85% of Aralia Students Place in Top Writing Competitions
1. The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide
The Times is one of Britain’s most respected daily national newspapers, delivering comprehensive news coverage and sharp commentaries on politics, business, culture, and global affairs. Its sister paper, The Sunday Times, is published weekly and is known for its investigative journalism and in-depth analyses and think pieces. Both papers are widely recognized for their quality journalism.
When it comes to education, The Times and The Sunday Times have long played a critical role in ranking the UK’s top universities. The Good University Guide, first published by The Times in 1993 and joined by The Sunday Times in 1998, is the longest-running and most established university league table in the UK. The guide evaluates institutions using a variety of metrics, including student satisfaction, entry standards, research quality, sustainability efforts, and graduate employment prospects.
This ranking has become an annual fixture that many families, students, and follow closely.
2. The Method Behind the Rankings
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide takes a comprehensive approach, combining multiple measures to assess each university. Here are the key factors that go into the rankings:
- Student Satisfaction: Split into two parts—teaching quality and overall student experience. This metric is based on final-year students’ feedback from the National Student Survey (NSS).
- Research Quality: Drawn from the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), which rates the originality and impact of research at UK universities.
- Entry Standards: Measured by the average UCAS tariff points of first-year students (based on A-levels, IB scores, or equivalent qualifications). This indicates how academically selective a university is.
- Graduate Prospects: Tracks what graduates are doing 15 months after leaving university, particularly whether they are in high-skilled jobs or further study.
- Firsts and 2:1 Degrees: Looks at the percentage of students graduating with top honors, a First or an Upper Second (2:1).
- Continuation Rates: Measures how many students stay in higher education after their first year, whether at the same university or another UK institution.
- Sustainability (People & Planet): Assesses how universities are performing on environmental and ethical issues. Indicators include carbon reduction, recycling, renewable energy use, and campus policies on sustainability.
- Social Inclusion: Provides insight into the diversity of the student body and the fairness of admissions, considering factors like representation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
3. Big Changes in This Year’s Top 20 Best Universities in the UK
The 2026 results mark a turning point in UK higher education rankings. For the second year in a row, the London School of Economics (LSE) takes the number one spot, cementing its position as the UK’s top university. The University of St Andrews maintains its hold on second place, continuing to score exceptionally high in student experience and academic rigor.
The real story this year, however, is Durham University’s leap to third place. Climbing from fifth last year, Durham was even named University of the Year 2026. According to the compilers of the guide, Durham outshone many Russell Group rivals and tied for second place nationally in terms of graduate employment, narrowly behind Imperial College London.
The most striking shift in this year’s ranking is that Oxford and Cambridge have both been pushed down to joint fourth place. For most people, these two universities are the first names that come to mind when thinking about UK higher education; they are the very symbols of academic excellence. However, for the first time in 32 years, both universities find themselves just below the top three. Despite this shift, both universities still remain academic giants, with Cambridge ranked first in 14 subjects in the table (more than any other UK university) and Oxford named Medical School of the Year. This new development may encourage both institutions to reflect on how they can better meet evolving expectations around teaching quality and the overall student experience.
Another major success story is the University of Strathclyde soaring from 20th place last year to 11th place this year. Meanwhile, Imperial College London, University of Bath, and University of Warwick rounded out the top 10. Newcomers to the top 20 include the University of Birmingham, the University of Liverpool, and King’s College London, ranked 16th, 17th, and 19th, respectively. Their rise meant that the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen, and the University of Edinburgh slipped out of the top 20 this year.
This year’s rankings show a clear shift: tradition is no longer the only factor that matters. Student satisfaction, sustainability efforts, and graduate employability now carry greater weight, allowing universities that excel in these areas to climb higher in the ranking, even surpassing established institutions like Oxford and Cambridge.
4. Top 20 Best Universities in the UK 2026
According to the Good University Guide by The Times and The Sunday Times, underneath will be the top 20 universities of the UK in 2026:
2026 Ranking | 2025 Ranking | University | Score |
1 | 1 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) | 1000 |
2 | 2 | University of St Andrews | 933 |
3 | 5 | Durham University | 906 |
4 | 3 | University of Oxford | 903 |
4 | 4 | University of Cambridge | 903 |
6 | 6 | Imperial College London | 890 |
7 | 8 | University of Bath | 861 |
8 | 9 | University of Warwick | 839 |
9 | 7 | University College London (UCL) | 837 |
10 | 11 | University of Bristol | 814 |
11 | 20 | University of Strathclyde | 803 |
12 | 10 | University of Glasgow | 802 |
13 | 14 | University of Edinburgh | 800 |
14 | 13 | University of Exeter | 790 |
15 | 12 | University of York | 775 |
16 | 22 | University of Lancaster | 765 |
17 | 19 | University of Southampton | 763 |
18 | 23 | University of Sheffield | 749 |
19 | 24 | University of Leeds | 748 |
20 | 17 | King’s College London (KCL) | 742 |
For the full ranking, you can visit the League table published in The Times.
The drop of Oxford and Cambridge in the 2026 ranking mirrors a broader shift we’ve already seen in U.S. higher education, where Ivy League schools are no longer the automatic first choice for students, many of whom now gravitate toward the “New Ivies” universities. While Oxford and Cambridge remain academic giants, their fall from the top three highlights a changing reality: prestige alone is no longer enough to secure dominance. Students today are placing greater value on teaching quality, employability, and the overall university experience, a trend shaping higher education not just in the UK, but globally.
College Application Essay Writing Program
COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY WRITING PROGRAM Craft college admission essays that get you noticed Our expert-guided programs help students write application essays that will stand out
Competition Preparation
Preparation that wins awards Aralia helps students prepare for top academic competitions. Our students have earned national and international awards in writing, research, and subject-based
