The QS World University Rankings has named University of Oxford the top university in Europe for 2026, highlighting the school’s strong academic reputation and high employer recognition.
Oxford earned a perfect overall score in reputation indicators, helping it secure first place in this year’s regional rankings. The results also show the continued dominance of universities in the United Kingdom, which placed seven institutions in the top 10.
Second place went to ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the highest-ranked university outside the United Kingdom. Two London institutions, Imperial College London and University College London, tied for third place after receiving strong scores for research performance and global engagement.
The University of Cambridge ranked fifth, followed by The University of Edinburgh in sixth place and King’s College London in seventh. France’s Université PSL placed eighth, while The University of Manchester ranked ninth.
Switzerland’s EPFL – École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne completed the top 10.
The rankings evaluate universities based on several factors, including research output, teaching environment, international collaboration, employability, and academic reputation. Indicators such as citations per research paper and papers published per faculty member also contribute to each institution’s overall score.
The QS Europe rankings include hundreds of institutions across the region, offering students a broad overview of academic performance and research strength.
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