Best universities in the UK 2026 - University Rankings

Discover the ��Vlog World University Rankings 2026 and explore which universities in the UK rank the highest.
This list reveals the best universities and colleges in the UK, according to the trusted THE World University Rankings 2026.
Universities across the UK are scored in areas such as teaching, research and international outlook.
It uses a robust methodology, created by the in-house data team, that is relied upon by students, academics, policymakers and industry leaders worldwide.

Published on October 9 2025

Last updated November 27 2025

Top universities in the UK 2026

UK Rank 2026	WUR Rank 2026	University	Overall	Teaching	Research Environment	Research Quality	Industry	International Outlook
1	1	University of Oxford	98.2	97.2	100	97.7	99.9	96.4
2	=3	University of Cambridge	97.2	96.2	99.9	97.1	87.6	96.3
3	8	Imperial College London	94.7	90.6	94.9	98	91.9	98.2
4	22	UCL	87.5	77.8	85.9	97.6	74.7	97.5
5	29	University of Edinburgh	82.5	75.7	74.7	94.8	71	96.2
6	38	King’s College London	78.7	64.2	72.1	95.5	72.3	96.9
7	52	London School of Economics and Political Science	75.4	60.5	71.2	93.4	46.8	94.2
8	56	University of Manchester	74.9	61.2	65.9	92.4	74	94.5
9	=80	University of Bristol	69.7	51.4	56.5	94.4	74.6	91.8
10	84	University of Glasgow	68.9	50.6	52.2	95.9	73.2	95.5
11	=98	University of Birmingham	66.3	47.7	48.4	93.7	74.2	94.3
12	=108	University of Sheffield	65.4	49.7	49.1	88.3	79.4	90.4
13	118	University of Leeds	64.9	48.3	50.3	87.2	71.6	93.6
14	=122	University of Warwick	64.1	48.1	49.3	85.6	69.4	95.6
15	129	University of Southampton	63.4	44.6	45.4	89.6	73.1	96.1
16	=134	Queen Mary University of London	62.9	38.7	42.6	95.7	76.5	97.5
17	143	University of Liverpool	62.2	43.5	42	91.2	68	95
18	144	Newcastle University	62.1	39.8	43.2	93	80	89.5
19	=145	University of Nottingham	62	45.8	43.3	87.3	72.1	91.8
20	=154	University of York	61.5	44.1	43.9	87.5	67.6	90.6
21	=162	University of St Andrews	60.9	50.6	43.3	78.2	71.9	94.4
22	=170	University of Exeter	60.6	36.6	42.1	94	59.1	93.4
23	175	Durham University	60.3	45.2	44.9	81	62.8	94.6
24	=184	Lancaster University	59.7	40.9	40.8	86.7	67.2	95.1
25	=192	University of Leicester	59.2	35.4	34.9	95.9	69	94.8
26	=198	Queen’s University Belfast	58.8	34.7	38.4	90.8	70	98.3
=27	201–250	Cardiff University	56.4–58.6	35.9	39.1	86	70.3	88.4
=27	201–250	University of Aberdeen	56.4–58.6	38	34.8	82.3	79.6	96.4
=27	201–250	University of Reading	56.4–58.6	41.7	38.1	85.2	66.9	94.2
=27	201–250	University of Surrey	56.4–58.6	36.3	34.4	89.5	71.6	96
=27	201–250	University of Sussex	56.4–58.6	34.3	36	88.9	64.8	94.8
=32	251–300	University of Bath	54.3–56.3	39.8	35.1	81	67.1	93.2
=32	251–300	University of East Anglia	54.3–56.3	34.7	30.2	89.1	62	87.3
=34	301–350	Birkbeck, University of London	51.6–54.2	34.2	32.2	76	65.5	91.6
=34	301–350	Loughborough University	51.6–54.2	34.8	32.9	76.1	70.2	89.4
=34	301–350	City St George's, University of London	49.9–51.5	23.6	24.8	91.8	65	95.6
=34	301–350	Swansea University	51.6–54.2	30.8	30.6	87.4	58.3	88.6
=34	301–350	University of Dundee	51.6–54.2	28.5	32.6	82.1	87	91.7
=34	301–350	University of Essex	51.6–54.2	30.1	30.2	81	61.2	97.3
40	351–400	University of Strathclyde	49.9–51.5	37	35.2	66.4	79.7	90.5
=41	401–500	Aston University	46.2–49.8	21.7	26.2	83.6	64.6	95.7
=41	401–500	Bournemouth University	46.2–49.8	18.8	21.7	89.3	46.4	89.2
=41	401–500	Brunel University of London	46.2–49.8	24	26.6	81.8	64.9	98.1
=41	401–500	Heriot-Watt University	46.2–49.8	33.4	30.3	58.8	70.3	95.5
=41	401–500	Northumbria University	46.2–49.8	23.6	25.5	80.5	47.8	91.4
=41	401–500	Royal Holloway, University of London	46.2–49.8	32.3	28.9	72.2	65.1	92.5
=41	401–500	SOAS University of London	46.2–49.8	38.7	34.7	59.9	38.9	79.9
=41	401–500	University of Kent	46.2–49.8	29.5	28.4	73.2	64.4	92.6
=41	401–500	University of Portsmouth	46.2–49.8	22	20.1	88.7	51.1	94.5
=50	501–600	Bangor University	43.6–46.1	28.3	26	70.3	63.2	87.1
=50	501–600	Goldsmiths, University of London	43.6–46.1	28.2	23.5	71.2	48.8	80.8
=50	501–600	Keele University	43.6–46.1	23.5	22.6	75.5	63.8	82.3
=50	501–600	Liverpool John Moores University	43.6–46.1	19.7	19.7	83.8	51.2	79.9
=50	501–600	Middlesex University	43.6–46.1	22.4	18.7	76.1	45.3	92.5
=50	501–600	Royal Veterinary College	43.6–46.1	31.9	21.5	66.2	64.4	93
=50	501–600	University of Bradford	43.6–46.1	21.4	21.4	76.1	58.5	93.3
=50	501–600	University of Huddersfield	43.6–46.1	25.6	23.9	73.9	51.3	89.3
=50	501–600	University of Hull	43.6–46.1	27.3	23.8	72.9	57.5	87.8
=50	501–600	University of Plymouth	43.6–46.1	23	21.2	77.9	65.8	82.2
=50	501–600	University of Stirling	43.6–46.1	24.4	26.3	74.6	45.6	91.1
=61	601–800	Aberystwyth University	39.0–43.5	26.9	22.2	61.9	62.1	83.1
=61	601–800	Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)	39.0–43.5	18.5	14.6	83.6	34.1	91
=61	601–800	Coventry University	39.0–43.5	21.6	15.1	73.5	44.9	94.4
=61	601–800	De Montfort University	39.0–43.5	17.7	16.4	70.5	50.4	92.9
=61	601–800	Edinburgh Napier University	39.0–43.5	17.5	19.7	75.3	41.2	90.3
=61	601–800	London Metropolitan University	39.0–43.5	16.6	14.4	76.6	30.2	91.3
=61	601–800	London South Bank University	39.0–43.5	18.5	13	75.6	48.1	95.9
=61	601–800	Manchester Metropolitan University	39.0–43.5	20.8	19.5	78.3	42.7	83
=61	601–800	Nottingham Trent University	39.0–43.5	20.8	14.1	83.3	38.1	89.1
=61	601–800	SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College)	39.0–43.5	25.2	14.9	75.4	28	65.4
=61	601–800	Teesside University	39.0–43.5	20.6	14.3	72.9	29.8	87.9
=61	601–800	Ulster University	39.0–43.5	22.8	22.8	65.7	54.3	95
=61	601–800	University of Brighton	39.0–43.5	19.9	19.3	63.4	64.9	84.7
=61	601–800	University of Derby	39.0–43.5	19	14.1	74	34.6	80.2
=61	601–800	University of Greenwich	39.0–43.5	17.6	16.5	81.6	39.1	97.1
=61	601–800	University of Hertfordshire	39.0–43.5	18.2	13.2	76.5	44.8	92.1
=61	601–800	University of Lincoln	39.0–43.5	20.5	18.5	77.2	34.1	86.9
=61	601–800	University of the West of Scotland	39.0–43.5	19.5	15.5	69.7	66.1	91
=61	601–800	UWE Bristol (University of the West of England)	39.0–43.5	18.8	14.6	73.3	59.2	81.2
=80	801–1000	Birmingham City University	35.5–38.9	17.9	13.4	65.5	25.2	86.3
=80	801–1000	Glasgow Caledonian University	35.5–38.9	17.8	15.2	63.7	48.7	83.5
=80	801–1000	Kingston University	35.5–38.9	20.4	15.4	54.6	48.3	90.9
=80	801–1000	Leeds Beckett University	35.5–38.9	19.2	15.9	69.2	48	74.9
=80	801–1000	Oxford Brookes University	35.5–38.9	26.9	23.1	53.9	30.6	88.1
=80	801–1000	Robert Gordon University	35.5–38.9	17.3	13.9	69.9	39.2	90.1
=80	801–1000	Sheffield Hallam University	35.5–38.9	18	14.1	65.5	34.9	73.2
=80	801–1000	The Open University	35.5–38.9	17.8	14.3	67	48	61.5
=80	801–1000	University of Roehampton	35.5–38.9	18.9	22.8	55	27.6	88.2
=80	801–1000	University of Salford	35.5–38.9	19	14.8	64.9	57	84.8
=80	801–1000	University of Westminster	35.5–38.9	19	16.5	63.1	48.7	85.4
=80	801–1000	University of Wolverhampton	35.5–38.9	20.3	15.6	59.3	47.3	78.8
=92	1001–1200	Cardiff Metropolitan University	32.1–35.4	20.7	14.4	51.3	26.8	86.8
=92	1001–1200	Edge Hill University	32.1–35.4	18.5	14.2	62.2	30.7	58.7
=92	1001–1200	University of Bedfordshire	32.1–35.4	18.1	14	55.3	32.9	86.7
=92	1001–1200	University of East London	32.1–35.4	23.6	15.3	49.5	32.2	87.5
=92	1001–1200	University of Gloucestershire	32.1–35.4	18.5	14.2	58.7	27.1	72.2
=92	1001–1200	University of Lancashire	32.1–35.4	18.7	13.4	57.2	38.7	82.6
=92	1001–1200	York St John University	32.1–35.4	17.3	15.4	60.1	16	66.1
=99	1201–1500	Canterbury Christ Church University	27.3–32.0	18	13.5	46.3	19	74.1
=99	1201–1500	University of South Wales	27.3–32.0	18.2	11.7	35.7	52.3	78.6
=99	1201–1500	University of Staffordshire	27.3–32.0	16.3	12.3	48	23.8	73.4
=99	1201–1500	University of West London	27.3–32.0	15.4	10.5	53.3	20.7	90
=99	1201–1500	University of Winchester	27.3–32.0	19	15.4	45.4	18	61.2
=104	1501+	Liverpool Hope University	10.3–27.2	19.5	16.8	30.2	19	77.2
=104	1501+	University of Chester	10.3–27.2	19.8	12.9	31	27.9	69.8
=104	1501+	University of Northampton	10.3–27.2	16.1	11	40.4	18.7	80.3
=104	1501+	University of Sunderland	10.3–27.2	19.3	9.6	34.6	33.7	72
=104	1501+	University of the Arts London	10.3–27.2	23.9	11.8	25.4	19.3	74.1
=104	1501+	University of Worcester	10.3–27.2	17.1	12	37.9	23.6	59.2

Key UK insights from the 2026 THE World University Rankings

The University of Oxford retains its position as the best university in the UK, holding the top spot for the 10th consecutive year.
The University of Cambridge consistently ranks among the top five universities in the UK, excelling in research and innovation.
London’s universities continue to shine, with Imperial College London, UCL and King’s College London securing high positions, reflecting their research influence and international reputation.
Three Scottish universities are present in the top 25 – the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow and the University of St Andrews.
Cardiff University is the top-ranked Welsh university while Queen’s University Belfast is the best performing university in Northern Ireland.

Choosing a university in the UK

The UK is one of the most popular study abroad destinations. As the home to the top university in the world, the University of Oxford, the UK has a long history of providing high-quality education.

When considering which university to choose in the UK, students will need to consider factors such as tuition fees and cost, programme offerings, campus culture and location.

While studying in London is very popular among international students, there are many more universities around the country that are worth your attention.

The table for the best universities in the UK was derived from data collected for the THE World University Rankings. The results are calculated using 18 performance indicators underlying five metrics: research environment, teaching (the learning environment), research quality, industry, and international outlook. For more insight and a detailed breakdown of our ranking methodology, visit our methodology page. Use the UK university ranking table above to explore the right institution for you.

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