Rankings: The 111 best universities in the United Kingdom for 2025/2026
by Manish Prabhune, , modified
The United Kingdom is famous for its universities: Every year, British institutions dominate the top places in international rankings. The best universities in the UK are also among the very best in the world: The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge usually secure the foremost ranks, regularly followed by Imperial College, UCL, the University of Edinburgh, and the London School of Economics. With such a remarkable track record of academic excellence it is no wonder that the UK attracts so many international students every year.
While going to the UK for your studies may be expensive - tuition fees are higher than anywhere else in Europe - it’s a decision that will almost certainly benefit your academic or professional career, especially if you get a degree from one of the top-ranking universities.
| University | QS Ranking 2025 | THE Ranking 2025 | ARWU Ranking 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | 2 | 9 | 25 |
| University of Oxford | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| University of Cambridge | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| University College London | 9 | 22 | 16 |
| University of Edinburgh | 27 | 29 | 40 |
| University of Manchester | 34 | 53 | 52 |
| King's College London | 40 | 36 | 53 |
| London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | 50 | 50 | 151 |
| University of Bristol | 54 | 78 | 97 |
| University of Warwick | 69 | 106 | 101 |
| University of Glasgow | 78 | 87 | 101 |
| University of Birmingham | 80 | 93 | 151 |
| University of Southampton | 80 | 115 | 151 |
| University of Leeds | 82 | 123 | 151 |
| Durham University | 89 | 172 | 301 |
| University of St Andrews | 104 | 185 | 301 |
| University of Sheffield | 105 | 98 | 151 |
| University of Nottingham | 108 | 136 | 101 |
| Queen Mary University of London | 120 | 141 | 201 |
| Newcastle University | 129 | 157 | 201 |
| Lancaster University | 141 | 168 | 301 |
| University of Bath | 150 | 251 | 501 |
| University of Liverpool | 165 | 160 | 101 |
| University of Exeter | 169 | 172 | 151 |
| University of Reading | 172 | 201 | 401 |
| University of York | 184 | 146 | 301 |
| Cardiff University | 186 | 201 | 151 |
| Queen's University Belfast | 206 | 201 | 301 |
| Loughborough University | 224 | 301 | 701 |
| University of Aberdeen | 236 | 201 | 201 |
| University of Sussex | 246 | 201 | 201 |
| Heriot-Watt University | 256 | 401 | 801 |
| University of Strathclyde | 281 | 351 | 501 |
| University of Leicester | 285 | 191 | 301 |
| University of Surrey | 285 | 201 | 401 |
| Swansea University | 298 | 301 | 501 |
| University of East Anglia | 332 | 251 | 201 |
| Brunel University London | 342 | 351 | 701 |
| City, University of London | 352 | 351 | – |
| University of Kent | 380 | 351 | 401 |
| Birkbeck, University of London | 408 | 301 | 801 |
| Oxford Brookes University | 416 | 601 | – |
| University of Dundee | 418 | 301 | 401 |
| Aston University | 423 | 351 | – |
| University of Stirling | 452 | 401 | 801 |
| University of Essex | 472 | 351 | 501 |
| Bangor University | 474 | 401 | 601 |
| Royal Holloway, University of London | 477 | 401 | 801 |
| University of Huddersfield | 501 | 501 | – |
| SOAS University of London | 508 | 401 | – |
| University of Hull | 516 | 401 | 701 |
| Coventry University | 526 | 601 | – |
| University of Bradford | 531 | 501 | 901 |
| Northumbria University | 535 | 401 | 701 |
| Ulster University | 559 | 601 | 701 |
| Nottingham Trent University | 592 | 601 | 801 |
| Kingston University | 601 | 801 | – |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | 601 | 601 | 601 |
| University of Portsmouth | 631 | 401 | 901 |
| Aberystwyth University | 661 | 601 | – |
| University of Plymouth | 661 | 501 | 701 |
| Goldsmiths, University of London | 681 | 501 | – |
| University of Greenwich | 691 | 501 | 701 |
| De Montfort University | 711 | 601 | – |
| Middlesex University London | 721 | 501 | – |
| University of the West of England, Bristol | 741 | 601 | – |
| University of Westminster | 741 | 801 | – |
| Bournemouth University | 771 | 401 | – |
| Keele University | 791 | 501 | – |
| Edinburgh Napier University | 801 | 501 | – |
| Liverpool John Moores University | 801 | 601 | 601 |
| London South Bank University | 801 | 601 | – |
| University of Brighton | 801 | 601 | – |
| University of Hertfordshire | 851 | 601 | 901 |
| University of Lincoln | 851 | 601 | – |
| Robert Gordon University (RGU) | 901 | 801 | – |
| University of East London | 901 | 1001 | – |
| University of Salford | 901 | 801 | – |
| Queen Margaret University | 951 | – | – |
| University of Central Lancashire | 951 | 801 | 901 |
| Birmingham City University | 1001 | 801 | – |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 1001 | 1201 | – |
| Glasgow Caledonian University | 1001 | 801 | – |
| Leeds Beckett University | 1001 | 801 | – |
| London Metropolitan University | 1001 | 601 | – |
| Sheffield Hallam University | 1001 | 801 | – |
| University of Northampton | 1001 | 1201 | – |
| University of Derby | 1001 | 601 | – |
| University of Wolverhampton | 1001 | 801 | – |
| Harper Adams University | 1201 | – | – |
| St George's, University of London | – | 301 | 701 |
| Anglia Ruskin University | – | 501 | – |
| Royal Veterinary College | – | 501 | 801 |
| Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) | – | 601 | – |
| University of the West of Scotland | – | 601 | – |
| Teesside University | – | 801 | – |
| The Open University | – | 801 | 701 |
| University of Roehampton | – | 801 | – |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | – | 1001 | – |
| Edge Hill University | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Bedfordshire | – | 1001 | – |
| University of Gloucestershire | – | 1001 | – |
| University of West London | – | 1001 | – |
| University of South Wales | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Sunderland | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Winchester | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Staffordshire | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Worcester | – | 1201 | – |
| University of Chester | – | 1501 | – |
| London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | – | – | 151 |
| Cranfield University | – | – | 801 |
The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a universitys research is referenced elsewhere).
The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.
The UK is Europe’s most popular country for international students. At more than 100 universities, you can choose from literally tens of thousands of study programmes. British universities enjoy a reputation for cutting-edge research and world-class education. And there are plenty of exciting career opportunities for international graduates.
Read more about studying in the United Kingdom
