The University of Leicester has been named among the UK’s top 20 universities in a new international ranking published by global media brand TIME.
In its inaugural World’s Top Universities 2026 league table, produced in partnership with data specialists Statista R, Leicester was placed 19th in the UK and 100th worldwide out of 500 institutions. The ranking aims to highlight universities that are driving academic excellence and real-world impact on a global scale.
To qualify for inclusion, institutions were required to be more than three years old, offer bachelor’s degrees, and enrol at least 2,000 students. The methodology places strong emphasis on innovation and economic impact, including advances in science and technology, the dissemination of knowledge, and the career success of graduates — such as patent creation and progression into leadership roles.
Universities were assessed across three core areas: Academic Capacity & Performance, Innovation & Economic Impact, and Global Engagement. Leicester performed particularly strongly in Innovation & Economic Impact, ranking 11th in the UK for this measure — its highest national placement across the three categories. The metric reflects universities’ contributions to scientific and technological advancement, their role in spreading knowledge, and their influence on economic decision-making through graduates’ careers.
The ranking highlights the University of Leicester’s extensive engagement with non-academic partners and industry. This includes its Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme, which embeds academic expertise within businesses to support innovation-led growth. The University has also increased its focus on commercialising research, launching two new spinout companies last year: the Museum Data Service and Perpetual Atomics.
The TIME ranking follows a series of strong performances for Leicester in other major league tables. The University maintained its 25th position among UK institutions in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and remains within the global top 200. It has also recorded positive results in the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 and the Complete University Guide 2026, while ranking among the UK’s top 15 universities for student satisfaction in the 2025 National Student Survey, according to The Times.
Leicester’s research quality has also been recognised nationally. It was ranked 30th in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, based on Grade Point Average analysis by Times Higher Education, and holds an overall Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023.
Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, welcomed the new ranking.
“I am delighted this brand-new league table has recognised our standing as a top-20 UK university,” he said. “It is particularly pleasing because it focuses on our real-world impact and the careers of our graduates, reaffirming that we are delivering research and teaching that truly transform lives.
“Combined with our Gold rating for teaching excellence, top-30 ranking for research impact, and University of the Year accolade achieved last year, this demonstrates how the University’s commitment to excellence and inclusion is making a genuine difference.”
