Leicester improves UK position in 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities
The latest edition of a global league table has seen the University of Leicester improve its ranking in the UK and maintain it internationally.
The 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), published by ShanghaiRanking, has ranked Leicester 26–31st in the UK, one place higher compared with 27–32nd last year, as well as in the 301–400th rank globally.
It comes as Leicester recorded its highest-ever position in the Daily Mail University Guide 2027 last week, rising seven places to 27th= out of 128 UK universities.
And it follows the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 placing Leicester =26th globally for Research Quality in October 2025.
ShanghaiRanking Consultancy is a higher education data and analytics company dedicated to measuring and enhancing the global competitiveness of universities. ShanghaiRanking is the publisher of the Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS).
The Academic Ranking of World Universities was first published in June 2003. ARWU uses six objective indicators to rank world universities, including the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, number of highly cited researchers selected by Clarivate, number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science, number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index in the Web of Science, and per capita performance of a university. More than 2500 universities are ranked by ARWU every year and the best 1000 are published.
Professor Richard Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Leicester, said: “I am delighted that the University of Leicester has improved its position among UK institutions, and consolidated its position on the global stage, in this latest Academic Ranking of World Universities. In a ranking that focuses on research performance, it reaffirms the global excellence and reach of our research community. Across multiple disciplines, Leicester’s researchers are changing lives, informing policy and practice, and generating new knowledge for the benefit of communities here in Leicester, the UK and around the world.”
In July, the University recorded its third consecutive year of improvement in the National Student Survey. In June, the University of Leicester experienced a rise of 12 places to =314th in the QS World Rankings 2027 and maintained its position as a top 35 UK University, in the Complete University Guide 2027.