Imperial College London has toppled Oxford and Cambridge as the highest-performing UK university in a global ranking for the first time.
It rose from sixth to second place in the QS Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, while Oxford remained third and Cambridge fell from second place to fifth.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) led the annual global table, the same as last year.
• Visas must lure the best graduates not drive them away
This year is the first time in ten years that neither Oxford nor Cambridge has taken the top spot among the UK universities; Imperial was previously joint second with Cambridge, ten years ago.
Advertisement
Harvard was in fourth place and UCL was ninth, the same as last year — meaning the UK had four in the top ten — however, many other British universities slipped down the rankings.
This year, of the 90 British universities ranked by QS, 20 had improved their position since last year but 52 universities’ positions dropped while those of 18 remained stable.
China had two universities in the top 20 — Peking up from 17th to 14th and Tsinghua rose from 25th to 20th place. Singapore and Australia each had two in the highest 20.
QS said Imperial’s improved position in the table was due to its research performance, employability scores and sustainability commitment.
It said, however, that higher education in Britain was struggling in the face of funding shortages and ambiguity facing the status of international students.
Advertisement
Jessica Turner, QS’s chief executive, said: “In the decade since Imperial College London was last crowned the United Kingdom’s leading university, the country’s sector has relentlessly continued to achieve world-leading performances despite the turbulence the country has faced, producing world-leading research and remaining one of the globe’s premier study destinations.
“However, this year’s results suggest that British higher education has limited capacity remaining to continue excelling in the face of funding shortages, drops in student applications, and ambiguity about the status of international students.
“Whatever the result of July’s election, the next government must make a properly resourced, continually championed higher education sector an urgent priority. It is one of the UK’s great assets and achievements and must be maintained accordingly.”
Alumni of Imperial include Sir Brian May, Alexander Fleming and HG Wells.
• The Times view on substandard degrees: University Challenge
Advertisement
Professor Hugh Brady, president of Imperial College London, said: “Imperial’s ranking is a testament to the quality and commitment of our entire community.
“It is inspiring to see our students, staff and partners come together every day to interrogate the forces that shape our world and address the challenges facing humanity and our planet.”
The full rankings feature 1,500 universities in more than 100 countries. The rankings include insights from 175,798 academics and 105,476 employers.
Universities were assessed on their international reputation, teaching capacity, sustainability, graduates’ employability, research collaboration and levels of international collaboration.
Edinburgh University was rated 27th best, Manchester University was joint 34th, King’s College London was joint 40th and London School of Economics was joint 50th.
Advertisement
Others in the top 100 include Bristol, Warwick, Glasgow, Birmingham, Southampton, Leeds and Durham.
