What are the top universities in the United Kingdom? If you’re a US or other international student considering attending college in the UK, knowing what the greatest universities in the UK are based on reputation, selectivity, and student happiness will aid you much in your quest.

We’ll go over the six most significant possible benefits for US students studying in the UK, followed by a list of the UK’s top 13 universities. After that, we’ll do a quick comparison of the finest colleges in the United Kingdom and the greatest schools in the United States before offering you some crucial advice on how to pick the ideal UK institution for you.

Top Universities

1. Cambridge, England’s University of Cambridge is ranked first.

The University of Cambridge, England’s second-oldest university and a top-ranked UK university by the CWUR, The Guardian, and the Complete University Guide, is a world-renowned public university with almost 19,000 students. Cambridge comprises six schools (Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Physical Sciences), over 100 libraries, and 31 residential colleges, three of which are exclusively for women.

1. University of Oxford

The world-famous University of Oxford, which is the world’s oldest English-speaking university and is currently ranked #1 in the UK by both US News and Times Higher Education, is ranked #2 on our list. Oxford is noted for its high student satisfaction and low admission rate (less than 15%) among major UK schools.

Oxford has about 24,000 students, including over 10,000 international students from more than 150 countries and regions. There are four academic divisions at the university (Social Sciences, Humanities, Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences, and Medical Sciences), as well as more than 350 graduate programmes and 38 colleges.

1. Imperial College London

Imperial College London is ranked #3 by Times Higher Education and #4 by US News as the only UK university dedicated solely to science, medicine, engineering, and business, as well as one of the top universities in London.

Engineering, Medicine, Business, and Natural Sciences are the four academic divisions of the university, which has multiple sites around London. Imperial College London has almost 17,000 students, including 9,000 international students from more than 125 countries.

1. UCL 

University College London, also known as UCL, is a significant university in the United Kingdom with over 43,000 students, including approximately 18,000 international students from 150 countries.

Arts and humanities, education, medical sciences, engineering, and social and historical sciences are among the 11 academic departments at UCL. Personalised medicine, populations and lifelong health, neuroscience, and the environment are the school’s core multidisciplinary research topics.

1. University of St. Andrews

The University of St. Andrews is the third-oldest university in the English-speaking world, as well as the oldest in Scotland. With a total enrollment of little over 10,000 students, St. Andrews provides a highly intimate, globally minded community (including 4,000 students from abroad).

With 94 percent of students saying they are satisfied with their experiences here, the institution has the greatest student satisfaction of any UK university.

Conclusion

Cambridge and Oxford, which are ranked 4th and 5th globally, are the only UK universities that are on level with the best in the United States. This suggests that the finest universities in the United States are generally better than the best institutions in the United Kingdom (based only on this ranking list). So, if the UK university you really want isn’t ranked very high on our list or any other ranking, don’t let it sway your college decision too much. What matters most is whether you’ll be pleased and able to acquire the education and experience you want at the institution you’ve chosen.