The UK attracts a huge number of international students every year, with prestigious universities and high quality of teaching, strong cultural diversity, rich history, varied landscape and many opportunities for students proving attractive factors for those who wish to study abroad.
Read more about studying in the UK as an international student.
The UK has a long history of education institutions and there are currently 131 universities in the UK, which can be classified into a range of types. These include:
The majority of universities in the UK receive funding from the UK government, which classifies them as public universities, with only 5 fully private universities existing in the UK.
With so many universities in a comparatively small country, many cities in the UK can stake the claim of being a student city. Cities that are popular destinations for international students in the UK include:
The UK is home to many of the world’s best universities, with many featuring the top of world university rankings. These include: the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh and the University of Manchester.
University | Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2024 | Best Global Universities | QS World University Ranking |
University of Oxford | 1 | 5 | 3 |
University of Cambridge | 5 | 8 | 2 |
Imperial College London | 8 | 13 | 6 |
University College London | 22 | 12 | 9 |
University of Edinburgh | 30 | 34 | 22 |
King’s College London | 38 | 33 | 40 |
London School of Economics and Political Science | 46 | 236 | 45 |
University of Manchester | 51 | 63 | 27 |
University of Bristol | 81 | 93 | 55 |
University of Glasgow | 87 | 74 | 76 |
See below for a full list of universities and higher education providers in the UK. . Click on universities you are interested in below to read more and to see which courses are available for international students.
Browse higher education providers in The UK
Organisational and Business Psychology MSc, PG Dip
University of Liverpool Online Programmes United Kingdom
Find out moreBanking Innovation and Risk Analytics MSc
The University of Edinburgh Business School United Kingdom
Find out moreInternational Finance Law PG Dip
Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London United Kingdom
Find out moreActing (Screen & Digital) BA (Hons)
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) United Kingdom
Find out moreSign up to av´óƽ̨.com, the home of quality study abroad advice.
Sign up nowThe latest articles from study abroad providers and av´óƽ̨.com to hep you on your study abroad journey.
See more articles