Every London university ranked from best to worst

It’s September, which means that hopeful freshers will be arriving at London’s many universities all throughout the month. These youngsters will be getting settled in to halls, going out to student nights at XOYO and Ministry of Sound, and getting plenty of use out of the single recipe they learned before flying the nest. 

But what about those students who aren’t quite freshers yet? If you’re thinking about attending uni in the capital, listen up. Because a new university ranking for 2026 has just dropped. 

The Guardian University Guide for 2026 has been revealed, ranking every university in the UK. According to the Guardian, the newspaper’s rankings ‘will help you figure out which universities give their students the best experience, rather than just showing you which are strongest in academic research, like most other league tables’.

Taking the cake for London’s best uni was the London School of Economics (LSE), coming in fourth place in the national ranking. LSE was scored 93.8 out of 100 overall by the Guardian. It scored 89.4 for teaching satisfaction, and 76.2 for feedback satisfaction. Ninety three percent of graduates were in full-time work within 15 months of graduating from LSE. The university was awarded a ‘value added’ score (that’s based on how much students’ academic performance improved after joining the uni) of 5.9 out of 10. 

In the London rankings, LSE was followed by Imperial College and University of the Arts London (UAL) in second and third place, respectively. Want to see how every London uni fared? Here’s the full ranking below.  

Every London university ranked from best to worst in 2026, according to the Guardian 

1. London School of Economics (LSE) – 4th overall
2. Imperial College London – 6th overall
3. University of the Arts London (UAL) – 9th overall
4. University College London (UCL) – 10th overall
5. King’s College London – 21st overall
6. University of East London – 33rd overall
7. University of West London – 41st overall
8. Kingston University – 54th overall
9. Goldsmiths – 67th overall
10. Queen Mary – 72nd overall
11. London South Bank – 77th overall
12. Royal Holloway – 79th overall
13. City St George’s – 86th overall
14. London Met – 89th overall
15. St Mary’s, Twickenham – 93rd overall
16. Brunel – 116th overall
17. SOAS – 117th overall
18. Greenwich – 119th overall
19. Roehampton – 120th overall
20. Middlesex – 121st overall
21. Westminster – 122nd overall

This is the best university in the UK for 2026, according to the Guardian. 

London’s Central line is celebrating its 125th birthday with a treasure hunt this weekend. 

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