1. University of Cambridge
World ranking: 4
Coming out best among the UK universities, the University Cambridge takes 4th place in the overall league. But while Cambridge comes top in the academic chart – Stephen Hawking and Mary Beard are two of its best-known professors – it also heads the table for most expensive student city.
2. University of Oxford
World ranking: 5
Not quite first class for the University of Oxford, which secured 5th place in the overall league table. While King's College London has Dumbledore's office, the Hogwarts dining hall in the Harry Potter films are a replica of the Great Hall in Christ Church College. The famous college is also where Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland.
3. University College London
World ranking: 30
From Alexander Bell to Ricky Gervais, UCL has been producing well-known alumni for hundreds of years. It ranks as the 3rd best UK university, but 30th place overall. The main campus is in Bloomsbury, home to Virginia Woolf and John Maynard Keynes. The British Museum is also nearby.
4. Imperial College London
World ranking: 39
Want to live in London? Imperial, which specialises in medicine, engineering, and the sciences, came 39th in the world and is 4th best in the UK. You might not know that the 1970s band Queen took shape after Brian May posted an advert for a drummer on the Union noticeboard. They performed one of their first gigs at the Union Concert Hall.
5. University of Edinburgh
World ranking: 56
Best of the Scottish universities is the University of Edinburgh, which ranked 56th in the world. Famous alumni include three UK Prime Ministers – Gordon Brown, Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell – as well as six-time Olympic gold medallist Chris Hoy. The university also boasts the oldest student union in the world and the oldest student newspaper in the UK, which was founded by Robert Louis Stevenson.
6. University of Manchester
World ranking: 69
If you're lucky, Professor Brian Cox – presenter of Wonders of the Universe – could be your lecturer at the University of Manchester, which is 69th on the world list. Manchester has the largest student population in the UK (discounting the Open University and the University of London), and it might be worth noting that 9 out of 10 recent graduates have gone straight into work or further education.
7. King's College London
World ranking: 90
While King's College London made the top 20 in the latest QS world rankings, here it only managed 90th place. King's is the fourth oldest university in England and counts among its alumni John Keats, Florence Nightingale and Desmond Tutu. Fun fact: one of the rooms in the Maughan Library at King's was used as Dumbledore's office in the Harry Potter films.
8. University of Bristol
World ranking: 123
Last year Bristol – the home of Banksy and E4 drama Skins, among other things – was named as the best city to live in the UK, which is very promising for prospective students. Past famous faces at the University of Bristol, which ranked 123rd in the table, include former university chancellor Winston Churchill. The university also has claim to the quietest room in the world.
9. University of Glasgow
World ranking: 137
The University of Glasgow – founded in 1451 – is the fourth-oldest English-speaking university in the world, and is 137th in the list. Albert Einstein was awarded an honorary degree by the university in 1933. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and has over 700 bars, pubs and clubs – great for student nightlife.
10. University of Birmingham
World ranking: 142
