Imperial named University of the Year 2027 by The Times and Sunday Times

Imperial has been named University of the Year 2027 by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, in recognition of its student experience and graduate prospects.

Imperial ranked third in the UK in the rankings overall.  

Alongside the flagship award, Imperial was also named Medical School of the Year and University of the Year for Graduate Employment and was highly commended as Russell Group University of the Year. The university was also recognised as runner-up for London University of the Year 2027.  

The awards were announced as part of The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2027, one of the UK’s leading university rankings and guides for prospective students and their families.  

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “It is fantastic to see the hard work of our community recognised with this honour by The Times and The Sunday Times. 

“Imperial has a special place in the UK’s higher education sector - through our unique STEMB focus, our highly collaborative multidisciplinary teaching and research environment, and our commitment to putting innovation and impact at the heart of what we do.  

“As a London university, we are fortunate to be based in one of the world’s greatest cities and sit at the nexus of the UK’s knowledge ecosystem. Our deep connections to complementary clusters of research, innovation and education excellence across the UK are combined with a highly international outlook - welcoming a student body drawn from over 140 countries with strong links to leading universities, knowledge organisations and industry across the globe. 

“This set of ingredients is unusual, hard to replicate and at the heart of Imperial’s global competitiveness, reputation, and ranking.” 

Imperial was recently named fifth in the UK in The Guardian University Guide, with Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Medicine ranking first in their subject rankings.  

In the National Student Survey (NSS) 2026, Imperial ranked number two for overall satisfaction amongst Russell Group Providers and number one for Russell Group providers in London. Imperial was ranked first in four of the seven themes amongst Russell Group providers in London: 

• Teaching on my course 

• Learning opportunities 

• Learning resources 

• Student voice 

Lizzie Burrows, Chief Marketing and Recruitment Officer at Imperial College London: “Imperial was founded over 100 years ago with a mission ‘to be useful’ and today, we want our students to consider how they can use their talent to improve the lives of people around the world. 

“We are proud to be a university unashamedly focused on STEMB. A strong Imperial applicant demonstrates not only academic excellence, but a genuine intellectual curiosity for their discipline and a drive to get hands-on with discovery and innovation.”