The University of Exeter has risen two spots in the Times Higher Education World Rankings 2026.
Out of 2,191 universities, the University of Exeter ranked 170th, sharing this position with Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Antwerp.
In 2025, the university was positioned at 172nd.
In the Times Higher Education world rankings, Exeter scored an overall of 60.6, scoring higher than fellow Russell Group universities, including Durham University, Queen’s University Belfast, and Cardiff University.
Exeter performed particularly well in the Research Quality category with a score of 94.0 and also in international outlook with 93.4.
Exeter also placed in the top 20 across the three major UK university league tables for 2026, positioned at 11th in the Complete University Guide, 14th in The Times UK University Rankings, and 17th in the Guardian’s University Guide.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 includes 2,191 universities across 115 countries and territories.
It provides a comprehensive ranking of institutions based on “five core pillars of evaluation” that the Times Higher Education, which then create an overall score. The score is made up of a certain percentage of each category:
- Teaching: 29.5 per cent
- Research environment: 29 per cent
- Research quality: 30 per cent
- Industry: 4 per cent
- International outlook: 7.5 per cent
As a result, the rankings showcase leading universities for prospective students, employees, and academics.
The table also saw many developments worldwide such as: Princeton rising to joint third position for the first time ever; China having five universities in the top 40; Hong Kong now holding six spots in the top 200; and India, closely behind the US, with the second highest number of ranked universities.
For the 10th year running, the University of Oxford held its spot at first place, excelling in all categories, including a score of 100 in Research Environment.
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