Six Scottish universities are in the UK top 30, compared with five in last year’s rankings, according to the prestigious guide.
St Andrews takes top spot in Scotland once again and retains it No 2 UK ranking as well, putting it ahead of Oxford and Cambridge.
Strathclyde is named Scottish University of the Year and the UK’s Runner-up University of the Year. Its rates for graduate employment are in the top 20 UK-wide and it sits just outside the top ten in the main academic rankings.
Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University is the Runner-up Scottish University of the Year and Glasgow Caledonian University is Runner-up Modern University of the Year in the UK awards.
The University of the West of Scotland has been named Scottish University of the Year for Social Inclusion 2026.
For the first time in the guide's 32-year history both Oxford and Cambridge have dropped out of the top three in the national rankings and are joint fourth.
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is the top UK university for the second year in a row, while Durham has climbed into third place from fifth last year, and as a result has been named The Times and The Sunday Times University of the Year 2026.
Helen Davies, the editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: "Scottish universities continue to perform strongly in the UK context, with six now ranked in the top 30.
“The University of St Andrews has consolidated its position close to the very top of the UK table, while the University of Strathclyde is recognised for the strength of its graduate outcomes and its focus on skills and economic impact.
“In contrast to the volatility at the top of the UK rankings, Scotland’s results point to consistency and depth of quality across its higher education sector. That stability is reflected in strong performances across different types of institutions, from world-leading research universities to those driving local skills and economic regeneration.”
Scroll through this photo gallery to see how each of Scotland’s universities ranked against the others and against the competition in the rest of the UK.
13. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
Scotland rank: 13. UK rank: 66. Queen Margaret is unchanged from 13th in Scotland last year, but has dramatically moved up the UK rankings from lowly 105th= last year. Photo: Third Party
14. University of the West of Scotland
Scotland rank: 14. UK rank: 110. UWS is still bottom of the Scottish table, but has moved up from No 121 in the UK rankings last year. Photo: Third Party