University rankings 2026: best and worst unis revealed

It rates 130 UK universities based on four metrics – entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality and graduate prospects.

Highest UK university rankings 2026

5. Durham University – Overall score: 90%

Durham moves up two places from last year to crack into the top 5. Although it ranks well in all metrics, this is mainly due to the money it spent on facilities in the last academic year.

4. University of St Andrews – Overall score: 92%

From here, the rankings are the same from last year. St Andrews has 100% score for entry standards and an 83% student satisfaction rate but lags behind in research quality and graduate prospects.

3. London School of Economics – Overall score: 93%

78% student satisfaction keeps LSE in 3rd, though it performs strongly in the other rankings – particularly research quality and graduate prospects, where it came 2nd with 88% and 91% respectively.

2. University of Oxford – Overall score: 98%

Oxford narrowly misses out on 1st place, though it’s pretty much neck and neck. As expected, it scores very highly across the board – though it ranks 79th for its facilities spend.

1. University of Cambridge – Overall score: 100%

Cambridge pips Oxford for the top spot for another year. Although it shares Oxford’s 79% student satisfaction rate, it scores slightly higher in entry standards and research quality.

Lowest UK university rankings 2026

5. University of East London – Overall score: 35%

UEL has gone down in the rankings compared to last year. The uni ranks 7th in student satisfaction but performs poorly in the other metrics.

4. University of the West of Scotland – Overall score: 34%

It has risen one place in the table, though continues to gain low scores in most areas. It’s one of only two universities on the list that lacks any data for its student/staff ratio.

3. London Metropolitan University – Overall score: 33%

LMU also falls a place in the ranking, only just avoiding dropping another place. One contributing factor is that it has the 2nd-lowest entry standards in the table.

2. Wrexham University – Overall score: 33%

The last-place uni from last year has improved on its metrics. Despite its low scoring, particularly on research quality, it does have 83% student satisfaction, the same as St Andrews.

1. University of Bedfordshire – Overall score: 30%

Lastly, Bedfordshire replaces Wrexham as the lowest university in the table. It may be last in the overall rankings, with one of the lowest research intensities, but its student satisfaction rate is the same as Oxford’s.