Top 10 universities in the UK
Scroll down for the full list of best universities in the UK
UK rank 2023 | World University Rank 2023 | University | City/town |
1 | 1 | University of Oxford | Oxford |
2 | =3 | University of Cambridge | Cambridge |
3 | 10 | Imperial College London | London |
4 | 22 | UCL | London |
5 | 29 | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh |
6 | 35 | King’s College London | London |
7 | 37 | London School of Economics and Political Science | London |
8 | =54 | University of Manchester | Manchester |
9 | 76 | University of Bristol | Bristol |
10 | =82 | University of Glasgow | Glasgow |
Which are the top universities in the UK? If you want to study in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, which universities should you consider?
This league table reveals the best UK universities and colleges, according to the trusted Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023.
The University of Oxford takes first place, with the University of Cambridge following in second place, while two of London’s best universities and a Scottish university complete the top five.
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Three universities in Scotland appear in the top 25: the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow and the University of Aberdeen, while the best institution in Wales is Cardiff University, ranked 24th.
For students looking to study in Northern Ireland, the best university in the ranking is Queen’s University Belfast.
Of the top universities in the UK, about 20 are in London, including well-known institutions such as Imperial College London and UCL, and more recently established universities such as the University of Westminster and the University of Greenwich.
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5. University of Edinburgh
Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Britain and Ireland’s seven ancient universities.
It is made up of three colleges: arts, humanities and social sciences; science and engineering; and medicine and veterinary medicine. Within these colleges there are 20 academic schools.
A range of student clubs and societies is on offer, including a music society, a theatre society and a variety of sports teams including football, rowing, judo and rugby.
The student newspaper, The Student, is one of the oldest student newspapers in the UK and was founded by the author Robert Louis Stevenson.
4. UCL
UCL’s main campus is in the central London area of Bloomsbury. Nearly half of all UCL students are from outside the UK, with significantly more from Asia than from continental Europe.
UCL was the first university in England to admit students irrespective of class, race or religion, and the first to admit women on equal terms with men, following the educational philosophy of Jeremy Bentham, the university’s “spiritual founder”.
For admission, undergraduate students are required to have achieved top grades in their high school exams. The most competitive degree is the BSc in philosophy, politics and economics, which receives 30 applicants for every place.
Famous alumni include Mahatma Gandhi; Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone; and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who met the other members of his band at the university.
3. Imperial College London
Imperial’s main campus is near Kensington Palace in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, with other campuses around the city. The student cohort is extremely international and is made up of more than 125 nationalities.
Imperial College London is consistently ranked among the best universities in the world for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business.
It was formed in 1907 from a merger of three colleges in London and now has 17,000 students and 8,000 staff.
In addition to top scientists, Fields medallists and Nobel prizewinners, Imperial also produces influential government advisers and policymakers. Many graduates go on to achieve breakthrough innovations in industry and business, and are highly sought after by blue-chip companies and start-ups.
The author H. G. Wells and Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, are among Imperial’s famous alumni.
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2. University of Cambridge
In total, 117 Nobel laureates are affiliated with the University of Cambridge and Cambridge-affiliated mathematicians have won 11 Fields medals. Notable alumni include actors, athletes, politicians, royals and cultural figures, including biologist Charles Darwin, broadcaster David Attenborough, conservationist Jane Goodall and actress Olivia Colman.
Like Oxford, the University of Cambridge is fundamentally collegiate and is also one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universities. The town is just an hour from London.
The university is home to more than 19,000 students and 9,000 staff. There are 31 colleges, some of which date back to the 13th century, and more than 100 academic departments.
Cambridge is particularly renowned for excellence in mathematics and has educated some of the most famous British scientists.
Undergraduates are taught via lectures and supervisions – intimate tutorials with only a couple of other students at most. The workload is heavy but terms are shorter than at many other UK universities.
Cambridge libraries are home to extensive collections of medieval manuscripts and the university museums display collections of archaeological artefacts and zoological specimens.
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1. University of Oxford
More than 30 world leaders, 27 British prime ministers, 50 Nobelists and 120 Olympic medallists were educated at Oxford. Stephen Hawking, Hugh Grant and Indira Gandhi are some of its famous graduates.
Undergraduates and postgraduates belong to one of its 44 colleges and often live in the college building or college-owned accommodation.
One of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universities, the University of Oxford attracts top scholars and students. Entry standards are high and admission is competitive; on average, it receives five applications for each available place.
Social life and recreational activities – such as rowing, cultural events and societies – also revolve around the college. Undergraduates are taught almost exclusively by tutors in their college, while postgraduate students are primarily served academically by a centralised faculty.
There are more than 100 libraries at Oxford, the most famous of which is the Bodleian, built in 1602. The city also has a number of museums, including the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, which houses the remains of a dodo, and the Museum of the History of Science, which displays a blackboard used by Albert Einstein.
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Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2023 profile
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The University of Oxford is top in a list of the best universities in the UK 2023, which includes institutions in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland