Guardian University Guide 2026 ranks LSE top in London

LSE remains the top university in London for its sixth consecutive year in the Guardian University Guide 2026 league table, placing fourth across the UK overall.

The university has also been named as best in the UK for Accounting and Finance, Law, and Sociology and Social Policy. It continues to rank highly in the UK across all disciplines, including placing second for International Relations and third for Politics.

Anthropology, Business and Management, Economics, History, Philosophy and Psychology all ranked in the UK top five.

The rankings are based on a range of measures including career prospects, teaching, and student to staff ratio.

Commenting on the news, LSE Vice President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) Emma McCoy said: “These fantastic results are testament to our dedicated academic and professional services staff who work tirelessly to provide a world-class education for our students.

“At LSE, we are committed to providing our students with the opportunities to develop the skills, experience and connections to make an impact and help shape the world’s future for the better.”

These new rankings are consistent with other recent league tables. Last month, LSE was named "University of the year for student success" and ranked fourth overall in the Daily Mail University Guide.

In June, the School was ranked as the top London university in the Complete University Guide 2026 and in March it was ranked as the top in London and sixth in the world for Social Science and Management subjects 2025.