Times Higher Education World Rankings: How UK's top 10 universities fared on the world stage

• The Times Higher Education’s global university rankings are out now, and a UK institution has once again earned the top spot.
• There are numerous UK universities in the top 100, including some which didn’t make the Times’ UK top 10 list.
• Some of those that did very well domestically didn’t fare nearly as well on the world stage - including the top performing Scottish university.

The UK is undoubtedly home to some of the world’s very best universities. But as a new league table shows, what works well at home doesn’t always seem to translate to international success.

Times Higher Education (THE) has this month released its global university rankings, which pits hundreds of institutions from across the world against one another to claim the coveted top spot. But just last month, the Sunday Times released its brand new university league for 2025 - ranking the UK’s domestic universities.

The two use somewhat different criteria. The Sunday Times’ rankings - often considered to be the definitive ranking of UK universities - rates the universities on many things, including the average UCAS tariff points of new students given a spot; the percentage of ‘good honours’ - or firsts and 2:1 degrees - awarded; the amount of first-year students continuing on to second year; and more significantly from this year, their sustainability and graduate prospects.

Meanwhile the world rankings give universities a score out of 100, also based on a host of different factors. These broadly include teaching, research environment, research quality, and international outlook. But broken down a little further, the list scores universities based on their reputation in the academic world, as well as on things like how often their published studies are cited in new research, the strength and influence of their work, staff to student ratios, and even how many international students and educators they have on board.

So how did the UK’s domestic top 10 stack up compared to top US universities like MIT and Harvard, as well as excellent, well-funded campuses in emerging academic powerhouses like China and the United Arab Emirates? Here’s what you need to know:

1. London School of Economics and Political Science

How it did in the UK: LSE, a social sciences specialty university based in the heart of the capital, crept up from 4th place last year to claim the top spot in 2024 - for the first time ever. Vice chancellor Larry Kramer said the award was a tribute to their students, faculty, and global community. “LSE’s combination of world-leading academics and motivated students, dedication to the social sciences, and international focus, while still being firmly rooted in London, makes it a very special place.”

How it did in the global rankings: It didn’t do quite so well in the world rankings, although LSE still came in an admirable 50th place - equal with the University of Texas at Austin in the US. It had an overall score of 75.9 out of 100, with a teaching score of 60, and a research quality score of 94.7.

2. University of St Andrews

How it did in the UK: Scotland’s oldest university came in second, down from its victory in the UK rankings last year. When it came to ‘good honours’, 94.8% of its students achieved one, while 87.6% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: St Andrews didn’t, however, shine quite so brightly in the world rankings, coming in 185th place. It had an overall score of 59.5, with a teaching score of 47.4, and a research quality score of 76.9.

3. University of Oxford

How it did in the UK: In the Times’ domestic university rankings this year, Oxford - one of the world’s very oldest universities - was knocked back into third place, down from second the year before. Some 94.1% of its students achieved a ‘good honour’, the figures showed, while 90.4% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: On the world stage, Oxford took out the top spot, coming in first for the ninth year running. The two rankings measure slightly different criteria, and THE said it had been bolstered this year by “significant improvements in industry engagement and teaching”. Oxford had an overall score of 98.5.

4. University of Cambridge

How it did in the UK: Cambridge, the other half of the famed Oxbridge duo, was edged out of the top three in the UK this year, landing in fourth place. Some 92.8% of its students graduated with a ‘good honour’, while 90.4% of recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: Cambridge came in fifth place in the global rankings, the second UK university to make the list. It had an overall score of 97.4, with a teaching score of 95.9, and a research quality score of 97.6.

5. Durham University

How it did in the UK: The North East’s top university, Durham, jumped up two spots from seventh to fifth place in the UK this year. Some 91.9% of its students achieved a ‘good honour’ , while 88.8% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: Another to not come out quite so strongly in the world rankings, Durham landed in 172nd place this year. Its overall score was 60.4, while its score for teaching was just 43.6 out of 100, and its research quality was 83.7.

6. Imperial College London

How it did in the UK: In the UK, Imperial College - which specialises in science, engineering, medicine, and business - dropped down one spot from fifth place last year to sixth this year. When it comes to ‘good honours’, 92.8% of its students achieved one, while 95.9% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: In the world rankings, Imperial came in ninth overall. It was the third highest-ranked UK university on the list, and the last to make the top 10. Its overall score was 94.4, while its score for teaching was 89.3, and its research quality was 98.5.

7. University College London

How it did in the UK: Seventh overall in the UK, UCL had slipped down a spot from sixth place last year. When it comes to ‘good honours’, 92.4% of its students achieved one, while 87.5% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: In the world rankings, UCL came in 22nd - equal with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. It had an overall score of 87.7, while its teaching score was 77.6, and its research quality score was 98.4.

8. University of Bath

How it did in the UK: The South West of England’s University of Bath has held onto eighth place this year, the same spot it held last year. Some 90.9% of its students achieved a ‘good honour’, while 88.7% of its recent graduates were in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: For lower scoring universities, the THE list tends to separate them into bands. The University of Bath was placed in the 251-300 band, missing out on a place in the top 250. Its overall score was between 53.7 and 55.7, while its teaching score was 37.5, and its research quality score was 81.3.

9. University of Warwick

How it did in the UK: The University of Warwick, on the outskirts of Coventry in the West Midlands, came in ninth place this year in the domestic rankings, the same as last year. Some 85.8% of its students achieved a ‘good honour’, while 86.4% of its recent graduates were in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: Warwick came in at 106th place in the world rankings, just narrowly missing a spot in the top 100. Its overall score was 65.7, while its teaching score was 47.9, and its research quality score was 89.

10. Loughborough University

How it did in the UK: Leicestershire’s Loughborough University held onto 10th place for a second year. When it came to ‘good honours’, 88.3% of its students achieved one, while 86.3% of its recent graduates were in a high-level job or postgraduate study.

How it did in the global rankings: Loughborough was another university to only make it into the THE list’s lower group rankings, placed in the 301 to 350 band. Its overall score was between 51.1 and 53.6, while its teaching score was 35.6, and its research quality score was 76.2.

Other high ranking UK universities

A few other UK institution scored highly in the world rankings, even outperforming some of our domestic top 10 universities. The University of Edinburgh came in 29th place overall, and Kings College London came in 36th - equal with China’s Fudan University.

The University of Manchester came in 53rd place, again sharing the accolade with a university from China, while the University of Bristol came in 78th, the University of Glasgow in 87th, the University of Birmingham in 93rd, and the University of Sheffield in 98th.

What do you think about the quality of the UK’s universities compared to the rest of the world? Have your say and make your voice heard by leaving a comment below.