Consensus world view of TOP 5/6 UK University Rankings (Prestige/Research)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you whose kids applied to both US and UK schools:
1) What happens when the UK school doesnt respond until after May 1st? they have until May 14 this yr. Do you just send deposit to your top US choice and wait on the UK decision? Yes, that is what we did

2) We were told by a couple we know (not well) that their kid was accepted to UCL and asked for a deferral (Gap year) and it was granted. He then enrolled at a US university as he wanted a way out in case he didnt like his yr 1 experience as he was going to the east coast from the west coast.

After his 1st year, he decided he didnt fit in, so instead of transferring to another US school he simply started at UCL as a 1st yr. Didn’t even try to transfer any course. He is now graduating this yr.

Is this even legal?

Yes, this is legal. Students transfer schools or drop out after their freshman year all the time.

Absolutely. Expensive, but certainly legal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, thanks for posting. Currently tossing up potential choices for DS if a conditional offer for economics from Edinburgh comes through (already has offer from Durham).

Similar spot here. Son has offers from Bristol and Exeter. Waiting on Edinburgh and St Andrews.
Is your son leaning Edinburgh if everything comes through?

My DD got unconditional offers at St. Andrews and Edinburgh in November, but has heard nothing from the LSE.

Anyone hear anything from there?

Is she really planning on attending one of the three? As of now, is she leaning STA or UofE?

I'm hoping she'll choose a US option! I don't like the idea of her so far. But the choice is hers. I will discourage anything that isn't unconditional -- I don't want that hanging over her head in June and July.

It’s OK takes up an offer from an American university and a conditional offer from a UK university. It’s sort of like staying on the waitlist of the school.

That is what my son did. He had a ED offer from USC last year and a conditional from LSE. He met the conditional and is now finishing up his 1st year in London.

How does this work exactly if USC was an ED (contractual obligation) offer?

They cant force you to attend the ED school. And it is not like the is attending another US school. This and the PP question would only be an issue the day UCAS and the US University System agree to share data to avoid these things. But that will NEVER happen.

[Anonymous]

The way things are going in America, I’m wiling to bet the number of Americans applying through UCAS later this year will increase dramatically….which is music to UK uni’s ears given their financial situation is not great to begin with…..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, thanks for posting. Currently tossing up potential choices for DS if a conditional offer for economics from Edinburgh comes through (already has offer from Durham).

Similar spot here. Son has offers from Bristol and Exeter. Waiting on Edinburgh and St Andrews.
Is your son leaning Edinburgh if everything comes through?

My DD got unconditional offers at St. Andrews and Edinburgh in November, but has heard nothing from the LSE.

Anyone hear anything from there?

Is she really planning on attending one of the three? As of now, is she leaning STA or UofE?

I'm hoping she'll choose a US option! I don't like the idea of her so far. But the choice is hers. I will discourage anything that isn't unconditional -- I don't want that hanging over her head in June and July.

It’s OK takes up an offer from an American university and a conditional offer from a UK university. It’s sort of like staying on the waitlist of the school.

That is what my son did. He had a ED offer from USC last year and a conditional from LSE. He met the conditional and is now finishing up his 1st year in London.

How does this work exactly if USC was an ED (contractual obligation) offer?

ED is not legally enforceable in most US states. It is not a formal contract.

[Anonymous]

DS was waiting for RD at this not to be named uni and he was waitlisted. He is also waiting on Edinburgh, but wanted to send a deposit to his 2nd US choice May 1st just to be safe.

What would happen if he send deposit to his 2nd US choice May 1st, then gets an offer from Edinburgh by May 14 (the deadline day) and then offer from the Waitlist on his 1st US Choice by June.

If he in the end decides Edinburgh is the one, he can just drop his May 1st (2nd Choice)deposit.

But what if he decides he wants to take the Waitlist spot (if offered) on his 1st US choice by June if he has already sent a deposit for another US school (non ED).?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone apply to Edinburg early, say in October? Just curious how quickly you hear back from them. (DC is a junior and planning to apply next year).

My Dc applied to Edinburg in October and got an unconditional offer by Thanksgiving.

DC applied to Edinburgh near end January and received conditional offer last Friday. Econ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone apply to Edinburg early, say in October? Just curious how quickly you hear back from them. (DC is a junior and planning to apply next year).

My Dc applied to Edinburg in October and got an unconditional offer by Thanksgiving.

DC applied to Edinburgh near end January and received conditional offer last Friday. Econ.

Congrats!! DS is waiting on both of his programmes at Edinburgh MA Management and MA Interdisciplinary Futures.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
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!

Thank you OP. Husband and I are English and we agree with this list. We have each attended two of the schools mentioned here and we have lived in the US for 10 years. Our son is a Junior in high school and we are about to go through this process.

Now it is the best time to be applying to UK schools given their problems with the reduced number of international students applying. The reality is that it is much easier for a great American student to get in these schools than for an English kid.

My son will be focusing on the so called t50 schools here in the US, but also 5 of the schools on this list through UCAS. We have a relative at the admissions office at on the aformerntioned UK schools and she tells us that since January, they have been fielding more emails with questions from US parents than ever before. The expectation is that applications from the US will surge in 2025-2026.

[Anonymous]

I would pick any of the schools mentioned by OP vs anything in the US above T25

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way things are going in America, I’m wiling to bet the number of Americans applying through UCAS later this year will increase dramatically….which is music to UK uni’s ears given their financial situation is not great to begin with…..

This 100%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
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!

Thank you OP. Husband and I are English and we agree with this list. We have each attended two of the schools mentioned here and we have lived in the US for 10 years. Our son is a Junior in high school and we are about to go through this process.

Now it is the best time to be applying to UK schools given their problems with the reduced number of international students applying. The reality is that it is much easier for a great American student to get in these schools than for an English kid.

My son will be focusing on the so called t50 schools here in the US, but also 5 of the schools on this list through UCAS. We have a relative at the admissions office at on the aformerntioned UK schools and she tells us that since January, they have been fielding more emails with questions from US parents than ever before. The expectation is that applications from the US will surge in 2025-2026.

No doubt. Americans are a very small percentage of international students in the UK though, so even if it doubles it will still remain pretty low in most schools.

[Anonymous]

Yes, great opportunity to get in one those schools for any kid here that would be a t20-t50 admit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, great opportunity to get in one those schools for any kid here that would be a t20-t50 admit.

I agree. This is how we are looking at it at our household with our 3 kids (two Juniors and one Freshman). Following the OP’s list:

1. Oxford/Cambridge - If not accepted to any IVY or MIT/Stanford, then these two.
2. Imperial/LSE - Same as above, but add Berkeley and a few others.
3. UCL - If not accepted to any t20, then UCL.
4. Edinburgh/King’s/St Andrews - If best US acceptance is in between any t25-t50, we would pick Kings/Edinburgh
5. Warwick/Bristol/Exeter/Bath - If best US school is t-50 and up, that these would be prioritized.

Obviously this is just a general guidelines that we have discussed internally. We would clearly focus on each subject and fit. but the general idea stays. US schools are way too expensive to pass up these cheaper UK options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, great opportunity to get in one those schools for any kid here that would be a t20-t50 admit.

I agree. This is how we are looking at it at our household with our 3 kids (two Juniors and one Freshman). Following the OP’s list:

1. Oxford/Cambridge - If not accepted to any IVY or MIT/Stanford, then these two.
2. Imperial/LSE - Same as above, but add Berkeley and a few others.
3. UCL - If not accepted to any t20, then UCL.
4. Edinburgh/King’s/St Andrews - If best US acceptance is in between any t25-t50, we would pick Kings/Edinburgh
5. Warwick/Bristol/Exeter/Bath - If best US school is t-50 and up, that these would be prioritized.

Obviously this is just a general guidelines that we have discussed internally. We would clearly focus on each subject and fit. but the general idea stays. US schools are way too expensive to pass up these cheaper UK options.

My son started looking at UK schools (he is a JR) and we had no idea what to look for. This thread has been very helpful. After talking to his counselor who recommended someone else that focus on UK schools, this list is pretty much what he was told as it relates to relative values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone apply to Edinburg early, say in October? Just curious how quickly you hear back from them. (DC is a junior and planning to apply next year).

My Dc applied to Edinburg in October and got an unconditional offer by Thanksgiving.

DC applied to Edinburgh near end January and received conditional offer last Friday. Econ.

DS is still waiting on Edinburgh. But he just received an unconditional from St Andrews today (Mmgt).