Which UK university ranks highest in QS World University Rankings 2026?

Imperial College London is the highest-ranked UK university in QS World University Rankings 2026.

How many UK universities are in the QS World University Rankings 2026 ranking?

89 UK universities are ranked in the QS World University Rankings 2026 league table.

Where can I find the official QS World University Rankings methodology?

The official methodology for the QS World University Rankings is published at https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings.

QS World University Rankings — 2026

QS World ranks ~1,500 universities globally using a blend of academic and employer reputation surveys, citations, faculty/student ratios, and international outlook.

89 UK universities in this world ranking · data refreshed 21 May 2026

Showing 89 universities

Rank	University	Score
TEF S · #2	Imperial College London Research quality Courses	99.4
#4	University of Oxford Research quality Courses	97.9
#6	University of Cambridge Research quality Courses	97.2
#9	UCL (University College London) Research quality Courses	95.8
#31	King's College London, University of London Research quality Courses	88.3
#34	The University of Edinburgh Research quality Courses	87.2
#35	University of Manchester Research quality Courses	86.4
#51	University of Bristol Research quality Courses	82.5
#56	London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London Research quality Courses	80.5
#74	University of Warwick Research quality Courses	75.2
#76	University of Birmingham Research quality Courses	73.8
#79	University of Glasgow Research quality Courses	73.4
#86	University of Leeds Research quality Courses	72.0
#87	University of Southampton Research quality Courses	71.2
#92	University of Sheffield Research quality Courses	70.9
#97	University of Nottingham Research quality Courses	69.4
#113	University of St Andrews Research quality Courses	66.4
#137	Newcastle University Research quality Courses	63.9
#157	Lancaster University Research quality Courses	61.4
#169	University of York Research quality Courses	59.4
#181	Cardiff University Research quality Courses	57.8
#225	Loughborough University Research quality Courses	53.3
#278	University of Sussex Research quality Courses	47.9
#292	Swansea University Research quality Courses	46.2
#326	University of Leicester Research quality Courses	42.9
#374	Oxford Brookes University Research quality Courses	40.0
#524	University of Huddersfield Research quality Courses	31.2
#550	Northumbria University, Newcastle Research quality Courses	30.0
741-750	Aberystwyth University Research quality Courses	—
=395	Aston University, Birmingham Research quality Courses	38.1
=566	Bangor University Research quality Courses	29.3
=388	Birkbeck, University of London Research quality Courses	38.5
1001-1200	Birmingham City University Research quality Courses	—
801-850	Bournemouth University Research quality Courses	—
721-730	Bristol, UWE Research quality Courses	—
=385	Brunel University of London Research quality Courses	39.1
1201-1400	Canterbury Christ Church University Research quality Courses	—
=310	City (City St George's, University of London) Research quality Courses	44.5
=558	Coventry University Research quality Courses	29.5
801-850	De Montfort University Research quality Courses	—
=94	Durham University Research quality Courses	70.1
851-900	Edinburgh Napier University Research quality Courses	—
1001-1200	Glasgow Caledonian University Research quality Courses	—
711-720	Goldsmiths, University of London Research quality Courses	—
1401+	Harper Adams University Research quality Courses	—
=287	Heriot-Watt University Research quality Courses	46.8
801-850	Keele University Research quality Courses	—
=660	Kingston University Research quality Courses	26.5
1001-1200	Leeds Beckett University Research quality Courses	—
851-900	Liverpool John Moores University Research quality Courses	—

How QS World University Rankings is calculated

QS weights academic reputation (~30%), employer reputation (~15%), citations per faculty, faculty/student ratio, international faculty/student ratios, employment outcomes, and sustainability.

Official methodology →