The best unis in the UK right now, based on the QS World University Rankings 2026

The QS World University Rankings 2026 are here, and UK unis did pretty well. Apparently, 35 of the top 300 universities worldwide are in the UK. That’s not too shabby. Here are the best UK unis right now, account to the QS World University Rankings 2026.

Imperial College London is apparently the best UK uni. It was only beaten by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Although Russell Group unis are meant to be the most prestigious UK unis, plenty of other unis ranked really highly. The University of St Andrews came 113rd in the world, and the University of Bath came 132nd.

The QS World University Rankings are based on loads of factors, including how much research the uni does, and how employable grads are. These league tables don’t take into account how satisfied the students are with their teaching, or how prestigious the entry requirements are. Instead, the QS World University Rankings factor in how impressive academics and employers think the uni is, and how much “global engagement” the uni does. This is why this league table looks a bit different to the UK-orientated Complete University Guide.

So, here are the best UK unis, based on the QS World University Rankings 2026. The number refers to where they ranked in the world. I didn’t just lose the ability to count.

292. Swansea University (scored 46.2)

=278. Heriot-Watt University (scored 46.8)

=278. University of Sussex (scored 47.9)

=262. University of Surrey (scored 49.3)

=262. University of Aberdeen (scored 49.3)

251. University of Strathclyde (scored 50.2)

225. Loughborough University (scored 53.3)

199. Queen’s University Belfast (scored 55.7)

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=194. University of Reading (scored 56.2)

181. Cardiff University (57.8)

169. University of York (scored 169)

157. Lancaster University (scored 61.4)

155. University of Exeter (scored 61.5)

147. University of Liverpool (scored 62.5)

137. Newcastle University (scored 63.9)

132. University of Bath (scored 64.2)

113. University of St Andrews (scored 66.4)

110. Queen Mary University of London (scored 66.6)

97. University of Nottingham (scored 69.4)

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94. Durham University (scored 70.1)

92. University of Sheffield (70.9)

87. University of Southampton (scored 71.2)

86. University of Leeds (scored 72.0)

79. University of Glasgow (scored 73.4)

76. University of Birmingham (scored 73.8)

74. University of Warwick (scored 75.2)

56. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (scored 80.5)

51. University of Bristol (scored 82.5)

Real life Bristol students

35. University of Manchester (scored 86.4)

34. University of Edinburgh (scored 87.2)

31. King’s College London (KCL) (scored 88.3)

9. University College London (UCL) (scored 95.8)

6. University of Cambridge (scored 97.2)

4. University of Oxford (scored 97.9)

2. Imperial College London (scored 99.4)

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