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University is an enormous financial, effort and time commitment, and choosing one that is the right fit for you - and your future aspirations - isn’t always easy.
It has now been a few weeks since this year’s A Level results day, where sixth form leavers hoping to head off to university this month found out whether they had achieved the grades they needed to land any conditional offers - or whether they’d have to navigate Clearing. This process is still ongoing, and for most institutions, freshers week is now mere weeks away.
Whether you’re in Clearing, weighing up an offer to accept, or you’re a prospective student looking ahead for next year, there are all sorts of factors to consider when it comes to making a final decision on where to study. That is why browsing a range of university league tables, each of which compare them based on different metrics, can be so useful - whether it be a local one like The Guardian or The Sunday Times lists, or an international one like U.S. News & World Report.
UK-based higher education analytics company Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is one of the firms that publishes an annual global university ranking, one of the most highly-viewed in the world. It uses a detailed methodology which it says is “based on a variety of factors that matter to students”, covering everything from the university’s academic reputation, to employment outcomes for recent graduates, to the university’s global engagement - and even takes its sustainability into consideration.
Its newest global top 100 universities list for the upcoming 2026 academic year is out now, and has already been searched by more than 10 million prospective students and other curious browsers. We’ve taken a closer look at which universities from the dozens dotted right across the UK made the top 100, including one high-scoring institution which managed to land second place.
Here were all 17 of the UK universities that made the list:
13. University of Leeds
As its name might suggest, this university is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and was the first Yorkshire-based university to make the list. It placed 86th overall, with a score of 72 out of 100. | Google
14. University of Southampton
The University of Southampton, down in England’s South East, came immediately after it. It placed 87th overall, with a score of 71.2 out of 100. | Google
15. University of Sheffield
This university is based in Sheffield, in South Yorkshire. It placed 92nd overall, with a score of 70.9 out of 100. | Google
16. Durham University
Up in the North East of England, this Durham-based university was next. It placed 94th overall – tying with the University of Alberta, Canada – with a score of 70.1 out of 100. | Google