Oxbridge universities fall out of the top three in rankings

THE universities of Oxford and Cambridge have slipped out of the top three in prestigious university rankings for the first time.

- By JASMINE NORDEN PA Education Correspondent

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 ranked London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) first for the second year in a row, followed by the University of St Andrews in second, and Durham University in third.

The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge were joint fourth the first time neither have held a place in the top three in the 32 years the Times guide has been running.

Last year Oxford was ranked third and Cambridge had already been pushed to fourth. Both were pushed down last year when LSE moved up to first place from fourth, and St Andrews came second.

The guide named Durham as University of the Year 2026 after it climbed the rankings from fifth last year.

Helen Davies, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “In a very competitive top 10 Durham has climbed two places in a year, which is a significant achievement.