Oxford is best university in world but Cambridge drops to sixth

Oxford has been ranked first in an international league table of universities for a fifth year in a row.

According to the Times Higher Education world rankings, Oxford is the best but Cambridge has dropped from third to sixth place and Imperial College London from 10th to 11th place.

It means the UK stands at an all-time low of just two universities in the global top 10.

Experts warned that a “hard Brexit” — combined with the impact of Covid-19 and a loss of international student fee income — could make universities “increasingly vulnerable” with the UK at risk of losing its status as a “higher education superpower”.

Overall, the UK has 29 universities in the top 200, up slightly from 28 last year.

The US claimed a record eight places in the top 10.