UCL has the best reputation of all the London Universities, according to new rankings

UCL was ranked as the 18th most prestigious university in the world by the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2018.

UCL beat out all of the other London universities, ranking one place higher than Imperial College London.

King's is featured, but obviously much lower on the list, coming in at 42nd.

The Times Word Reputation Rankings measures how the global academic community rates the prestige- "the brand"- of a university.

This is a important measurement because it indicates an institution's ability to attract the best researchers and investment.

However, all London universities saw themselves fall in the rankings this year.

UCL fell two places in this years rankings compared to 2017, moving from 16th to 17th.

Imperial dropped two places, from 18th to 20th, and LSE lost five places, moving from 20th to 25th

THE's Editorial Director of Global Rankings, Phil Baty, described the trend as "particularly worrying" and warned that the decline could be a damaging trend if sustained.

He explained that "London is one of the world’s most dynamic and international capital cities, and has traditionally been the leading city in the world for outstanding higher education and research – drawing in talent from across the globe."

"If this data turns out to be the beginning of a trend of decline, the damage could be significant. "

"The government has placed universities at the heart of its industrial strategy, investing substantially in university research, and they are a wonderful national asset, but they must remain open to the world, and free to draw in the most outstanding international talent, if they’re to continue to thrive and play their vital role in the UK."

UK universities, in general, did not fare as well this year, compared to 2017, with Durham dropping out of the top 100 leaving only nine UK institutions remaining on the list.

In contrast the US continues to dominate the list, claiming the 44 of the 100 spots -two more than last year- including top three.