Oxford and Cambridge universities knocked off top spot for very first time by surprise rival

Oxford and Cambridge person been replaced connected the database of the UK's champion universities for the archetypal clip successful past aft the contender ranked highly connected pupil restitution and employment

Oxford and Cambridge person been knocked disconnected the apical spot connected the database of the UK's champion universities for the precise archetypal time.

The University of Oxford has fallen into 3rd spot and Cambridge down into 4th successful The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 - the lowest positions ever held by the 2 prestigious universities since the database began 31 years ago. Instead, archetypal spot went to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), portion the University of St Andrews came successful 2nd place. LSE roseate to archetypal due to the fact that its bully postgraduate employment figures and precocious teaching restitution ratings.

Around 70% of students astatine LSE are from extracurricular the UK, making it 1 of the astir planetary universities successful the world. The university, which was founded successful the 1890s, boasts a fig of celebrated alumni, including erstwhile EU commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, erstwhile US President John F Kennedy, one-time White House adjutant Monica Lewinsky, writer George Bernard Shaw, and philosopher Bertrand Russell. It besides won the University of the Year award, which is fixed to “local and planetary powerhouses of intelligence thought and creativity.”

Professor Larry Kramer, the president and vice-chancellor of LSE, told the Sunday Times: “The world comes here, determination is nary assemblage connected the globe similar this one.” Helen Davies, the exertion of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: "The champion universities — whether they were founded successful the 15th period oregon 2005 — are section and planetary powerhouses of intelligence thought and creativity, from the arts to science, that tin powerfulness economical regeneration and pb the mode to a amended life. But moving retired what and wherever to survey — and however to wage for it — has ne'er been tougher. She added that the squad down the database had "tweaked our methodology" to "keep up with modern concerns" which served to boost "the weighting of postgraduate prospects and adding a sustainability metric."