The UK is home to some of the world’s most prestigious universities. Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, LSE, UCL, Imperial, Edinburgh… Who doesn’t know these legendary universities? Attending one of these first-rate establishments means entering an international and innovative environment, and benefiting from an educational system proven by decades, even centuries, of academic excellence. Interested in applying to a prestigious university in the UK? To help you make up your mind, Your Dream School presents three versions of the top 10 UK universities of 2019.
QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education (THE) and The Guardian: three rankings for three different methodologies.
Listing the best higher education establishments in the UK is a complex exercise, which follows a rigorous protocol. Various institutes regularly take part in the game, and each year publish a ranking of the UK’s top universities. Each institute applies its own methodology and relies on the performance indicators it deems essential. The Guardian: In its ranking of the 120 best universities in the UK, the renowned British daily The Guardian focuses on the criteria most decisive for students, including :
- The quality of our teaching
- Opinions of students who have attended the school
- Career opportunities and speed of integration into the job market
- Tuition fees
- Proportion of students per teacher
- Percentage of students admitted to 2nd year
However, this ranking does not take into account research published by universities, as The Guardian considers this to be of little interest to students.
Times Higher Education (THE) :
Each year, the Times Higher Education magazine publishes a ranking of the 100 best British universities, based on a methodology that takes into account the following factors thirteen performance indicators grouped into five categories:
- Quality of teaching and learning environment
- International perspectives to evaluate the ratio of international professors and students within the institution, as well as the number of research papers written or co-authored by a foreign author, and published by the University.
- Citations, enabling us to assess the impact and influence of our publications, both nationally and internationally.
- Research, taking into account not only the number of works published, but also the reputation of the establishment and its recognition in the UK and beyond.
- Knowledge transfer, to measure the University’s impact on industry, and assess its ability to provide innovative, high-performance solutions to the problems faced by companies.
QS World University Rankings :
Visit QS World University Rankings provides an annual ranking of the UK’s top universities, based on six major criteria, including :
- The University’s academic reputation
- Employer awareness of the establishment
- Percentage of international faculty and students
Now, here’s a summary table of the top 10 UK Universities in 2019, according to each of the aforementioned methodologies.
| Rank : | The Guardian : | THE : | QS : |
| 1 | Cambridge University | Oxford University | Oxford University |
| 2 | Oxford University | Cambridge University | Cambridge University |
| 3 | University of St Andrews | Imperial College London | Imperial College London |
| 4 | Loughborough University | UCL | UCL |
| 5 | Durham University | LSE | University of Edinburgh |
| 6 | University of Bath | University of Edinburgh | University of Manchester |
| 7 | Imperial College | King’s College London | King’s College London |
| 8 | University of Warwick | University of Manchester | LSE |
| 9 | Lancaster University | University of Bristol | University of Bristol |
| 10 | University of Leeds | University of Warwick | University of Warwick |
The Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings both list the same universities in their top 10, although their positions vary slightly. Thus, in both rankings, the top four places are occupied respectively by the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College of London and UCL. The reputation of British universities extends far beyond the borders of the UK, and the admissions committees of these prestigious institutions process an impressive number of applications every year. To increase your chances of getting into one of these top-ranked universities, call on Your Dream School’s admissions coaches! Thanks to a incomparable know-how and a unique method, the Your Dream School team will guide and support you throughout your Bachelor’s admissions process at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities: guidance and counselling, preparation for standardized testshelp you write your CV (or “resume“and your cover letter in English … Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or require further information. – Your Dream School, let’s make your dreams come true.
