Consensus world view of TOP 5/6 UK University Rankings (Prestige/Research)
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Anonymous
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My husband and I get tons of questions about this from our American friends. Now that our two younger kids are about to go through the process, we’ve been following this forum closely, and we’ve noticed these questions come up frequently. Hopefully, this helps! This perspective is specifically for non-UK students/residents, as many of us in the UK unfortunately still rely heavily on our League Tables. These rankings take student satisfaction into account but tend to undervalue research output and overall research quality. This has its pros and cons but sometimes leads to results where universities like Loughborough, Bath, or St Andrews rank ahead of institutions that are considered more prestigious on an international scale. After moving away from the UK after university and graduate school, spending seven years in Southeast Asia, 14 years in the US, and additional time in South America and Europe before returning to the US, I’ve come to realize that there is a fairly consistent global consensus (outside the UK) on which UK universities are the most prestigious—regardless of what our domestic League Tables might suggest. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that universities outside this top group aren’t excellent. There are fantastic programs at Bath, Warwick, Bristol, St Andrews, etc. However, outside the UK, these six universities tend to be viewed by major employers and top universities as the most impressive and prestigious, with significantly stronger alumni networks: 1. Oxford/Cambridge 2. Imperial 3. UCL 4. Edinburgh/King’s This ranking aligns well with global university rankings that factor in research output. I didn’t include LSE because it has such a narrow academic focus, but within those fields, it is, of course, world renowned. My husband and I attended three of these six universities, plus one outside the list, and our experiences living all over the world have reinforced this perspective. In the US, St Andrews might be viewed positively in certain regions, but overall, the top 5–6 universities have remained consistent over time. Bristol is also well-regarded internationally and is often perceived as a step above St Andrews due to its broader research strength. I frequently get questions from American friends about Warwick, Bristol, Bath, Exeter, and Lancaster for their kids. While these are great universities, some of which are particularly strong in specific subjects, outside the UK they generally don’t carry the same level of prestige as the six mentioned above. And based on what I’ve seen here on DCUM, prestige seems to matter a lot to many people in the US. That said, students at these universities outside of the top 5-6 will still receive an excellent education. If the alternative is a T50–T75 US school, attending one of these top 10/12 UK universities outside the top 5 could still be a great option, especially for independent students who know exactly what they want to study. Hope this helps! |
Anonymous
| Why are you posting this at DCUM, a US-focused forum? Most Americans do not care what the worldwide reputation is of a college if the student is not pursuing some field with potential international reach. US employers are what matter to them. |
Anonymous
| Clearly you didnt pay attention to what the OP said…..She posted this for the benefit of Americans….and living in the US as a brit, she clearly knows more than YOU on this subject. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
Exactly why I was hesitant to post here. Your response clearly shows a lack of reading comprehension. I’ve lived in the US for a long time, and this is the perspective of most major employers and universities here. My husband is in academia, and I run a consulting business. We see this firsthand. You might not like it, but that doesn’t change the reality. I’ve seen many posts here over the past few months with questions about UK schools (if, when, and why). I shared this to help those families who are looking for answers. If you’re not interested, simply don’t comment. |
Anonymous
| This is a great write up. |
Anonymous
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Yes this is helpful! My husband and I are currently discussing this with my son.
He is in the exact situation as you described. He didnt want to apply to our state flagship and now his options are a few expensive private schools. Tulane, Miami, Syracuse, SMU. He also received Offers from Edinburgh and Exeter. He wants to study Business (International Business). He is conflicted. What do you think? |
Anonymous
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Curious when you say employers outside the UK consider these universities the best.
Do you mean outside the UK and outside the US? I doubt most US employers recognize anything beyond Oxford/Cambridge. Maybe they know London School of Economics or St Andrews. |
Anonymous
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DP: Well, if you're hoping to save money, keep in mind that Edinburgh (and all Scottish universities) have four year degrees . . . .
Perhaps less expensive that US privates, but three years instead of four is a LOT less! |
Anonymous
I’m NOT the original poster, but I’m also English and I have lived in the US for 12 years. I can’t speak for the private schools you mentioned in the US, but both Exeter and Edinburgh are among the top undergraduate business programs in the UK, according to the League Tables. Exeter, despite being a younger university, has built a strong reputation for placements in London. They even have a partnership with JP Morgan, where many students secure roles directly from Exeter. One major advantage of Exeter is that the degree is only three years, meaning the total tuition cost would be roughly equivalent to just one year at many US universities. You do the math. Between the two, I would choose Edinburgh due to its long-term prestige and name recognition in the US. While it is a four-year program compared to Exeter’s three, it would still be significantly cheaper than US options. Edinburgh has much stronger name recognition in the US and is, quite frankly, the more ‘prestigious’ university, if that matters to you. Outside of St Andrews, Edinburgh likely has the highest number of American students in its undergraduate program. For International Business and considering how the university is viewed in the US, I would lean towards Edinburgh. |
Anonymous
I’m the PP, not the OP. But I agree with the OP that in the US those 6 schools are well recognized. You are wrong, most Large US employees know all these 6 schools plus LSE as mentioned by the OP. It is not just an Oxbridge world. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for the info. Does anyone know how the CS program at Edinburgh compares to the CS programs at U Michigan or Georgia Tech? |
Anonymous
If you go strictly by the QS World rankings, Edinburgh is ranked higher. I don think you can go wrong with either. Clearly the path for US jobs might be easier from a US school. Edinburgh has had one of the TOP CS depts in the UK. Their School of Informatics is constantly ranked as one of the top in the UK. Hard to compare to a US school like Michigan or Georgia Tech outside of looking at Research output or QS Rankings for CS. If your kid has these 3 choices, great for him. The CS program at Edinburgh is super theoretical. If that is what you like, go for it. |
Anonymous
Where? It’s not like you see many applicants at all that attend college overseas. I am involved in recruiting for a large bank and we barely see any non-US college applicants for US-based positions. I can’t remember ever seeing one for Imperial or UCL. I can’t comment for our London and other foreign operations. |