Complete University Guide 2026: The best universities across the UK named - see how your local uni ranked

• The Complete University Guide has released its new UK league table for 2026
• This ranking compares universities based on a wide range of factors, such as graduate outcomes, entry standards and more
• Scotland and most of England’s different regions are represented in the top 20 this year
• It’s also possible to find out in-depth information on most universities across the UK - including their nightlife, and student support services

The A Level exam season is nearing its end, and this year’s university hopefuls will be weighing up their options before they know it.

Whether you’re a sixth form student considering courses for 2026, or a current A level candidate juggling several offers or tackling the Clearing process to secure a spot this coming autumn, finding the perfect university for you is often no easy feat. Each will have its own pros and cons, and it’s well worth doing your research before making a final decision.

To help with this, the Complete University Guide has this week released its brand new UK university league table for 2026. This comprehensive annual ranking compares dozens of institutions based on their entry standards, the proportion of students who stay on after their first year, student satisfaction ratings, research quality, how much they spend on academic services and facilities, student-to-staff ratio, and more. They are then given a total score out of 1,000 - which is converted to an easy-to-understand percentage.

The Guide also gives prospective students the ability to look up the best places to study different courses they might be interested in, as well as the top universities in each country and region.

But which universities made the list as the UK’s top schools overall for 2026, and how can you find out more about some of the others - including your local unis? Here’s what you need to know:

The UK’s top 21 universities for 2026

These universities took out the Complete University Guide’s top spots this year, based on ten different metrics. Here is the full list, as well as their total score out of 100:

1. University of Cambridge (100%)
2. University of Oxford (98%)
3. London School of Economics and Political Science (93%)
4. University of St Andrews (92%)
5. Durham University (90%)
6. Imperial College London (90%)
7. Loughborough University (87%)
8. University of Bath (85%)
9. University of Warwick (83%)
10. Lancaster University (81%)
11. University of Exeter (79%)
12. University of York (79%)
13. University College London (79%)
14. University of Birmingham (78%)
15. University of Bristol (78%)
16. University of Sheffield (77%)
17. University of Southampton (77%)
18. The University of Edinburgh (76%)
19. King's College London (76%)
20. University of Surrey (76%)
21. University of Leeds (76%)

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How to check how a specific university did - like your local

There are, of course, more than 150 universities across the UK, including 130 ranked in the Complete University Guide. Each will have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice for one student may not necessarily be the right fit for another.

With the rising cost of living, some young people may even be considering options closer to home, where they won’t need to move to an entirely new city. To find out more about a particular university, you can simply find it in the overall league table here and click on its name to get more information - or you can hover over the ‘universities’ tab on the toolbar up the top of the page, and type its name into the search bar.

You can also sort by region to find other well regarded institutions in your area - or even by the subject you’re interested in to find the most highly ranked universities for that course. To do this, simply scroll down to the bottom of the page, and select the region or course you’d like to find out more about.

Information available on each university’s page includes statistics on its current students, an in-depth analysis of its league table performance, courses available, the student support services it offers, a rundown of its facilities, and a look at what student life is like there.

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