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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Times really is center-right not very right. The Torygraph and the Daily Rail are the very far right newspapers in the UK. The Guardian is left. The Independent is center-left.

That is all great. But what does that have to do with their rankings?

I don't think it has much to do with anything, personally.
The complete university guide looks at research and ranks according to academic excellence. What is helpful about the CUG is you can search by subject, by RG, by region.

Same with the Times Rankings….They are actually pretty close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Times really is center-right not very right. The Torygraph and the Daily Rail are the very far right newspapers in the UK. The Guardian is left. The Independent is center-left.

That is all great. But what does that have to do with their rankings?

It helps one understand potential biases in their ranking approach.

[Anonymous]

Heriot-Watt in Scotland is completely unheralded in the UK. It is known in Silicon Valley, however, for the strength of its graduates in Electronics and Semiconductor Design.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

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.

Large U.S. employers don't give a sh*t about these UK schools.

It is somewhat bizarre to take the employment practices of the largest players in a dying empire as your frame of reference here.

For those of us expecting kids to attend university outside the US—partly because it can be part of a long-term path out of the US, period—this is very useful information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

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.

Large U.S. employers don't give a sh*t about these UK schools.

It is somewhat bizarre to take the employment practices of the largest players in a dying empire as your frame of reference here.

For those of us expecting kids to attend university outside the US—partly because it can be part of a long-term path out of the US, period—this is very useful information.

But where are you going to go? Job market overseas isn't great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am about to start an MA at Bristol in Sept. But it does not include the innovation.

This is a long thread and I see on this page LSE has been mentioned.

50% of undergrads are from overseas, 70% overall students (under & post) are from overseas.

It is also hugely more prestigious than UCL and Kings London.

One of the best places to guage quality of courses and institution (rankings) is The Complete University Guide. Priceless tool for anyone considering sending their kids to the UK to study.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

The one you mentioned plus

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-inte...de-2025-the-rankings
Times: https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table

The Times is ok, but a very right wing publication so to be taken with a pinch of salt
The Guardian is completely useless because it is entirely based on student satisfaction surveys which do not get answers from every single student and anyway, student "satisfaction" is not an arbiter of success.

I get the Guardian angle. They make a different set of rankings that include a lot of Student satisfaction data, which is a good thing. Why be a copy cat. By providing a different view, it allows students to put the propert weight on each of these rankings.
As far as the time being conservative, what does this have to do with their rankings? Their rankings are the most established in UK society as they are the oldest ones. at least all of the 3 are pretty transparent about how they rank. It is up to you the parent and your kids to evaluate them for what they are worth.

I do like that in the UK all of these rankings are really undergraduate focused. Whoever averaged the 3 rankings earlier did a great job. You combined the more academic rankings (2/3) with the more student satisfaction rankings (1/3) to come up with a fairly decent ranking.
Thanks. It has been posted earlier. There are 3 different league tables used in the UK.

average of all 3 look about right for an undergrad:

1. **University of Oxford** - 2.0
2. **University of St Andrews** - 2.67
3. **University of Cambridge** - 2.67
4. **London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)** - 2.67
5. **Imperial College London** - 5.33
6. **Durham University** - 6.0
7. **University of Bath** - 7.67
8. **University College London (UCL)** - 8.33
9. **Loughborough University** - 8.67
10. **University of Warwick** - 9.17
11. **Lancaster University** - 11.17
12. **University of Aberdeen** - 13.0
13. **University of Bristol** - 14.0
14. **University of Exeter** - 14.67
15. **University of Sheffield** - 17.33

Wonder how much these shift on an annual basis? My guess is the top 5 is what it is with minor movements here and there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heriot-Watt in Scotland is completely unheralded in the UK. It is known in Silicon Valley, however, for the strength of its graduates in Electronics and Semiconductor Design.

That is just one subject. Heriot-Watt has always been a low ranking dumping ground for kids who aren't academic enough for the other Scottish universities (or the English ones).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am about to start an MA at Bristol in Sept. But it does not include the innovation.

This is a long thread and I see on this page LSE has been mentioned.

50% of undergrads are from overseas, 70% overall students (under & post) are from overseas.

It is also hugely more prestigious than UCL and Kings London.

One of the best places to guage quality of courses and institution (rankings) is The Complete University Guide. Priceless tool for anyone considering sending their kids to the UK to study.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

The one you mentioned plus

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-inte...de-2025-the-rankings
Times: https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table

The Times is ok, but a very right wing publication so to be taken with a pinch of salt
The Guardian is completely useless because it is entirely based on student satisfaction surveys which do not get answers from every single student and anyway, student "satisfaction" is not an arbiter of success.

I get the Guardian angle. They make a different set of rankings that include a lot of Student satisfaction data, which is a good thing. Why be a copy cat. By providing a different view, it allows students to put the propert weight on each of these rankings.
As far as the time being conservative, what does this have to do with their rankings? Their rankings are the most established in UK society as they are the oldest ones. at least all of the 3 are pretty transparent about how they rank. It is up to you the parent and your kids to evaluate them for what they are worth.

I do like that in the UK all of these rankings are really undergraduate focused. Whoever averaged the 3 rankings earlier did a great job. You combined the more academic rankings (2/3) with the more student satisfaction rankings (1/3) to come up with a fairly decent ranking.
Thanks. It has been posted earlier. There are 3 different league tables used in the UK.

average of all 3 look about right for an undergrad:

1. **University of Oxford** - 2.0
2. **University of St Andrews** - 2.67
3. **University of Cambridge** - 2.67
4. **London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)** - 2.67
5. **Imperial College London** - 5.33
6. **Durham University** - 6.0
7. **University of Bath** - 7.67
8. **University College London (UCL)** - 8.33
9. **Loughborough University** - 8.67
10. **University of Warwick** - 9.17
11. **Lancaster University** - 11.17
12. **University of Aberdeen** - 13.0
13. **University of Bristol** - 14.0
14. **University of Exeter** - 14.67
15. **University of Sheffield** - 17.33

Wonder how much these shift on an annual basis? My guess is the top 5 is what it is with minor movements here and there.

Oxbridge are always there 1-3 with the occasional 4 since St Andrews has climbed the rankings in the last 15 years or so.
For the last 10 years, these 5 have been the top 5 in some order. So no changes there. Then after that, UCL/Durham/Bath seen to always bee in the 5-8 spot and from 9 to 15 it always changes. Warwick/Bristol/Exeter/Kings seem to always be in those spots (Kings noticeably missing this time around).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am about to start an MA at Bristol in Sept. But it does not include the innovation.

This is a long thread and I see on this page LSE has been mentioned.

50% of undergrads are from overseas, 70% overall students (under & post) are from overseas.

It is also hugely more prestigious than UCL and Kings London.

One of the best places to guage quality of courses and institution (rankings) is The Complete University Guide. Priceless tool for anyone considering sending their kids to the UK to study.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

The one you mentioned plus

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-inte...de-2025-the-rankings
Times: https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table

The Times is ok, but a very right wing publication so to be taken with a pinch of salt
The Guardian is completely useless because it is entirely based on student satisfaction surveys which do not get answers from every single student and anyway, student "satisfaction" is not an arbiter of success.

I get the Guardian angle. They make a different set of rankings that include a lot of Student satisfaction data, which is a good thing. Why be a copy cat. By providing a different view, it allows students to put the propert weight on each of these rankings.
As far as the time being conservative, what does this have to do with their rankings? Their rankings are the most established in UK society as they are the oldest ones. at least all of the 3 are pretty transparent about how they rank. It is up to you the parent and your kids to evaluate them for what they are worth.

I do like that in the UK all of these rankings are really undergraduate focused. Whoever averaged the 3 rankings earlier did a great job. You combined the more academic rankings (2/3) with the more student satisfaction rankings (1/3) to come up with a fairly decent ranking.
Thanks. It has been posted earlier. There are 3 different league tables used in the UK.

average of all 3 look about right for an undergrad:

1. **University of Oxford** - 2.0
2. **University of St Andrews** - 2.67
3. **University of Cambridge** - 2.67
4. **London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)** - 2.67
5. **Imperial College London** - 5.33
6. **Durham University** - 6.0
7. **University of Bath** - 7.67
8. **University College London (UCL)** - 8.33
9. **Loughborough University** - 8.67
10. **University of Warwick** - 9.17
11. **Lancaster University** - 11.17
12. **University of Aberdeen** - 13.0
13. **University of Bristol** - 14.0
14. **University of Exeter** - 14.67
15. **University of Sheffield** - 17.33

Wonder how much these shift on an annual basis? My guess is the top 5 is what it is with minor movements here and there.

Oxbridge are always there 1-3 with the occasional 4 since St Andrews has climbed the rankings in the last 15 years or so.
For the last 10 years, these 5 have been the top 5 in some order. So no changes there. Then after that, UCL/Durham/Bath seen to always bee in the 5-8 spot and from 9 to 15 it always changes. Warwick/Bristol/Exeter/Kings seem to always be in those spots (Kings noticeably missing this time around).

It really depends on course.

Top 5 engineering courses are Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL and Manchester.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/...gineering-degrees-uk

Top 5 economics are Oxbridge, LSE, StA and Warwick.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/...s/rankings/economics

Top 5 politics are Oxbridge, St Andrews, LSE and Kings.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/...es/rankings/politics

Top 5 physics and astronomy are Oxbridge, Durham, Manchester and Birmingham.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/...hysics-and-astronomy

Top 5 biological sciences are Oxbridge, UCL, Imperial and Durham.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/.../biological-sciences

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heriot-Watt in Scotland is completely unheralded in the UK. It is known in Silicon Valley, however, for the strength of its graduates in Electronics and Semiconductor Design.

That is just one subject. Heriot-Watt has always been a low ranking dumping ground for kids who aren't academic enough for the other Scottish universities (or the English ones).

As I said originally, completely unheralded in the UK. And yet, for digital logic, Silicon Valley likes it so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Per rankings above, Bath is one that never gets talked about here.

My guess, unfortunately, is that the name of the school affects the way Americans perceive the university.
DCUM’s families from CT or DC cant possibly have a discussion in their circles about their kid going to Bath….just doesn’t sound right, so they all avoid it….

Did you just think this up? It doesn't really seem viable.

It seems completely reasonable to me. Attending a British university instead of an American (or even Canadian) institution is a sizable logistical & paperwork hassle.

If you’re going to go through that, you usually want to end up with a name on your resume that sounds somewhat distinguished. I would guess plenty of people in the US and abroad avoid Rice, Ball State, Slippery Rock, & Tufts for similar reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Per rankings above, Bath is one that never gets talked about here.

My guess, unfortunately, is that the name of the school affects the way Americans perceive the university.
DCUM’s families from CT or DC cant possibly have a discussion in their circles about their kid going to Bath….just doesn’t sound right, so they all avoid it….

Did you just think this up? It doesn't really seem viable.

It seems completely reasonable to me. Attending a British university instead of an American (or even Canadian) institution is a sizable logistical & paperwork hassle.

If you’re going to go through that, you usually want to end up with a name on your resume that sounds somewhat distinguished. I would guess plenty of people in the US and abroad avoid Rice, Ball State, Slippery Rock, & Tufts for similar reasons.

Paperwork hassle? Let me introduce you to UCAS. You fill in one form and you pay 28 pounds and you've applied to 5 colleges. Everything goes through them, sometimes the colleges ask for AP certificates / SAT score transcripts. They may want the 1 recommendation letter required to go on letter head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Per rankings above, Bath is one that never gets talked about here.

My guess, unfortunately, is that the name of the school affects the way Americans perceive the university.
DCUM’s families from CT or DC cant possibly have a discussion in their circles about their kid going to Bath….just doesn’t sound right, so they all avoid it….

Did you just think this up? It doesn't really seem viable.

It seems completely reasonable to me. Attending a British university instead of an American (or even Canadian) institution is a sizable logistical & paperwork hassle.

If you’re going to go through that, you usually want to end up with a name on your resume that sounds somewhat distinguished. I would guess plenty of people in the US and abroad avoid Rice, Ball State, Slippery Rock, & Tufts for similar reasons.

Paperwork hassle? Let me introduce you to UCAS. You fill in one form and you pay 28 pounds and you've applied to 5 colleges. Everything goes through them, sometimes the colleges ask for AP certificates / SAT score transcripts. They may want the 1 recommendation letter required to go on letter head.

I dont think the PP was a talking about paperwork as in applications….clearly PP doesnt know what it takes, but yes there is more than just applying. Living abroad for 3-4 years for most Americans is not as easy as moving to another state. It is for us since my husband is Italian, we have family all over the world, kids grew up flying everywhere spending time everywhere and have two passports. This is not the case for most Americans. SO i understand. Insurance, logistics, etc. I agree it is worth it. But I understand the commentary about not wanting a perceived “weird name”on your resume by your “limited” social circles….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am about to start an MA at Bristol in Sept. But it does not include the innovation.

This is a long thread and I see on this page LSE has been mentioned.

50% of undergrads are from overseas, 70% overall students (under & post) are from overseas.

It is also hugely more prestigious than UCL and Kings London.

One of the best places to guage quality of courses and institution (rankings) is The Complete University Guide. Priceless tool for anyone considering sending their kids to the UK to study.

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

The one you mentioned plus

Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-inte...de-2025-the-rankings
Times: https://www.thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings/league-table

The Times is ok, but a very right wing publication so to be taken with a pinch of salt
The Guardian is completely useless because it is entirely based on student satisfaction surveys which do not get answers from every single student and anyway, student "satisfaction" is not an arbiter of success.

I get the Guardian angle. They make a different set of rankings that include a lot of Student satisfaction data, which is a good thing. Why be a copy cat. By providing a different view, it allows students to put the propert weight on each of these rankings.
As far as the time being conservative, what does this have to do with their rankings? Their rankings are the most established in UK society as they are the oldest ones. at least all of the 3 are pretty transparent about how they rank. It is up to you the parent and your kids to evaluate them for what they are worth.

I do like that in the UK all of these rankings are really undergraduate focused. Whoever averaged the 3 rankings earlier did a great job. You combined the more academic rankings (2/3) with the more student satisfaction rankings (1/3) to come up with a fairly decent ranking.
Thanks. It has been posted earlier. There are 3 different league tables used in the UK.

average of all 3 look about right for an undergrad:

1. **University of Oxford** - 2.0
2. **University of St Andrews** - 2.67
3. **University of Cambridge** - 2.67
4. **London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)** - 2.67
5. **Imperial College London** - 5.33
6. **Durham University** - 6.0
7. **University of Bath** - 7.67
8. **University College London (UCL)** - 8.33
9. **Loughborough University** - 8.67
10. **University of Warwick** - 9.17
11. **Lancaster University** - 11.17
12. **University of Aberdeen** - 13.0
13. **University of Bristol** - 14.0
14. **University of Exeter** - 14.67
15. **University of Sheffield** - 17.33

One of these 3, I think the Complete U Guide league tables will be released end of the month for 2026….will be interesting to see if there are any changes….

[Anonymous]

Complete university guide 2026 is out:

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings