A new international league table reveals that Imperial has
ended years of Oxbridge dominance, and risen from sixth place to second in the
world – behind only Massachusetts Institute of Tehcnology (MIT) in the United States.
The University of Oxford was ranked third and Cambridge
fifth, while University College Londoncame ninth in the 2025 QS World
University Ranking – meaning four of the top ten global universities are
British.
Imperial’s rise up the rankings was put down to its world
leading research, outstanding employabilityscores and an exceptional commitment
to sustainability.
A decade ago Imperial was ranked joint second in the world
with Cambridge, but this is the first time it stands alone as top UK
university.
Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial, 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.”
But the league table also shows that more than half of the
UK universities have declined in rank – including Cambridge which slipped from
second place to fifth.It comes as increasing numbers of UK universities face
funding shortages and there is ambiguity over the status of international
students.
Jessica Turner, QS CEO, 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.”
She added: “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.”
This year’s QS World University Rankings are the largest
ever, featuring 1500 universities across 106 higher education systems.
There are 90 UK universities in this year’s league table,
making it the second-most represented location, behind the US (197) and above
China (71). Fifteen British institutions were ranked in the world’s top 100,
two fewer than in last year’s edition.
King’ s College London was ranked 40th in the
world – the same as last year, while the London School of Economics and
Political Science (LSE) came 50th – down from 45th last
year.
The University of Birmingham was ranked 80th this
year, a rise from last year’s 84th place. Other UK Universities in
the top 100 include Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Warwick, Glasgow,
Southampton, Leeds and Durham.
Universities were ranked according to their performance in
different areas, including international reputation, teaching capacity,
sustainability, employability, research collaboration.
UK universities achieved the most improvement in the
‘International Research Network’ category – the only category in which most UK
universities improved.
The UK saw the greatest overall drop in employment outcomes.
Its strongest area was its ‘International Student Ratio’, in which it achieved
the world’s second-highest average score among countries with ten or more
ranked universities.
But a spokeswoman for the league table said while the UK
remains one of the world’s most attractive study destinations, the headwinds
facing the sector are changing.
QS CEO Ms Turner said: “It is unsurprising that the
Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has urged the government to maintain its
visa policy for students, allowing international graduates to stay for two
years post-study for work experience. However, the report suggests that both
recent policy changes and the perception of further restrictions have served to
deter international students from seeking to study in the UK. This is also
evidenced by a 63 per cent drop in deposits for the visa in September 2024
compared to the previous year.
“Declining international student numbers place financial strain on universities and the wider UK economy, but the negative impact of any enduring decline will be as much cultural and intellectual as economic.”
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