LSE has once again been ranked as the top London university in the Complete University Guide 2026, retaining this ranking for the fourteenth consecutive year.
The School also held its status as the third best overall university out of the 130 universities assessed in the UK.
Universities are evaluated on ten key measures: entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality, research intensity, academic services spend, spending on student facilities, continuation, student-staff ratio, graduate prospects – outcomes, and graduate prospects.
Commenting, LSE’s Vice President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Susana Mourato said: “Our position as the top university in London, yet again, is testament to LSE’s unwavering commitment to research excellence and real-world impact. It is also a well-deserved recognition of our dedicated community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
“Rooted in London with a truly international outlook, LSE will continue to educate students and generate ideas that help shape the world’s political, economic and social future for the better.”
These new rankings are consistent with other recent league tables. In March, LSE was ranked top in London and sixth in the world for Social Science and Management subjects 2025 and last autumn, the School was ranked the top university in the UK and named as the ‘University of the Year 2025’ by the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.
More information on LSE’s commitment to education and student experience can be found here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/about-lse/education-and-student-experience