Top 20 Universities
Here are listings of the top 20 universities in the UK that was compliled from the Times Higher Education Supplement (THE) research that's published each year in October.
The list is developed from asking for peer reviews, employer reviews, the faculty to student ratio, citations per faculty, number of international faculty and students.
Top 20 Worldwide Rankings 2017
Full information on how these are weighted are listed in the top universities in the world page.
Top 20 Universities in the UK Chart
| UK Rank | World Rank | University Name | Students | Score Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | 19,718 | 95.0% |
| 2 | 4 | University of Cambridge | 18,605 | 93.6% |
| 3 | 8 | Imperial College London | 15,236 | 90.0% |
| 4 | 15 | University College London | 28,602 | 86.5% |
| 5 | 25 | London School of Economics | 9,401 | 80.2% |
| 6 | 27 | University of Edinburgh | 25,279 | 79.2% |
| 7 | 36 | King's College London | 21,986 | 75.9% |
| 8 | 55 | University of Manchester | 34,015 | 69.7% |
| 9 | 71 | University of Bristol | 18,544 | 64.4% |
| 10 | 82= | Warwick University | 18,558 | 62.0% |
| 11 | 88 | University of Glasgow | 22,856 | 61.4% |
| 12 | 96= | Durham University | 15,705 | 60.6% |
| 13 | 109 | University of Sheffield | 23,961 | 59.1% |
| 14 | 110= | University of St Andrews | 8,453 | 58.9% |
| 15 | 113= | Queen Mary University of London | 14,502 | 58.7% |
| 16 | 121= | University of Southampton | 21,049 | 58.1% |
| 17 | 126= | University of Exeter | 18,233 | 57.9% |
| 18 | 129 | University of York | 14,676 | 57.7% |
| 19 | 130 | University of Birmingham | 26,362 | 57.9% |
| 20 | 82 | University of Leeds | 27,791 | 56.8% |
Source: THE best UK universities
The worse rated college in the UK is Sheffield Hallam University with a score of 8.3%.
About Cambridge University
Cambridge University is the second oldest university in the English speaking world, was founded in 1209, and based in Cambridgeshire England. The university has 31 separate colleges with over 9,000 staff teaching 18,000 students. The success rate of applicants is just 25%. It's currently ranked 2nd best in the UK, and 4th best in the world.
Top 20 Universities in the World Chart
Here are the current top 20 universities in the world according to their latest research.
| Rank | University Name | Students | Score Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oxford | 19,718 | 95.0% |
| 2 | California Institute of Technology | 2,181 | 94.3% |
| 3 | Stanford University | 15,658 | 93.8% |
| 4 | University of Cambridge | 18,605 | 93.6% |
| 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11,192 | 93.4% |
| 6 | Harvard University | 19,890 | 92.7% |
| 7 | Princeton University | 7,925 | 90.2% |
| 8 | Imperial College London | 15,236 | 90.0% |
| 9 | ETH Zurich | 18,616 | 89.3% |
| 10= | Berkeley University | 34,834 | 88.9% |
| 10= | University of Chicago | 13,486 | 88.9% |
| 12 | Yale University | 11,946 | 88.2% |
| 13 | University of Pennsylvania | 13,486 | 87.1% |
| 14 | Los Angeles University | 38,392 | 86.6% |
| 15 | University College London | 28,602 | 86.5% |
| 16 | Columbia University | 25,659 | 86.1% |
| 17 | Johns Hopkins University | 15,303 | 85.9% |
| 18 | Duke University | 15,204 | 84.7% |
| 19 | Cornell University | 21,593 | 84.6% |
| 20 | Northwestern University | 18,570 | 83.7% |
As you can see, the top 20 rankings are made up of universities mainly from the UK and America, with one in Switzerland. Here are further lists split by those countries.
Top 20 Universities in the USA Chart
| USA Rank | World Rank | University Name | Students | Score Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | California Institute of Technology | 2,181 | 94.3% |
| 2 | 3 | Stanford University | 15,658 | 93.8% |
| 3 | 5 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11,192 | 93.4% |
| 4 | 6 | Harvard University | 19,890 | 92.7% |
| 5 | 7 | Princeton University | 7,925 | 90.2% |
| 6 | 10= | Berkeley University | 34,834 | 88.9% |
| 7 | 10= | University of Chicago | 13,486 | 88.9% |
| 8 | 12 | Yale University | 11,946 | 88.2% |
| 9 | 13 | University of Pennsylvania | 20,367 | 87.1% |
| 10 | 14 | Los Angeles University | 38,392 | 86.6% |
| 11 | 16 | Columbia University | 25,659 | 86.1% |
| 12 | 17 | Johns Hopkins University | 15,303 | 85.9% |
| 13 | 18 | Duke University | 15,204 | 84.7% |
| 14 | 19 | Cornell University | 21,593 | 84.6% |
| 15 | 20 | Northwestern University | 18,570 | 83.7% |
| 16 | 21 | University of Michigan | 41,912 | 83.6% |
| 17 | 23 | Carnegie Mellon University | 12,311 | 81.8% |
| 18 | 25= | University of Washington | 45,162 | 80.2% |
| 19 | 32 | New York University | 43,021 | 76.7% |
| 20 | 33= | Georgia Institute of Technology | 19,847 | 76.3% |
The worse rated college in the UK is University of Southern Mississippi with a score of 8.3%.
About Harvard University
Harvard University is the oldest institute of higher learning in the USA founded in 1636 and named after its first benefactor, John Harvard. The main base is Cambridge Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. The campus has the largest library system in the world with 79 different types available. It's currently ranked 4th best in the USA and 6th best in the world.
Source: THE top US universities
The results are published each October so watch out for the new top 20 universities in the UK, USA and the world from the THE site which is linked to on the page with the top world wide universities listings