A new school has claimed the prestigious honour of the UK’s best overall university this year.
The Times has today released its brand new Good University Guide for the 2025 academic year, considered by many to be the definitive ranking of UK universities. A comprehensive 96-page supplement will also published with The Sunday Times this weekend, on 22 September.
More than a hundred universities have been scored across a variety of metrics, using the most recent data available for each where possible. These include the average UCAS tariff points of new students accepted into the school; the percentage of ‘good honours’ - or firsts and 2:1 degrees - awarded; the percentage of graduates in high-level jobs or post-graduate studies after their studies ended; the amount of first-year students continuing on to second year; and many more.
The Times has this year tweaked its methodology, “to keep up with contemporary concerns around climate change and careers”. A new sustainability metric has been added - with help from People & Planet - and the weighting of graduate prospects has been boosted.
Social sciences powerhouse the London School of Economics and Politics (LSE) has taken out the top spot for the first time ever, nudging last year’s winner - Scotland’s St Andrews - down to second place, and knocking the Oxbridge schools out of the top two. Vice chancellor Larry Kramer said the award was a tribute to their students, faculty, and global community. “LSE’s combination of world-leading academics and motivated students, dedication to the social sciences, and international focus, while still being firmly rooted in London, makes it a very special place.”
The Times also rank universities by their performance across 70 different subjects, and hands out awards for schools topping a number of other categories. The University of the Arts London has been named 2025’s Specialist University of the Year, while Loughborough University is the Sport University of the Year. The University of the Year for Social Inclusion is York St John University, and the inaugural Sustainable University of the Year is the University of Reading.
But which universities across the UK have come out on top overall? Here are the national top 20 for 2025:
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1. London School of Economics and Political Science
LSE, a social sciences specialty university based in the heart of the capital, is up from 4th place last year to claim the top spot. When it comes to ‘good honours’, 93.9% of its students achieved one, while 92.5% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study. It had a continuation rate of 98%. | Adobe Stock
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2. University of St Andrews
Scotland’s oldest university came in second, down from its first place glory last year. When it comes to ‘good honours’, 94.8% of its students achieved one, while 87.6% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study. It had a continuation rate of 97.5%. | Adobe Stock
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3. University of Oxford
The jewel in the South East’s crown and a long-standing academic pillar that attracts high-performing students from across the globe, Oxford has dropped from second down to third place. When it comes to ‘good honours’, 94.1% of its students achieved one, while 90.4% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study. It had a continuation rate of 98.5%. | Adobe Stock
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4. University of Cambridge
The other half of the prestigious Oxbridge duo, Cambridge has fallen from third to fourth place in this year’s Good Uni Guide. When it comes to ‘good honours’, 92.8% of its students achieved one, while 90.4% of its recent graduates were currently in a high-level job or postgraduate study. It had a continuation rate of 99.2%. | Adobe Stock