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The QS World University Rankings® 2019, feature 76 top universities in the UK, including four in the global top 10. 18 universities have the distinction of appearing in the global top 100, and more institutions have risen in this year’s ranking than fallen, when compared to their performance last year.

Read on to discover the 10 highest-ranked universities in the UK.

10. University of Warwick

Up three places to rank 54^th in the world in 2019, the University of Warwick is actually based in the outskirts of Coventry and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of 24 research-intensive UK universities.

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9. University of Bristol

Another Russell Group member, the University of Bristol is down slightly this year to 51^st in the world but is nonetheless one of the country’s top 10. It was established in 1876 and has been associated with 13 Nobel Prize winners throughout its history.

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8. London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

The social-science focused London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is placed 38^th in the world in 2019 and gets scores in the global top 10 for two of the six indicators used to compile the rankings: employer reputation and percentage of international students.

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7. King’s College London

Staying in London, King’s College Londonis ranked 31^st in the world and is particularly well-regarded for its medical education and research and is home to the oldest nursing school still in operation: the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery (established in 1860).

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6. University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is up five places this year to now rank 29^th in the world and is in the global top 20 for its reputation among graduate employers. It also has the largest student community among these top UK universities, with 40,490 students, nearly 11,000 of whom are from outside the EU.

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5. University of Edinburgh

Also up five spots this year is the University of Edinburgh, now ranked 18^th in the world. One of Scotland’s ancient universities (founded in 1582), the university has graduated some major figures in UK history, such as Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell and J.K. Rowling.

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4. UCL (University College London)

UCL (University College London) is ranked 10^th in the world in 2019 and is one of the largest and most diverse of the UK’s top universities, with a student population of 38,900, with almost 40 percent of these coming from outside the UK.

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3. Imperial College London

Retaining its position of eighth in the world, Imperial College London is London’s highest-ranked institution this year, with a global reputation for the areas of science, engineering, business and medicine. It gets its best scores in the World University Rankings for its reputation among employers and percentage of international students.

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2. University of Oxford

Number one among the top universities in the UK this year is the University of Oxford, which swapped places with arch-rival Cambridge to rank fifth in the world. Oxford has been helped up the ranking by its excellent reputation among both academics and employers and a very strong ratio of faculty members to students (seventh in the world). The oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford operates the world’s largest university press.

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1. The University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge has swapped with rival Oxford to rank sixth in the world and second among the top UK universities in 2019. Founded in 1209 and made up of 31 constituent colleges, Cambridge has graduated the likes of Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Emma Thompson and Stephen Fry.

The other top 20 UK universities are…

11. University of Glasgow – ranked joint 69^th in the world.
12. Durham University – ranked 74^th in the world.
13. University of Sheffield – ranked joint 75^th in the world.
14. University of Birmingham – ranked joint 79^th in the world.
15. University of Nottingham – ranked 82^nd in the world.
16. University of Leeds – ranked joint 93^rd in the world.
17. University of Southampton – ranked 96^th in the world.
18. University of St Andrews – ranked 97^th in the world.
19. Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) – ranked 119^th in the world.
20. Lancaster University – ranked 131^st in the world.