How We Rate

Every editorial rating on UniSorted is an opinion formed by a named editor after reading the product’s own documentation and comparing it against every alternative on our shortlist. It is not an advert, not a paid placement, and not financial advice. This page explains exactly how we arrive at a score.

What our star ratings actually mean

We rate every product or service out of five in half-star increments. The score sits next to the phrase “Editorial rating” precisely because it is a judgement made by one of our eight named editors – not a customer review average, not an aggregate of third-party review sites, and not a paid endorsement.

• 5 out of 5 – the best overall choice for most UK students in this category. Class-leading on the factors that matter and no serious downsides we can find.
• 4 out of 5 to 4.5 out of 5 – strong on most factors with one or two trade-offs that may not suit everyone. Worth considering alongside the top pick.
• 3 out of 5 to 3.5 out of 5 – serves a specific use case well but is not the first choice for most students. Niche appeal.
• Below 3 out of 5 – noticeable weaknesses in features, fees, or eligibility that hold it back from a general recommendation.

How we score each product

Each rated product is scored against a fixed set of factors appropriate to its category. The weightings reflect what UK students and graduates aged 18-25 actually care about, not what looks good on a product sheet. Every editor uses the same scoring rubric so that a 4 out of 5 on a Leeds-written article means the same as a 4 out of 5 on a Nottingham one.

Student bank accounts (Finance Editor: Jamie Hartwell)

• Interest-free overdraft limit and how quickly it unlocks (35%) – the single biggest factor, because a large overdraft is a zero-cost safety net while you are studying.
• Sign-up perks and their real-world value (20%) – we work out the cash-equivalent value of railcards, Tastecards, Coachcards and streaming perks, not the headline claim.
• Account fees and foreign-transaction charges (15%) – the extra costs students often overlook.
• Graduate transition schedule (15%) – how generously the bank steps your overdraft down after you finish university.
• App quality and digital experience (10%) – recent App Store and Play Store ratings plus our own hands-on testing.
• Eligibility and international-student friendliness (5%) – a bank that locks out half our audience cannot score highly.

Budgeting apps, comparison sites and tools

• Free-tier usefulness (40%) – can a student get real value without paying?
• UK coverage and data accuracy (25%) – US-first apps that misunderstand Council Tax or Student Finance are marked down.
• Privacy and data handling (15%) – Open Banking credentials and GDPR compliance.
• Interface and friction to start (15%) – onboarding that loses a student in the first five minutes is a failure.
• Ongoing cost if you upgrade (5%).

Mobile, broadband and energy deals

• Total cost over the contract length including price rises (35%).
• Contract flexibility for students who move house each year (25%).
• Network quality and coverage in UK university cities (20%).
• Student-specific perks, SIM-only options and pay-as-you-go flexibility (15%).
• Customer service and complaint handling (5%).

Insurance (contents, travel, car)

• Policy limits relevant to student possessions, not adults with full households (30%).
• Exclusions and excess (25%).
• Price versus comparable providers (20%).
• Claims process and complaint record (15%).
• Flexibility for short policy terms or academic-year-only cover (10%).

How we verify every number we publish

Every rate, fee, limit and perk on UniSorted is checked directly against the provider’s own live page on the date we write or update the article. Our sources, in order of preference, are:

1. The provider’s own current product page and key facts document.
2. UK government sources: gov.uk, UCAS, Student Finance England, HMRC.
3. Regulated bodies: the Financial Conduct Authority, MoneyHelper, Ofcom, Ofgem.
4. Trusted independent sources: Which?, MSE and Ofcom published data, each cited inline.

Every comparison table on the site carries a visible “Verified” date. If we have not re-checked a number inside the last six months we re-verify before the date is updated. Our editors keep a shared spreadsheet of every numeric claim and its source, so any figure in any article can be traced back to the document we pulled it from.

When we update and re-review

We run a freshness loop on every money, insurance, broadband and mobile article at least twice a year. Bank-account articles are re-reviewed at the start of each academic year (July and September) and whenever a bank makes a material change. Every reviewed article shows a visible “Last reviewed by [Editor] on [Date]” line directly under the byline so you can see how current the information is.

Editorial independence from affiliate revenue

UniSorted earns money from affiliate links. We disclose this on every relevant article and in our Affiliate Disclosure. However:

• Our editorial team rates every product before any affiliate decision is made, and the rating is recorded in our shared editorial log.
• We do not accept payment to change, raise, or remove a rating.
• If the product we rate highest for a given reader is not available through an affiliate programme, we still rank it first and link to it directly.
• A bank, broadband provider or mobile network cannot pay for a better position in our comparison tables.

If you ever find a product placement or rating that looks like it has been influenced by affiliate revenue rather than merit, please email our editorial team at hello@unisorted.co.uk and we will investigate and respond publicly.

Important: ratings are opinion, not financial advice

The editorial team behind our ratings

Every rating on UniSorted is written by one of our eight named editors. You can read their bios, qualifications and contact details on our About Us page. If you have a question about a specific rating, email the editor directly using the contact line on the About Us page and they will respond personally.

Last updated: 10 April 2026. If you spot a factual error in any of our ratings or the data behind them, please email hello@unisorted.co.uk and we will investigate and correct it as a priority.