Results day: The UK's 25 best universities named by global ranking
Students across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be getting their A Level results next week – with their results day falling on Thursday, August 14 this year – while Scottish pupils received their Highers results earlier this week. The culmination of years of hard work and time spent studying, for those planning on heading off to university this year, results day is also when their future path becomes a little clearer.
Universities tend to send out offers to those with conditional places on results day, provided candidates have met their grade requirements. But nationwide, many young students are yet to decide where they want to study, whether it's because they've changed their mind about their course, applied late, have several tempting offers waiting, or their grades end up leaving them navigating the Clearing process.
Some university hopefuls may even have aspirations on the world stage, and will want to consider universities' international reputations when making a final call on where to study. With these learners in mind, we've taken a look at the most highly ranked UK universities according to U.S. News & World Report, an American consumer advice and analysis publisher.
Its 2025/26 university rankings score 96 universities across the UK – and more than 2,500 globally – based on a range of metrics; which are primarily drawn from their research performance, and how they've been rated by members of the academic community around the world and within Europe. You can see its full methodology here.
Each institution is given a score out of 100, so we've created a league table of the UK's top performers. As well as their scores and local placing, we've included where they rank on the global charts, too. Here are the top 25 from across the country, for the upcoming academic year:
1 . University of Oxford
Perhaps the UK's best known university, this prestigious institution in Oxford, in England's South East, took out the top spot. As well as being the top UK university, it also ranked 4th worldwide. U.S. News & World Report gave it an overall score of 88.3 out of 100. | Photo:Photo Sales
2 . University of Cambridge
The other half of the esteemed Oxbridge duo is next. This university is based in Cambridge, in the East of England, and also ranked 5th worldwide. U.S. News & World Report gave it an overall score of 86.8 out of 100. | (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images) Photo Sales
3 . University College London
The capital's UCL is next, with a global placing of 7th overall. U.S. News & World Report gave it an overall score of 86.2 out of 100. | Google Photo Sales
4 . Imperial College London
Another London-based university, Imperial College also came 11th on the worldwide ranking. U.S. News & World Report gave it an overall score of 85.2 out of 100. | Adobe Stock Photo Sales
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