Oxbridge besieged by London unis in world rankings

London unis are overtaking Oxbridge in the QS World Rankings as Imperial is neck and neck with Cambridge and ahead of Oxford. 

Imperial is now ranked joint second with Cambridge behind MIT and Oxford is stalling behind at joint fifth with UCL.

KCL, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Manchester are also in the top 30, marking the best performance by Britain in the 10 years since the QS league tables began.

Overall the UK makes up 44 of the top 400 unis in the world with Essex, Brookes, and Aston coming up the rear at 400.

Ben Sowter, head of QS research said: “Tech-focused institutions are increasingly the focal point of a global race for innovation.

“With budgets from public sources increasingly coming under strain, institutions seem more focused than ever on potentially lucrative research in science, technology and medicine.”

Imperial’s top brass see research improvements responsible for pipping Oxford in the prestigious uni rankings.

The uni is currently leading research into invisibility cloaks, artificial DNA, and edible water bottles.

Prof Alice Gast, the new president of Imperial, said: “Imperial has a rare ability to turn outstanding research into discoveries that have a real impact on the world.”

Cambridge, in joint place with Imperial, added: “This ranking, like all the others, reflects the fact that the University of Cambridge is among a small group of the most respected and influential higher education institutions in the world.”