The schools of Oxford and Cambridge have slipped out of the highest three in prestigious college rankings for the primary time.
The Instances and The Sunday Instances Good College Information 2026 ranked London Faculty of Economics and Political Science (LSE) first for the second yr in a row, adopted by the College of St Andrews in second, and Durham College in third.
The College of Oxford and the College of Cambridge had been joint fourth – the primary time neither have held a spot within the prime three within the 32 years the Instances information has been operating.
Final yr Oxford was ranked third, and Cambridge had already been pushed to fourth. Each had been pushed down final yr when LSE moved as much as first place from fourth, and St Andrews got here second.
The information named Durham as College of the Yr 2026 after it climbed the rankings from fifth final yr.
Helen Davies, editor of The Instances and The Sunday Instances Good College Information, stated: “In a really aggressive prime 10 Durham has climbed two locations in a yr, which is a big achievement.
“In doing so it has outdone each Oxford and Cambridge, serving to to push each of them out of the highest three in our league desk for the primary time within the Good College Information’s historical past.
“Its stellar educational efficiency was boosted this yr by enhancements in educating high quality and pupil expertise.”
The Instances and The Sunday Instances have produced complete college guides since 1993 and 1998 respectively. The checklist relies on evaluation of pupil satisfaction with educating high quality and expertise, entry requirements, analysis high quality, sustainability and graduate prospects.
In The Guardian College Information 2026 printed final week, Oxford was ranked first and Cambridge third.
LSE has additionally been awarded College of the Yr for Tutorial Efficiency, Russell Group College of the Yr, and joint runner-up for College of the Yr for Graduate Employment.
The brand new league desk ranks Imperial Faculty London sixth, adopted by the College of Bathtub, the College of Warwick, College Faculty London and the College of Bristol.
The College of Strathclyde simply missed the highest 10, however was named runner-up College of the Yr.
Regional universities of the yr had been LSE in London, Durham within the North and North East, Cambridge within the East, Warwick within the Midlands, Bathtub within the South West, Oxford within the South East and Queen’s Belfast College in Northern Eire.
“Competitors to get a spot at our top-ranked establishments continues to develop, leaving some lower-tariff universities with recruitment challenges,” added Ms Davies.
“Many extra undergraduates are selecting to remain at residence and commute. It’s why this yr we’ve got an award for the highest college in every area and one of the best for scholarships and bursaries.”
Professor Karen O’Brien, vice-chancellor of Durham College, stated: “Durham is an excellent place to review. We make sure that each pupil can develop and thrive right here. Our loyal, engaged alumni are testomony to the spectacular profession prospects that await our graduates.”
Full outcomes will likely be printed in a 96-page complement with The Sunday Instances on September 21. The rankings could be discovered at thetimes.com/uk-university-rankings.
