London School of Economics named capital’s top university, according to new league table

London now has three universities in the UK top ten

LSE, pictured, is the capital's top university (Getty)

The capital’s universities are moving in the “right direction,” according to the latest Complete University Guide (CUG) rankings, with London School of Economics (LSE) taking the lead for being the city’s best institution.

Although many of London’s universities have seen little change, CUG described how there had been a few “notable exceptions” on a national scale.

With LSE at the helm, University College London (UCL) climbed back into the UK-wide top ten after a one-year absence.

Middlesex also built on last year’s success to climb eleven places to 78th, while Greenwich (98th) broke into the top 100 having risen nine positions.

Top 10 universities in London (2017):

1. London School of Economics
2. Imperial College London
3. University College London
4. King’s College London
5. Queen Mary, University of London
6. City
7. SOAS, University of London
8. St George's, University of London
9. Goldsmiths, University of London
10. Brunel University London

UCL’s return has meant London now accounts for three of the UK’s top ten institutions, with the LSE and Imperial College London third and fourth respectively.

In a league table featuring 127 universities, CUG said LSE held third place for four consecutive years, while Imperial found itself fourth for the second year in a row.

Only two London universities fell by five or more places in the UK-wide rankings: University of the Arts, London dropped from 80th to 85th, while St Mary’s University, Twickenham (118th) - which appeared in the league tables for the first time last year - is now nine places down

In addition to the overall ranking, LSE has also been rated as the top institution in the country to study social policy, while a total of ten total LSE disciplines are ranked in the CUG’s subject top ten.

On the whole, Oxbridge institutions have taken the top two spots to be named the best universities in the UK.

Dr Bernard Kingston, principal author of CUG, described how there is “a considerable degree of stability” at the upper end of the UK-wide league table this year.

He said: “While dramatic changes may be newsworthy, this stability indicates that the rankings are robust and credible for young people seeking a university place - our primary purpose.”