Sunday Times University Ranking 2025: UK’s top 10 universities revealed

The days are getting shorter, the leaves are falling and it’s that time of year again when students are making their final calls on where to head to university. And though many will already firmly know their unis of choice, students are still finalising where exactly they’re going to spend the next three (or more) years of their lives.

Right on schedule, the Sunday Times has released its annual Good Universities Guide, a league table ranking universities based on different factors. The top picks are those that earn the most points across the following categories: student satisfaction, teaching excellence, heads’/ peer assessments, research quality, A-level/Higher points and unemployment. Obviously, that last one refers to which universities are estimated to have the fewest unemployed graduates. 

This year, London’s London School of Economics (LSE) snagged first place. The Sunday Times said LSE ’champions free speech, with graduates that go on to change the world.’ You can read more about how London university ended up in the top spot here.

The silver medal went to St Andrews, the only Scottish university in the top 10. Oxford came in third place – that’s probably going to put some extra fire into their next boat race against Cambridge, which failed to crack the Sunday Times’ top three. 

Here’s the rest of the top 10. 

The UK’s top 10 universities for 2025, according to the Sunday Times

1. LSE
2. St Andrews
3. Oxford
4. Cambridge
5. Durham
6. Imperial College London
7. University College London
8. Bath
9. Warwick
10. Loughborough

Both the Guardian and the Daily Mail have also released university rankings in recent weeks. The Guardian ranked Oxford first and Cambridge third, with St Andrews holding onto second place. The Mail had Oxford and Cambridge in second and third after Imperial College London. Both guides agreed LSE just missed the podium, ranking it as Britain’s fourth-best university. 

At the end of the day, you could definitely emerge from any of these unis with a pretty learned head on your shoulders. For more on the 2025 Good Universities Guide, visit the Sunday Times website here.

Too cool for school? Read more higher education news on Time Out

Early autumn is university ranking season, and at Time Out we’ve covered recent prestigious rankings of UK universities by the Daily Mail, Guardian, QS and ARWU.

Did you see that these UK universities have the highest rate of student satisfaction, according to real students?

Plus: these are the UK uni courses boasting the highest-paid graduates.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.