UK University Rankings & League Tables 2023 (2024)

FAQs

UK University Rankings & League Tables 2023? ›

Which ranking list is the most accurate? The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide is considered the most trusted quality indicator of undergraduate study at UK universities. The 132 universities ranked in its 2023 edition can be found above.

Which ranking list is the most accurate? The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide is considered the most trusted quality indicator of undergraduate study at UK universities. The 132 universities ranked in its 2023 edition can be found above.

THE (Times Higher Education) has been providing trusted performance data on universities for students and their families, academics, university leaders, governments and industry, since 2004.

22 March 2023

UCL ranks in the top 10 globally in 10 subject areas in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 – the world's most consulted university ranking – with two subjects ranked first in the world.

University of St Andrews

The university is located in the town of St Andrews in Scotland, a perfect place to study with an outstandingly high quality of life. Our student reviews' ratings for St Andrews are the highest in the UK and therefore, it tops our ranking of the happiest universities.

The University of Manchester has retained its position as the most targeted university by the UK's top 100 recruiters, according to a report compiled by High Fliers Research.

Despite the current challenges posed by the high inflation rate, the United Kingdom has managed to maintain its allure as an attractive destination for international students. In fact, over 3 lakh Indian students are to join UK Universities in 2023.

Harvard, Stanford and Princeton, unsurprisingly, are America's toughest colleges to get into in 2023, according to Niche's most recent rankings.

Top Reasons to Study in UK in 2023. The UK has been delivering world-class education for centuries and has raised the bars of academic standards high with its reputed universities. The application process to UK universities is relatively simple attracting international students to apply to UK universities.

Does university rank matter? ›

Rankings provide colleges and universities proof points that the education received at their school is high quality. Families often ask some version of the question: “What does this ranking mean for my student's experience at your school?” Fair question.

US News is probably the most popular source out there for college rankings. While US News rankings of colleges purport to be highly accurate, they can be misleading in certain important respects. If you make decisions based purely on the US News college rankings, you might end up being miserable.

Use QS ranking to identify universities that are highly well-regarded by companies and other academics. Graduates of these universities are well-paid after their graduation. Use THE ranking if you want to find top universities based on their research impact and their reputation.

What are the most competitive courses at UCL? The most competitive courses at UCL are: Fine Art, Architecture, Computer Science, European Social and Political Sciences, and Politics and International Relations.

Generally, University College London has an acceptance rate of approximately 30%. The university is a federal institution consisting of 18 constituent colleges, each with their own admissions process and criteria.

Both Glasgow and Coventry shared the top position of the most stressful university according to the latest findings. 43% of students at each uni rated their university degree as 8 and above on the scale of 1-10 of how stressful they found it. That's a significant amount of students finding it rather stressful!

Is a UK Master's recognised in the US? For university appointments and research positions in US universities, the answer is yes. A UK master's will be highly regarded and very much respected for the work and research involved. Companies in the US respect UK master's degrees.

Which university degrees are least employable in the UK? ›

The Higher Education Statistics Authority has published employment rates today by each university across the country - and by each subject. It makes gloomy reading for those studying computer science and IT - they have the lowest employment rate for any area of study (see the data below).

In the UK, it can take much less time to earn your degree compared to the US. You can expect to graduate with a bachelor's degree in three years, whereas it takes four years to earn a bachelor's degree in the US.

If you're a little unsure on your major or want to experiment for a year or two, then the USA is probably the better option. If you are 100% set on a subject, and just want to get going, the UK may be the place for you.

Students who wish to study in the USA can expect more research projects, assignments and quizzes. In the UK, you will have some degree of academic freedom so that you get to know what works best for you, but you might need to go through oral presentations and research papers.

Cost. The cost of education in both countries is far from cheap, but in the United States it is generally higher. According to a law passed in 2012, universities in England may charge up to £9000 (approximately $14,300) per year. Of course, this applies only to citizens of the UK and the EU, not international students.

Cornell is considered the "easiest" Ivy League to get into because it has the highest Ivy League acceptance rate. While it's easier, statistically speaking, to get into Cornell, it's still challenging. It's also important to remember that students apply directly to one of Cornell's eight undergraduate colleges.

Admission rates for 2022-2023 have not been announced but are expected to remain just as low. Given this competitive environment, admission experts say students shouldn't assume they'll be a 'shoe-in' at any school.

Oxford University has a fair acceptance rate of 17% in comparison to Harvard where only 5% of all the applications received are accepted. You may gain a chance to get admission at Oxford if you have exceptional academic performance and skills.

All full-time courses are worth 120 credits over an academic year. This means that all courses require you to study around 1200 hours over the course of a year.

The United Kingdom has taken the top spot from Australia this year as the Top Destination in the World to Study Abroad in 2023. Despite being home to some of the most prestigious universities in the world, there's so much more to experience beyond high-quality education.

How many years gap is acceptable for study in UK? ›

Usually, many UK universities will accept international students with two years of study gap. However, you can apply to some universities if your study gap is longer than two years. If your study gap is three years, you can apply for a bachelor's degree at quite a few UK universities.

Does class rank matter for college admissions? According to a recent report from NACAC, class rank is considered among the “next most important factors” for college admissions after GPA, test scores, grades, and strength of curriculum.

Your junior year grades are essential: it's the grade a college will look at most, along with your senior year. Your grades predetermine your academic performance for your final year. Your GPA and the “sturdiness” of it matters.

In college admissions, class rank is one metric that admissions officers use to understand how a student stacks up against their classmates. A student who ranks at the top of their class may demonstrate to the admissions committee a readiness to take on more challenging coursework.

“Rankings are important because graduate schools use them for evaluating undergraduate applicants, and employers take into account where you went to school,” says Nguyen.

Many schools said that the rankings do not accurately reflect their values. The first schools to leave the U.S. News rankings were Harvard Law and Yale Law. Critiques of the methodology include overemphasis on GPA and test scores and a lack of focus on need-based aid and loan forgiveness programs.

The recent withdrawals come after decades of complaints about the value of the rankings. Critics say the rankings rely too much on the grades and test scores of accepted students, and the reputation of schools among academicians, all of which reward the privileges of certain applicants.

When it comes to rankings of global colleges and universities, the one by QS World University Ranking is considered the most accurate and reliable. In fact, it's approved by the International Ranking Expert Group (IREG). QS Ranking is also said to be the most accessed international ranking per year.

The other five competitors in the top 10 list are best-masters.co.uk (14.5K visits in April 2023), shanghairanking.com (465.7K visits in April 2023), cwur.org (167.2K visits in April 2023), universityrankings.ch (75.9K visits in April 2023), and admitmaster.com (13.1K visits in April 2023).

Five Star rating

A university with Five Stars rating is generally world class in almost all the categories. Such institutions enjoy a high reputation internationally, attracting a high number of international students from all over the world.

How hard is it to get a first at UCL? ›

University College London Admissions are averagely selective with an acceptance rate of 48%. The admission at University College London are invited from 150 countries all over the world for Autumn, Spring and Summer semester. There are 43,800 students enrolled at UCL London with more 53% international students.

You should normally have completed, or expect to complete, two years of study at university level prior to entry to UCL. The typical minimum entry requirement is a cumulative GPA of 3.3 / 4.0 (or equivalent), but some subject areas require at least a 3.7 and may have additional prerequisites.

The minimum grade requirement ranges from the GPA of 6.75 – 9.0/10 or 55%-70% and depends on the degree title, grading scale and institution of prior study.

General entry requirements. 5,5,5,5,5 in five distinctive AP subjects, taken in the final three years of high school. 5,5,5,5 in four distinctive AP subjects, plus a combined score of 1440 in SAT (1) Reasoning test taken in the final three years of high school.

For an international student, UCL cost of study can be up to 30 lakhs per year. Students also need to meet an expense of about 0.21 lakhs per week for living costs in U.K. For financial support, students can apply for a few University College London scholarships granting up to 14.19 lakhs for a year.

UCL came sixth in the 2022 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for law schools, just ahead of Harvard, the prestigious US university.

These are the hardest universities to get into in the UK. So, yes, it is easier to get into UCL than into Oxbridge. The average entry tarif of students at UCL is 87% of that at Oxford. But it is not much easier.

Is UCL more prestigious than these universities? It's consistently ranked above them and the university itself has a great reputation. I would say that UCL is above Oxford and Ivy Leagues, purely looking at rankings UCL is above Oxford, UCL:4, Oxford: 6 (QS Ranking).

Is UCL reliable? ›

University College London (UCL) is ranked 8 in QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities and has an overall score of 4.2 stars, according to student reviews on Studyportals, the best place to find out how students rate their study and living experience at universities from all over the world.

The University of East London is the lowest-ranked university in the UK.

Due to academic reputation being the highest weighting factor in determining overall ranking (40%), KCL's ranking has been steadily decreasing. Despite a lower ranking, KCL's overall score has increased by two points since 2021. Employer reputation and citations per faculty have increased by 5.1 and 7.5 accordingly.

University rankings can definitely be seen as important.

They are calculated from a range of data from each university. For example, the Complete University Guide bases their university rankings on areas that are important to students. This data is also paired with the success of graduates leaving the university.

The UK almost exclusively has shorter courses than their American counterparts, and this goes for all levels of higher education. A bachelor's degree in the UK is normally 3 years, to the American 4 years. Taking a master's in the UK will typically take just 1 year, while in the U.S it is 2 years.

We are a world-leading, research-intensive university, currently ranked 8th in the World, in the QS World University Rankings 2022, 3rd in Europe in the US News 2022 Best Global Universities and 1st in London for research power in REF 2021.

Is UCL more prestigious than these universities? It's consistently ranked above them and the university itself has a great reputation. I would say that UCL is above Oxford and Ivy Leagues, purely looking at rankings UCL is above Oxford, UCL:4, Oxford: 6 (QS Ranking).

What most people would agree on is that KCL, whilst a very good choice for law as well, is somewhat perceived to be behind both UCL and LSE. Some may indeed prefer KCL to LSE or UCL, say for KCL's strength in competition law, but again that's quite subjective. It depends on how one wants to structure their LLM as well.

Is Imperial or UCL better? ›

Imperial only offers degrees in STEM while UCL offers degrees in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and STEM. An Imperial student is guaranteed to meet like-minded people as everyone shares a strong interest in the Sciences, while at UCL there's far more opportunity to meet people with a broader range of interests.

UCL is generally better than KCL for the following reasons: It is a bigger and better research university. It enrols slightly more talented applicants. It has a higher bar of getting in.