The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027 ranks Imperial College London third overall, marking its rise above Oxford and Cambridge for the first time in this guide.

Oxford falls from fourth to fifth place, while Cambridge remains in fourth in the same rankings.

LSE finishes second in the main rankings, with Imperial third and UCL ranking 14th on the city-focused list.

The guide includes features on student life and costs, covering freshers’ experiences, student entrepreneurship, and analyses of lifetime earnings with a degree.

Editor notes the guide’s emphasis on career preparation and hands-on learning amid broader financial and employment challenges for students and universities.

The guide highlights a trend toward career-focused education, with universities investing in practical facilities and hands-on learning to attract students under financial pressures.

St Andrews’ leadership emphasizes strengths in teaching, research, and student support amid wider pressures on higher education funding.

St Andrews stresses its comprehensive strengths, including entry standards, teaching quality, research, and professional services support.

The Good University Guide 2027 uses a multi-metric scoring system: student satisfaction, research quality, entry standards, graduate prospects, and completion rates.

Author highlights St Andrews’ distinctive undergraduate experience and high student satisfaction as drivers of its top position, with strong entry standards.

The rankings come amid financial pressures on UK universities, including cost-cutting and strikes, while UCAS reports a record 695,740 applications for 2026 entry, up from the previous year.

The full rankings and 96-page guide will be published this weekend, detailing the results.