The central London university that has been named one of the 8 best in the world for 2026

Is going to uni still worth it? Well, while students face a rough job market and extremely high debts, the answer is much more firmly ‘yes’ if you get a degree from a top institution. Fortunately for prospective students in the UK, several of the planet’s best unis are in Britain – in fact, several are right here in the capital. 

The annual World University Ranking by Times Higher Education (THE) is one of the most respected uni league tables out there. The study uses a complex rating system which looks at the three main factors: research, teaching and impact. Each of those is broken down into key criteria, with 18 total factors forming each institution’s overall score.

The 2026 edition of THE’s World University Ranking has just been released, and there are three UK unis in the top 10. Two of them are predictably Oxford and Cambridge (with the former being named the planet’s best university), but one London institution also featured: Imperial College London. 

Imperial was named the eighth best university in the world by Times Higher Education, jumping up one spot from its place in last year’s ranking. The university scored 94.7 out of a possible 100 points, particularly excelling in the ‘research environment’ and ‘international outlook’ fields. Imperial’s best subject is medicine, for which it ranks fourth best in the world.

The next London institute to feature in THE’s list was University College London (UCL) in 22nd place. UCL’s biggest assets are its research quality, which was awarded 97.6 points, and its international outlook, which got 97.5. The university received an overall score of 87.5. King’s College London, at 38th, was the third and final London university in the Times Higher Education global top 50.

The best universities in the UK for 2026, according to Times Higher Education

Here are the top 10 universities in Britain for 2026 according to THE, including the international ranking for each one.

1. University of Oxford, 1
2. University of Cambridge, 3
3. Imperial College London, 8
4. UCL, 22
5. University of Edinburgh, 29
6. King’s College London, 38
7. London School of Economics (LSE), 52
8. University of Manchester, 56
9. University of Bristol, 80
10. University of Glasgow, 84

You can find the full 2026 edition of Times Higher Education’s World University Ranking here.

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