Oxford is still the best university in the world despite the worst performance in a decade from the UK overall, according to new rankings.
This year’s Times Higher Education (THE) league tables found that while some of our universities are still world-leading, there are ‘clear warning signs of UK decline’.
It comes amid a financial crisis in the sector, caused by rising costs and a reduction in the number of international students following changes to visa rules.
Experts said it represented a ‘shift in the balance of power’ from Western universities to the ‘rising stars of the East’ as part of a ‘new world order’.
Yesterday, Professor Irene Tracey, Oxford’s vice chancellor, said she was ‘honoured’ to get first place but warned of ‘a time of real strain for UK higher education’.
She added: ‘Sustaining a dynamic and globally competitive sector requires renewed investment and support, so that universities can continue to drive discovery, opportunity and economic growth for future generations.’
The respected rankings, which have been running for 21 years, placed 49 UK universities in its top 500.
This is the first time since 2016 that the UK has featured fewer than 50 times.
Oxford (pictured) is still the best university in the world despite the worst performance in a decade from the UK overall, according to new rankings
The UK is now the joint fourth most represented country in the rankings, down from joint third last year, and lagging behind the USA, India and Japan.
A total of 28 UK universities lost ground in the ranking, more than double the 13 that made improvements, while 64 retained their positions.
The UK did well in some areas, but saw a fall in scores for research strength, and the student-staff ratio grew from 16.8 to 20.5 students per teacher.
Phil Baty of THE said: ‘There are clear warning signals of serious decline for the UK’s “jewel in the crown” university sector, as the full extent of the sector’s financial crisis kicks in with mass redundancies and course closures.’
‘This year’s rankings highlight a dramatic and accelerating trend – the shift in the balance of power in research and higher education excellence from the long-established, dominant institutions of the West to rising stars of the East.
‘We appear to be shifting towards a new world order and a new, Eastern centre of gravity for new knowledge creation and innovation, and the UK must act to support its university sector if it is not to miss out.’
Of the top performers, Oxford was placed number one for the 10th consecutive year, due to its research and teaching excellence.
Meanwhile, Cambridge rose to third position and Imperial College London has rose to eighth position.
The UK had 11 universities in the global top 100, including University College London, Edinburgh and King’s College London.
However, other top universities suffered losses, with London School of Economics (LSE) suffering its worst ever performance by dropping from joint 50th to 52nd place.
Warwick also had its worst year on record, dropping to 122nd from 106.
Mr Baty said that while UK universities were losing ground, ‘East Asian nations, led by China, continue to thrive and surge up the table’.
Universities in China took 12th and 13th, the National University of Singapore came in 17th, and the University of Tokyo rose up two places to 26th.
The rankings are built on analysis of almost 19 million research papers, 1.5 million votes in a survey and data on more than 30,000 universities.
They include factors such as teaching reputation, research reputation and strength, and institutional, research and industry income.
Last month, the Sunday Times, which uses different metrics for its league tables, ranked the LSE as top and Oxbridge slipped out of the top three for the first time.
A Universities UK spokesman said: ‘The UK’s universities are world leading, and continue to punch above their weight in global league tables and research partnerships.
‘But other governments around the world are making the decision to invest in their universities while funding in the UK has decreased in real terms.
‘With a commitment from Government to a long-term and lasting funding settlement, this slight downturn can be reversed.’
For more rankings information, visit the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 website
