The best university in Scotland has been named in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.
Retaining its spot as the top Scottish university is St Andrews, which came second in the UK league table behind the London School of Economics and Political Science. This means that St Andrews University now outranks Oxford and Cambridge, both of which have dropped out of the national top three for the first time in the guide's 32-year history.
Meanwhile, the University of Strathclyde has been recognised as Scottish University of the Year, as well as the UK’s Runner-up University of the Year for the UK, due to its graduate employment rates and ethos to be a “place of useful learning”.
Just missing out on being named Scotland’s top university for 2026 is Heriot-Watt, with Glasgow Caledonian University is Runner-up Modern University of the Year for the UK. Despite its historically poor rankings in the league tables, the University of the West of Scotland is Scottish University of the Year for Social Inclusion in 2026.
The annual guide from the Times is based on data including research reputation, campus facilities, scholarships and bursaries, nightlife and more. Discussing Scotland’s institutions, guide editor Helen Davies said: “In contrast to the volatility at the top of the UK rankings - where Oxford and Cambridge have both dropped out of the top three for the first time - Scotland’s results point to consistency and depth of quality across its higher education sector.”
Here are Scotland’s best and worst universities ranked according to the Times Good University Guide 2026.
5. University of Dundee
In joint fourth is the University of Dundee, which has climbed up two places from last year. | Lisa Ferguson
6. University of Edinburgh
It may be a surprise to hear, but the University of Edinburgh has also lost several positions in the Times Good University Guide 2026, coming in sixth. It lands as the 25th best university in the UK, which is down significantly from its national position at number 17 last year. | Adobe Stock
7. Glasgow Caledonian University
Despite only being ranked as the 7th best university in Scotland, Glasgow Caledonian University has been named as the UK's Runner-up Modern University of the Year for 2026. | John Devlin
8. Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt is another institution which is still highly regarded among Scottish universities despite being further down the league table in 8th. It is the Runner-up Scottish University of the Year. | Google Maps