER 30
LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE LONDON 20
UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER CHESTER 20
QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LONDON 20
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON LONDON 20
THE ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY ABERDEEN 20
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON(THE) LONDON 20
THE CITY UNIVERSITY LONDON 20
CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY CANTERBURY 20
THE CONSERVATOIRE FOR DANCE AND DRAMA LONDON 20
YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY YORK 20
BIRKBECK COLLEGE LONDON 20
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LONDON 20
GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA LONDON 20
UNIVERSITY OF ABERTAY DUNDEE DUNDEE 20
UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX COLCHESTER 20
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, LONDON LONDON 20
SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES LONDON 20
THE ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE LONDON 20
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY CARDIFF 20
GOLDSMITHS’ COLLEGE LONDON 20
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS & POLITICAL SCIENCE LONDON 20
THE UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA CARLISLE 20
ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART(THE) LONDON 20
THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER LONDON 20
UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS ST. ANDREWS 20
INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LONDON 20
SWANSEA UNIVERSITY SWANSEA 20
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA NORWICH 20
UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE DUNDEE 20
UNIVERSITY OF YORK YORK 20
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER CHICHESTER 20
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE GLASGOW 20
SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY SOUTHAMPTON 10
COURTAULD INSTITUTE OF ART LONDON 10
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE CAMBRIDGE 10
CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY CARDIFF 10
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND PAISLEY 10
UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN LINCOLN 10
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE LONDON 10
UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRIFYSGOL CYMRU CARDIFF 10
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS SUFFOLK LTD IPSWICH 10
LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY LONDON 10
ROYAL WELSH COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DRAMA LIMITED CARDIFF 10
NORWICH UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS NORWICH 10
INSTITUTE OF CANCER RESEARCH: ROYAL CANCER HOSPITAL (THE) LONDON 10
ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC LONDON 10
PRIFYSGOL ABERYSTWYTH ABERYSTWYTH 10
KING’S COLLEGE LONDON LONDON 10
UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN ABERDEEN 10
UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON LONDON 10
TEESSIDE UNIVERSITY MIDDLESBROUGH 10
UNIVERSITY OF THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS Inverness 10
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH PORTSMOUTH 10
TRINITY LABAN CONSERVATOIRE OF MUSIC AND DANCE LTD LONDON 10
HEYTHROP COLLEGE LONDON 10
KINGSTON UNIVERSITY KINGSTON UPON THAMES 10
ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, TWICKENHAM TWICKENHAM 10
UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL 10
ST. GEORGE’S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LONDON 10
UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH London 10
RAVENSBOURNE LONDON 0
UNIVERSITY OF HULL HULL 0



  1. Almost all: the postcode file doesn’t include Northern Ireland, so the table misses out four universities there. Belfast is c.3 metres above sea level. ↩

  2. Almost just that: to render it in Github Pages markdown, I had to delete all the extra hyphen-filled lines I’d accidentally produced. But still. Not complicated. ↩