St Andrews academic Schools lead the UK

The University of St Andrews is the top university in Scotland and has retained its spot in second place in the main UK academic rankings, according to The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, published today (Friday 19 September).

St Andrews Schools also performed well in the subject rankings with eight subjects ranked top in the UK: Art History, Chemistry, English (joint top with Oxford), French, History, International Relations, Physics and Astronomy, and Social Anthropology.

Six Scottish universities, St Andrews, Strathclyde, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, are in the national top 30, compared with five in last year’s rankings.

For the first time in the guide’s 32-year history both Oxford and Cambridge have dropped out of the top three and are joint fourth. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is top for the second year in a row and Durham University has climbed into third place.

It is the second time in a week that St Andrews has taken second spot in national rankings, following the release of the Guardian University Guide 2026, which recognised the University for the strength of its teaching quality and student experience.

The Times and Sunday Times Guide profiles and ranks 133 UK universities and is regarded as one of the most comprehensive analyses of the British higher education sector.

Alice Hodges, Students’ Association President of Union Affairs, said: “St Andrews is proof that excellence doesn’t have a single definition. Every student here shapes a different experience, from world-class teaching and research to unique traditions, creativity, and community within our Union. What makes us special is that these experiences don’t compete, they build on one another, and together they push all of us to achieve more. This recognition is a reflection of that shared spirit of collaboration and ambition – what our motto Ever To Excel truly means.”

The print edition of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026, a free 96-page supplement, will be published this weekend in The Sunday Times (21 September 2025).