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The six best universities in Europe are British, according to the latest international academic rankings. Cambridge and Oxford are joined at the top of the league by Edinburgh and three distinguished London institutions, Imperial, King’s and University College.

Britain now dominates the European top 10 with Manchester and Bristol placed just behind two Parisian universities, Ecole Normale Supérieure and Ecole Polytechnique. More than a third of the continent’s 100 best universities are in the UK with Leicester (78=) and Loughborough (99=) in the reckoning for the first time.

There are 49 British universities among the top 500 in the world. A table prepared specially for The Sunday Times shows Aston, Essex, East Anglia, Kent and Hull making their debut in the 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings. The measurements used to establish the rankings include peer and employer assessments, the global impact of the institution and academic citations.

Chief executives at the country’s leading centres of learning place huge importance on their global position as they compete feverishly to attract the best staff and students from abroad. Manchester, up 10 places in a year to 30th, is well on the way to achieving its aim to be one of the top 25 universities in the world by 2015. Leeds, in jumping 41 places in a year to 80th=, has reached the top 100 three years ahead of the goal it set for 2010.

The majority of Britain’s most respected universities have made significant strides up the global league this year, although some, particularly in London and Wales, have slid down the ladder. Lancaster made the biggest leap of 81 places to 147th to overtake Queen Mary, London, down 50 places to 149th=.

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