These are the UK universities which rank the highest in the 2021 world league table

The best universities in the world have been named in a new list for 2021, with institutions across the UK slumping in the league table for the fourth consecutive year. Almost three quarters of the country’s universities have slipped down the rankings, marking the worst ever performance for the UK in the international table. Why has UK performance dropped? The world rankings list is compiled by data and research group QS. Its methodology is based on employer and academic reputation, class size, research output and international and student numbers, and is recognised as one of the most highly regarded international league tables in the world. While the University of Oxford continued its reign as the best in the UK, the institution dropped from fourth to fifth place in the 2020 list. University College London slipped two places to clinch its place in the top 10, while Cambridge University held on to its seventh place position. Imperial College London climbed one place to rank in eighth, and the University of Edinburgh rounded out the top 20, retaining its place as 20th in the world. A total of 66 of the UK’s 84 ranked universities saw their staff to student ratio decline - 59 said they had a drop in research citations. A further 51 institutions noted a fall in the number of international students. Compilers of the rankings attributed the falls to poor teaching and delicining research impact. QS director of research, Ben Sowter, said the lower rankings in the UK mirror those in North American and European countries, as a result of increasing investment in higher education in other parts of the world. Sowter suggested Brexit, financial uncertainty and rapid expansion all contributed to the falls in the UK, and recommended more investment in teaching capacity to help rankings improve. He said: “Investment in teaching capacity would serve the British higher education sector well, and help it to regain lost ground. “So, too, would concerted efforts to ensure that Britain continues to remain an attractive place for talented academics and students to study in the future, and a national desire to continue collaborating with our European and global partners on transformative research projects. “Increases in student numbers need to come alongside sufficient increases in teaching capacity, without which there is an increased likelihood that teaching quality will suffer. The University of Bristol is one UK institution that has faced criticism from its local council for rapid expansion, and slipped outside of the top 50 for the first time this year, falling nine places to rank in 58th place. The remaining UK universities rounding out the top 50 include the London School of Economics, which fell five places to 49th, King’s College London, which rose to 31st, and the University of Manchester which ranked in 27th. Which university is the best in the world? Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the number one spot for the ninth year, with Stanford University taking second place, followed by Harvard University, both of which kept their previous rankings. Asian universities also had their best performance yet, with 26 featuring in the top 100 in the world, including institutes in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. What are the UK rankings for 2020? These are the top universities in the UK, according to the QS World University Rankings 2021. University of Oxford World rank: 5 University of Cambridge World rank: 7 Imperial College London World rank: 8 University College London World rank: 10 The University of Edinburgh World rank: 20 The University of Manchester World rank: 27 King’s College London World rank: 31 The London School of Economics and Political Science World rank: 49 University of Bristol World rank: 58 The University of Warwick World rank: 62 University of Glasgow World rank: 77 Durham University World rank: 86 University of Birmingham World rank: 87 University of Southampton World rank: 90 University of Leeds World rank: 91 University of Sheffield World rank: 93 University of St Andrews World rank: 96 University of Nottingham World rank: 99 Queen Mary University of London World rank: 114 Lancaster University World rank: 135 University of York World rank: 150 Newcastle University World rank: 152 Cardiff University World rank: 159 The University of Exeter World rank: 164 University of Bath World rank: 173 University of Liverpool World rank: 181 University of Reading World rank: 205 University of Aberdeen World rank: 207 Queen’s University Belfast World rank: 209 Loughborough University World rank: 226 University of Leicester World rank: 242 University of Sussex World rank: 246 University of Surrey World rank: 267 University of Strathclyde World rank: 300 Heriot-Watt University World rank: 301 Royal Holloway University of London World rank: 308 University of Dundee World rank: 319 University of East Anglia World rank: 333 Birbeck, University of London World rank: 344 SOAS University of London World rank: 346 City, University of London World rank: 350 Brunel University London World rank: 368 University of Kent World rank: 380 Oxford Brookes University World rank: 383 University of Essex World rank: 411 Goldsmiths, University of London World rank: 416 Swansea University World rank: 474 Aberystwyth University World rank: 485 University of Stirling World rank: 485 Aston University World rank: 511-520 Coventry University World rank: 541-550 Kingston University, London World rank: 581-590 Bangor University World rank: 601-650 Ulster University World rank: 601-650 University of Bradford World rank: 601-650 University of Hull World rank: 601-650 University of Portsmouth World rank: 601-650 Northumbria University at Newcastle World rank: 651-700 University of Plymouth World rank: 651-700 University of Westminster World rank: 651-700 Keele University World rank: 701-750 Middlesex University World rank: 701-750 University of Greenwich World rank: 701-750 University of Huddersfield World rank: 701-750 Bournemouth University World rank: 751-800 London South Bank University World rank: 751-800 Nottingham Trent University World rank: 751-800 Birmingham City University World rank: 801-1000 De Montford University World rank: 801-1000 Edinburgh Napier University World rank: 801-1000 Glasgow Caledonian University World rank: 801-1000 Liverpool John Moores University World rank: 801-1000 London Metropolitan University World rank: 801-1000 Manchester Metropolitan University World rank: 801-1000 Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh World rank: 801-1000 Sheffield Hallam University World rank: 801-1000 Robert Gordon University World rank: 801-1000 University of Brighton World rank: 801-1000 University of Central Lancashire World rank: 801-1000 University of East London World rank: 801-1000 University of Hertfordshire World rank: 801-1000 University of Lincoln World rank: 801-1000 University of Salford World rank: 801-1000 University of the West of England World rank: 801-1000