University of Leicester ranked in top-20 in the UK in TIME’s new ranking
The University of Leicester has secured a top-20 position in the UK in a new international ranking by media brand TIME.
TIME’s World's Top Universities 2026 has placed Leicester 19th among UK universities and 100th of 500 universities worldwide in their inaugural league table. Published by TIME in partnership with Statista R, it is described as highlighting ‘institutions that drive academic excellence globally’.
To be eligible for the ranking, institutions had to be older than three years, offer bachelor’s degrees, and enrol more than 2,000 students. The methodology also puts particular emphasis on universities’ innovation & economic impact, through advances in science and technology, knowledge dissemination, and the extent to which students achieve extraordinary success, for instance in patenting new inventions or rising to leadership roles in business.
Universities were scored on three areas: Academic Capacity & Performance, Innovation & Economic Impact and Global Engagement. Leicester was ranked 11th in the UK for Innovation & Economic Impact, its highest-ranked metric among UK universities, which reflects ‘universities’ contributions to the advancement of science and technology, the diffusion of knowledge, and their influence on economic decision-making through the careers of their graduates’.
A huge range of activity and forms of knowledge exchange that benefits society takes place between the University and non-academic groups and individuals. This includes its Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme, which is driving innovation-led growth through embedding academic expertise into a range of businesses. The University is also increasingly focused on creating new spinout companies based on knowledge and intellectual property generated from its research and last year launched two new spinouts, the Museum Data Service and Perpetual Atomics.
The TIME league table follows strong performance for the University of Leicester in recent international rankings, including maintaining 25th position amongst UK institutions in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and top 200 overall. These build on positive outcomes in the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 and the Complete University Guide 2026, as well as cementing its position as a top 15 university for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey (NSS) in 2025 according to The Times.
Leicester’s research was also ranked 30th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, according to the analysis of Grade Point Average by Times Higher Education, and holds an overall Gold rating in TEF 2023.
Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: “I am delighted this brand-new league table ranking has recognised our standing as a top 20 UK University. It is particularly pleasing because it focuses upon our real-world impact and the careers of our graduates, thereby reaffirming that we are delivering research and teaching that is truly transforming lives.
“Added to our Gold ranking for teaching excellence, our top 30 ranking for research impact and University of the Year accolade achieved last year, it demonstrates how the University’s commitment to excellence and inclusion really makes a real difference.”