Two of the top ten best universities in the world are in London, new rankings reveal today.
Imperial College London was named the eighth best university globally, and University College London came tenth in the QS World University Rankings.
The league table published today ranks the world’s top 1000 universities.
King’s College London also made it into the top 50, along with the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, said: “London remains one of the world’s leading higher education ecosystems. It is built on highly international faculty and student bodies, nurtures graduates that are coveted by employers, and produces over 40,000 academic papers a year across its universities.
“Its top universities remain relatively unscathed by the general decline that is affecting UK universities - both a consequence of, and a testament to, their resilience.”
The researchers found that London universities are characterised by high levels of international students. LSE, Imperial and UCL are among the 20 universities with the most international student bodies.
Overall, 18 London universities made it into the top 1000, with 12 dropping compared to last year and six improving their rank.
In the full list, almost three quarters of UK universities have fallen down the rankings, with 62 of the 84 ranked British institutions declining compared to last year.
There is record representation for Asian universities among the top 100, while America’s universities also continue to fall.
Researchers said the main reasons for the UK’s declining ranks are consistent decreases in teaching capacity and research impact.
Despite this year’s drops, the UK still retains 18 institutions among the global top-100, which is unchanged over the past five years.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was named the best university in the world, with Oxford fifth and Cambridge seventh.
Full league tables can be found at TopUniversities.com.
