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Brain-boxes of the capital city, gather round. Higher education analytics company, QS, have just released their annual world university rankings – and a London university has soared through the ranks and bagged themselves a rather sought-after spot right near the top of the list.
Imperial College London has swiftly climbed up the university ladder to be crowned the very best in the UK and the second best in whole world – beating the likes of Oxford and Cambridge for the very first time. Everyone loves an underdog, hey?
After many years of Oxbridge topping the university charts, this year’s shiny new international league table proclaimed Imperial as the cream of the UK crop, with only Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA ahead of them in first place.
The university of Oxford came in at third place and Cambridge at fifth. UCL landed in ninth place, meaning that four of the top ten global universities were British. We’ll take that…
This year’s edition of the QS rankings was the largest to date, featuring 1500 universities across 106 higher education systems. Imperial College London was in fifth place last year and their rise up the ranks has been chalked up to their leading research, employability scores, and commitment to sustainability. 10 years ago, Imperial landed joint second place alongside Cambridge, but this is the first time they’ve made it up there alone.
Other London universities to make the top 50 are University College London (9th place) King’s College London (40th place) and London School of Economics (50th place). Of the 90 British universities featured in the rankings, 20 improved their position, 18 stayed exactly the same, and a whopping 52 dropped down the list. This is said to be down to the increasing number of UK university facing funding cuts and shortages.
Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial, said: “Imperial’s ranking is a testament to the quality and commitment of our entire community. It is inspiring to see our students, staff, and partners come together every day to interrogate the forces that shape our world and address the challenges facing humanity and our planet.”
Jessica Turner, QS CEO, said: “In the decade since Imperial College London was last crowned the United Kingdom’s leading university, the country’s sector has relentlessly continued to achieve world-leading performances despite the turbulence the country has faced, producing world-leading research and remaining one of the globe’s premier study destinations.”