Cambridge breaks into world’s top three in prestigious university rankings
The University of Oxford has led the strong performance of UK institutions by securing the top spot in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 for an unprecedented tenth consecutive year.
Also on the prestigious list, Cambridge University rose from fifth to third place in 2025, while Imperial College London also rose one place to eighth.
In total, 11 UK universities were ranked in the global top 10.
Compiled annually since 2004, the rankings analyze approximately 19 million research articles, 1.5 million survey votes and data from more than 30,000 universities.
Factors include teaching and research reputation, strength, and diverse revenue streams. Of the 2,191 institutions in the global rankings, 109 were from the UK.
Thirteen improved their positions, 64 maintained their rankings in 2025, and 28 experienced a decline.
This is the first time since 2016 that fewer than 50 universities in the UK have made it into the top 500, although the number is just below that at 49.
THE said the UK was fourth in the rankings for the most represented country, behind the US, India and Japan.
THE said the UK performed well in terms of teaching reputation and research excellence, but saw a decline in research strength scores and a student-staff ratio rising from 16.8 to 20.5 students per teacher.
THE said these rate figures “predate the latest developments in the UK higher education funding crisis, but the rate is likely to worsen as employment cuts continue and institutions are defrauded of resources.”
The University of Leeds had its best ever year, rising from 123rd to 118th, while the University of Liverpool rose from 160th to 143rd.
City St George’s, University of London, which merged last year, was among the top three new mergers included in the rankings, ranking in the 351-400 range.
On the other hand, both the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of Political Science and Warwick saw their worst performances in these rankings. The former fell out of the top 50 to 52nd place, and the latter fell from 106th to 122nd place.
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 ranked the London School of Economics and Political Science first in the country for the second year in a row in September.
A spokesman for the LSE said universities specializing in social sciences would be disadvantaged by some ranking methodologies if they preferred “broader institutions with science, engineering and medical schools”.
Phil Baty, THE’s head of global affairs, said: “This year’s rankings highlight a striking and accelerating trend: the shift in the balance of power in research and higher education excellence from the established, dominant institutions of the West to the rising stars of the East.
“While the United States and most of Western Europe are experiencing a serious loss in the world rankings, East Asian countries, led by China, continue to develop and rise.
“This clear trend will continue as research funding and the attraction of international talent continue to be hindered in the West.”
Apart from three UK institutions, the rest of THE global top 10 consists entirely of US universities; Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranks second and Princeton University ranks third along with Cambridge. The US also dominates most of the top 30.
Elsewhere in the world, Ireland’s top-ranked university, Trinity College Dublin, fell in its rankings from 139th to 173rd, its worst performance.
A spokesperson for Trinity College Dublin said the university remained the top-ranked Irish university in this ranking and others and that “fluctuations should be expected” given the list of universities covered by the ranking increases each year.
“It is important to note that the methodologies differ and the latest 2026 QS World University Rankings improved Trinity’s position in the world to 75th,” they added.
Universities in China ranked 12th and 13th, while the National University of Singapore ranked 17th and the University of Tokyo rose two places to 26th.
