Overview

• LSE ranks first for a second year, St Andrews holds second, and Durham rises to third as Oxford and Cambridge place joint fourth for the first time in the guide’s 32-year run.
• Durham is named University of the Year 2026, with the guide highlighting improved teaching quality, student experience and graduate outcomes.
• Regional honors include Cardiff as Welsh University of the Year and Strathclyde as Scottish University of the Year as well as UK runner-up University of the Year.
• Reading takes the inaugural University of the Year for Bursaries and Scholarships for a scheme offering £6,000 a year to up to 400 students through its Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship.
• UEA drops to 40th and Norwich University of the Arts falls to 104th, in a guide assessing 133 universities on measures such as satisfaction, teaching, research, sustainability and graduate prospects.