The University of Manchester is the UK university with the worst Internet, getting a download speed of only 7.3 Mbps, according to a new survey. In contrast, standing out with the best Internet connection is the University of Glasgow, with an average download speed of 273.8 Mbps.
Geographically, students in London universities experience the most Internet speed issues, with over 5.1 million searches.
UK universities experienced multiple Internet outages in 2024-2025, with recurring failures during critical academic periods. A recent study by the firm Elevate analysed university campuses across the UK to identify the universities with the best and worst Internet connection.
By comparing them across key metrics, including download and upload speed, and Google search volume for Internet-related issues, the research ranked the universities from worst to best.
The findings are:
| Universities with the Worst Internet Connection | |||||
| University | City | Average Upload Speed | Average Download Speed | Overall Search Volume of Internet Related issues | |
| 1 | University of Manchester | Manchester | 3 Mbps | 7.3 Mbps | 445,930 |
| 2 | University of Nottingham | Nottingham | 9.1 Mbps | 32 Mbps | 33,390 |
| 3 | Cardiff University | Cardiff | 5.6 Mbps | 36.2 Mbps | 100,400 |
| 4 | University of York | York | 14.8 Mbps | 38.3 Mbps | 380,380 |
| 5 | University of Leeds | Leeds | 68.1 Mbps | 59.4 Mbps | 272,840 |
As indicated above, the UK university with the worst Internet is the University of Manchester, with a download speed of only 7.3 Mbps. The upload speed here is also the lowest in the ranking, at 3 Mbps. When it comes to Internet speed issues, they are still common in Manchester, with 445.9K related searches.
The University of Nottingham ranks 2nd among the UK universities with the worst Internet, with a download speed of 32 Mbps, over 4 times faster than in the University of Manchester. Upload speed here is also a little bit higher, but still averages at only 9.1 Mbps.
Cardiff University follows closely with third place and an average Internet speed of 36.2 Mbps. The upload speed here is slower than at the University of Nottingham, at 5.6 Mbps on average. The most common search queries about Internet issues here are speed tests and “Wi-Fi not working”.
The University of York takes fourth place, with an average download speed of 38.3 Mbps. At the same time, upload speed is twice as low, at only 14.8 Mbps. The city of York often experiences connectivity problems, with 380.3K Google searches.
The University of Leeds is fifth on the list of UK universities with the worst Internet connection, getting an average download speed of 59.4 Mbps, over 10 Mbps higher than at the University of York. There are also fewer Internet connectivity issues here, with 272.8K searches.
In contrast, universities coming top are:
| Universities with the Best Internet Connection | |||||
| University | City | Average Upload Speed | Average Download Speed | Overall Search Volume of Internet Related issues | |
| 1 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow | 93.6 Mbps | 273.8 Mbps | 316,400 |
| 2 | Imperial College London | London | 82.9 Mbps | 221.6 Mbps | 5,152,250 |
| 3 | University of Birmingham | Birmingham | 38.6 Mbps | 180.3 Mbps | 627,470 |
| 4 | University of Kent | Canterbury | 50.9 Mbps | 158.3 Mbps | 34,660 |
| 5 | King’s College London | London | 75.6 Mbps | 155.2 Mbps | 5,152,250 |
The UK university with the best Internet connection is the University of Glasgow, with an average download speed of 273.8 Mbps. The upload speed here is also one of the highest among all universities in the UK, at 93.6 Mbps. The connectivity issues in Glasgow are a little less common than in York, with 316.4K related searches.
The Imperial College of London takes second place on the list of UK universities with the best Internet, with an average speed of 221.6 Mbps. London experiences the most connectivity issues, with a total of 5.1 million searches about Internet problems and low wifi speed.
The University of Birmingham gets third place, with a download speed of 180.3 Mbps, almost 100 Mbps below the University of Glasgow. The upload speed here is also very low, compared to other universities at the top, at 38.6 Mbps.
