London university overtakes Oxford and Cambridge for first time in new league table
Imperial College London was named The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year 2027, and also claimed the University of the Year for Graduate Employment 2027 and the Medical School of the Year 2027.
In the main academic rankings, Imperial rose three places from sixth to third, just behind the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in second place.
The London School of Economics came in second in the main academic rankings
It is just the second time that Cambridge and Oxford are out of the top three in the guide’s 33-year history, as they came fourth and fifth respectively.
Imperial, located in South Kensington, was also named Highly Commended Russell Group University of the Year 2027 and Runner-up London University of the Year 2027.
St Andrews was also awarded Scottish University of the Year 2027 and Runner-up University of the Year for Teaching Quality 2027.
Helen Davies, the editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “Intellectual vigour, innovation, inspiration and ambition are alive and well on university campuses across the UK. As I edit this guide, I never fail to be energised by the optimism, scholarship and cutting-edge discoveries that burnish our leading higher education institutions.
“What shines through more than ever this year is an emphasis on preparing students for future careers. Universities have tailored their campuses to suit hands-on learning with mock court rooms, simulations of clinical settings — some even serve the public — and trading floors.
“But, for this next generation of students and the higher education sector at large, this is a challenging time with institutions struggling with their own finances, and the toughest graduate jobs market in more than a decade. There are hard questions to ask: can I afford it? What will I get from a degree? Is it worth it?
“This is where our guide comes in. We are here to help, whether it is about deciding what subject to study, where to go, or how student loans really work.”
London Rankings 2027
London Ranking | National Ranking | University |
1 | 2 | London School of Economics and Political Science |
2 | 3 | Imperial College London |
3 | 14 | University College London |
4 | 29 | King’s College London |
5 | 33 | Royal Holloway, University of London |
6 | 36 | Queen Mary University of London |
7 | =44 | University of the Arts London |
8 | 56 | City St George's, University of London |
9 | 58 | University of East London |
10 | =75 | University of West London |
11 | =78 | Kingston University |
12 | 82 | Goldsmiths, University of London |
13 | =84 | University of Roehampton |
14 | 91 | Middlesex University |
15 | 94 | London South Bank University |
16 | 101 | University of Greenwich |
17 | =107 | University of Westminster |
18 | 112 | SOAS University of London |
19 | 113 | St Mary's University, Twickenham |
20 | 116 | Brunel University of London |
21 | 120 | London Metropolitan University |
National Top 10
National Rank | University | 2026 Rank |
1 | University of St Andrews | 2 |
2 | London School of Economics and Political Science | 1 |
3 | Imperial College London | 6 |
4 | University of Cambridge | =4 |
5 | University of Oxford | =4 |
6 | Durham University | 3 |
7 | University of Warwick | 8 |
8 | University of Bath | 7 |
9 | University of Strathclyde | 11 |
10 | University of Bristol | 10 |
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.