The institutions have failed to rank among the top 3 in the newspaper’s higher education guide for the first time
Oxford and Cambridge are no longer among Britain's top three universities, according to a ranking published by The Times.
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide ranks institutions based on teaching quality, student experience and graduate prospects.
For the first time in the guide’s 32-year history, the UK’s two oldest and historically most prestigious universities were unable to place among the top three and have slid down to tie in fourth place, the newspaper wrote on Friday.
The London School of Economics took first place for the second consecutive year, with St. Andrews ranking second and Durham University finishing third.
Despite slipping in the overall rankings, Cambridge continued to dominate in individual subjects, topping 14 subject tables, it added.
Oxford was named medical school of the year for 2026, according to The Times.
The institution has faced a scandal in recent days after the incoming president of its debating club, George Abaraonye, celebrated conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination on social media.
The Oxford Union debate society condemned his words, stressing that they do not represent its views, and expressed condolences to Kirk’s wife and two children. Enough members of the club have supported a no-confidence motion to remove the president-elect, according to The Telegraph.
