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Imperial College London Rankings 2026
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Last updated on 18 Dec '25
- Imperial College London Ranking
- Imperial College London Course Ranking
- Imperial College London US News & World Report Rankings 2025
- Imperial College London The Guardian Rankings 2025
- Imperial College London The Complete University Guide Rankings 2025
- Imperial College London Financial Times Rankings 2024
- Imperial College London QS World University Rankings 2025
- Imperial College London Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking 2025
- Imperial College London ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking 2024
- Imperial College London Bloomberg Rankings 2022
- Imperial College London Student Reviews
Imperial College LondonImperial College London Ranking
Imperial College London is one of the top ranked universities in UK and in the world. For those who want to make a guided decision in choosing the right university, the rankings are a critical ask. For Imperial College London ranking, let’s take a look at how it has ranked this year and also, compare it with how the rankings have changed in past year.
Imperial College London ranking according to Shiksha Popularity Ranking was #6 in 2025. This ranking stood at #7 in 2024, witnessing improved trend. At national level, Shiksha Popularity Ranking was #6 in 2025.
According to another global rank publisher, QS, the university ranking was recorded at #2 in World University Ranking, remained unchanged trend in comparison to its 2025.
The university is also ranked by THE (Times Higher Education) in 2025, with a rank of #9. As per The (Times Higher Education), the Imperial College London rank in 2024 was #8.
The 3 year rankings of Imperial College London by different ranking bodies are mentioned below:
| Ranked By | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| THE | 8 | 9 | Not Ranked |
| US News | 12 | 11 | Not Ranked |
| The Guardian | 5 | 5 | Not Ranked |
| The complete Guide | 6 | 5 | 6 |
#3
World rank by different ranking providers
Shiksha
#6QS Ranking
#2THE Ranking
#8US News Ranking
#11ARWU Ranking
#26
Commonly asked questions On University Evaluation
According to The Guardian Rankings Imperial College London ranks at #5 position in 2025 and the same rank in 2024. In comparison to these rankings, the university was ranked at #5 in 2025 and #6 in 2024 by the Complete University Guide showing an improvement by one position.
Imperial College LondonImperial College London Course Ranking
Imperial College London offers a wide range of future-ready courses from a variety of fields of study such as Engineering, Business and Management Studies, Medicine and Health Sciences, Science and Nursing. The university courses are acknowledged globally, by prominent ranking publications, with Shiksha Popularity World Ranking its Engineering courses at #8 in 2025. Shiksha Popularity Ranking has remained unchanged when compared with 2024 rank of #8.
Additionally, the Engineering and Technology courses have also been ranked at #8 trend as per the 2025 rankings rolled out by QS showcasing declined trend when compared to 2024.
For students interested in Business & Management Studies courses, university’s top courses in this category are ranked at #16 globally. This ranking is given by Shiksha Popularity World Ranking for the year 2025, showcasing a improved trend from 2024 rank of #17.
The Shiksha Popularity Rankings for some of the top ranked courses at Imperial College London are mentioned below:
| Course Category | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | #8 | #8 | #8 |
| Business & Management Studies | #17 | #17 | #16 |
| Medicine & Health Sciences | #7 | #7 | #8 |
| Science | #11 | #11 | #10 |
| Nursing | #183 | #203 | #220 |
MS
Shiksha
QS
THE
ARWU
Specializations in MS Program
Shiksha
QS
Shiksha
QS
ARWU
MBA/PGDM
Shiksha
QS
FT
B.E. / B.Tech
Shiksha
CUG
Guardian
Specializations in B.E. / B.Tech Program
Shiksha
CUG
Guardian
Shiksha
CUG
Guardian
Commonly asked questions On Course Ranking
Imperial College London is one of the top ranked university for courses such as Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Business (STEM-B). In the QS rankings, some of the top courses that rank well include Engineering and Technology, Biological Sciences, Masters in Business Analytics, and Global MBA. In THE 2024 rankings a few of its subjects that rank well are Clinical and Health, PG Computer Science, and Engineering.
As per the Complete University Guide, Imperial subject rankings for 2024 and 2025 are mentioned below:
Subject | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
Chemistry | #5 | #3 |
Computer Science | #3 | #3 |
Civil Engineering | #3 | #3 |
Biological Sciences | #4 | #4 |
Imperial College London US News & World Report Rankings 2025
U.S. News & World Report is a recognized leader in college and grad school and other rankings. It releases National, Global, Regional and subject rankings. In the Global Universities category, the Imperial College London ranks at #12 in 2025. For the Global Universities category rankings, a few of the factors on which the universities are evaluated are Global Research Reputation, Publications, Normalized Citation Impact, Regional Research Reputation, etc. A few of the subjects that rank well
U.S. News & World Report is a recognized leader in college and grad school and other rankings. It releases National, Global, Regional and subject rankings. In the Global Universities category, the Imperial College London ranks at #12 in 2025. For the Global Universities category rankings, a few of the factors on which the universities are evaluated are Global Research Reputation, Publications, Normalized Citation Impact, Regional Research Reputation, etc. A few of the subjects that rank well in the U.S. News & World Report Rankings are Biology and Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Engineering, Ecology, etc.
| Ranked by | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Universities | 13 | 12 | 11 |
Imperial College London Vs Other Universities: US News Ranking Comparison
A comparison of Imperial College London with other UK Universities is mentioned below:
|
University |
2024-25 |
2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
Oxford University |
#4 |
#5 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#6 |
#6 |
|
Imperial College London |
#12 |
#13 |
|
University of Edinburgh |
#38 |
#34 |
Imperial College London US News & World Report Rankings 2025: Ranking Criteria
For Global University category rankings, the U.S. News & World Report ranks the universities according to their performance set across a variety of indicators. These indicators are Global Research Reputation, Regional Research Reputation, Conferences, Books, Total Citations, Publications, etc. The weightage for each indicator is mentioned below:
|
Particulars |
Weight |
|---|---|
|
Global research reputation |
12.5% |
|
Regional research reputation |
12.5% |
|
Publications |
10% |
|
Normalized citation impact |
10% |
|
Total citations |
7.5% |
|
Number of publications that are among the 10% most cites |
12.5% |
|
Percentage of total publications that are among the top 10% most cited |
10% |
Here is the US News Best Global Universities Ranking Criteria.
Imperial College London The Guardian Rankings 2025
The Guardian University Guide Rankings specifies the rankings for UK-based universities. A few of the indicators that are used to compute the rankings by The Guardian are entry standards, student-staff ratio, teaching quality, feedback and career prospects etc. Imperial College London ranks at #5 position in the Guardian rankings for 2025. In 2024 too, the college has managed to maintain the same position.
| Ranked by | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Chemical Engineering | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Civil Engineering | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Electronic and Electrical Engineering | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Medicine | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Physics | 14 | 14 | 9 |
Imperial College London Vs other UK Universities: The Guardian Comparison
Compared with the other UK Universities, in 2025, Imperial College London ranks at the 5th position. It ranks in the same position in 2024 too. The rankings of similar ranked universities along with Imperial are mentioned in the table below:
|
University |
2025 |
2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
Oxford |
#1 |
#2 |
|
St. Andrews |
#2 |
#1 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#3 |
#3 |
|
London School of Economics |
#4 |
#4 |
|
Imperial College London |
#5 |
#5 |
Also Check: Top 100 UK Universities in UK
Imperial College London The Guardian Ranking Criteria
The Guardian evaluates the universities on various parameters such as teaching quality, student-to-staff ratio, expenditure per student, feedback, overall satisfaction, etc. The scores that Imperial has attained are mentioned below:
|
Indicator |
Scores Obtained |
|---|---|
|
Overall |
82.6 |
|
Teaching quality |
85.5 |
|
Feedback |
64.4 |
|
Student-to-staff ratio |
11.9 |
|
Expenditure per student |
8.6 |
|
Average entry tariff |
204 |
|
Value added score |
6.6 |
|
Career after 15 months |
96 |
|
Continuation |
95.6 |
Also Check: The Guardian Ranking Methodology
Imperial College London The Complete University Guide Rankings 2025
The Complete University Guide rankings depict the top rankings of the UK Universities. The indicators that are used to evaluate these rankings are entry standards, student satisfaction and graduate prospects among others. Imperial College London ranks at #6 position in 2026 in the UK University category. In 2025 this university was ranked at #5.
| Ranked by | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK University | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Biological Sciences | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Chemical Engineering | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Civil Engineering | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Computer Science | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Medicine | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Imperial College London Vs Other Universities: The Complete University Guide Ranking Comparison
A comparison of Imperial College London with the other UK universities as per The Complete University Guide is mentioned below:
|
University |
2025 |
2024 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Oxford |
#2 |
#2 |
#1 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#1 |
#1 |
#2 |
|
London School of Economics & Pol. Sciences |
#3 |
#3 |
#3 |
|
St. Andrews |
#4 |
#4 |
#4 |
|
Imperial College London |
#5 |
#6 |
#5 |
Though year on year Imperial’s ranking improved in 2025 when compared with 2024 it still ranks lower than the top UK Universities such as Oxford University, University of Cambridge and St. Andrews.
Imperial College London The Complete University Guide 2025 Rank: Ranking Criteria
A few of the factors that are considered by the Complete University Guide are entry standards, student-staff ratios, facilities spending, spending on academic services, graduate prospects, continuation and international student enrollments. The overall score that Imperial College London has received is 897. Other scores obtained by this university in the Complete University Guide rankings are mentioned below:
|
Indicators |
Scores |
|---|---|
|
Entry standards |
206 |
|
Research quality |
3.63 |
|
Research intensity |
0.80 |
|
Facilities spend |
619 |
|
Spending on academic services |
3325 |
|
Graduate prospects - outcomes |
94.2 |
|
Graduate prospects – on track |
86.2 |
|
Continuation |
95 |
|
Student-staff ratio |
11.9 |
|
Student satisfaction |
3.15 |
Imperial College London Financial Times Rankings 2024
Financial Times Ranking is one of the dependable rankings in the context of MBA or Business Schools rankings. It has been publishing Business Schools rankings since 1999. A few of the rankings provided by Financial Times are Global MBA, Masters in Management, Masters in Finance, Executive MBA, etc. For the MBA Rankings 2024, Imperial College London ranks at #39.
| Ranked by | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MBA | 39 | 38 | 39 |
| Master in Finance | 17 | 16 | – / – |
| Master in Management | 24 | 47 | – / – |
Imperial College London Vs Other Universities: Financial Times Ranking Comparison
A ranking comparison Imperial College London with other UK Universities is mentioned below:
|
University |
FT MBA 2024 |
FT MBA Rankings 2023 |
|---|---|---|
|
University of Oxford |
#26 |
#28 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#29 |
#23 |
|
Imperial College London |
#39 |
#37 |
|
University of Warwick |
#60 |
#55 |
|
The University of Edinburgh |
#92 |
- |
As per the Financial Times MBA rankings, Oxford University and University of Cambridge are placed better than Imperial. However, Imperial ranks among the Top 50 Business Schools rankings in 2024.
Imperial College London Financial Times Rank 2024: Ranking Criteria
Financial Times Global MBA rankings are derived after considering the 21 criteria. A few of these criteria are weighted salary, salary increase, value for money rank, career services rank, female faculty, alumni network rank, female students, international faculty and international students, etc. Check more about Financial Times Global MBA Rankings from here.
Imperial College London QS World University Rankings 2025
QS World University Rankings are the most comprehensive rankings that have offered World University Rankings since 2004. For the year 2025, Imperial College London QS ranking is #2 for 2025 and in 2024, it ranks at #6. In QS rankings Imperial’s ranking has improved significantly in 2025. The ranking has improved by 4 places.
| Ranked by | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| UK Ranking | – / – | – / – | 1 |
| World University | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Accounting and Finance | 20 | 21 | 15 |
| Art and Design | 51 | 51 | 62 |
| Biological Sciences | 8 | 10 | 7 |
| Engineering and Technology | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Global MBA | 20 | 18 | 19 |
| Masters in Business Analytics | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Mathematics | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Mechanical Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Medicine | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Pharmacy and Pharmacology | 8 | 17 | 10 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 12 | 11 | 12 |
Imperial College London vs Other Universities: QS Ranking Comparison
QS World University Rankings are the most detailed rankings that have offered World University Rankings since 2004. In QS rankings, Imperial’s compared to the other UK Universities, Imperial College London ranks well in 2025. It has managed to rank better than other universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and UCL.
|
University |
2025 |
2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
Imperial College London |
#2 |
#6 |
|
University of Oxford |
#3 |
#3 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#5 |
#2 |
|
UCL |
#9 |
#9 |
|
The University of Edinburgh |
#27 |
#22 |
Imperial College London QS World University Rankings 2025: Ranking Criteria
For the year 2025, QS has ranked more than 1,500 institutions. For all areas, Imperial has managed to have high scores in the range of 90-100. The scores can be checked from the table mentioned below:
|
Parameters |
Scores for 2025 |
|---|---|
|
Academic reputation |
98.5 |
|
Citations per faculty |
93.9 |
|
Employment outcomes |
93.4 |
|
Employer reputation |
99.5 |
|
Faculty student ratio |
98.2 |
|
International faculty ratio |
100 |
|
International research network |
97.4 |
|
International student ratio |
99.6 |
|
Sustainability |
99.7 |
Also Check: QS World University Ranking Methodology
Imperial College London Times Higher Education (THE) World University Ranking 2025
Times Higher Education has been providing performance data on universities for students since 2004. It creates university rankings to evaluate university performance on the global stage and provides a resource for readers to know the different missions and successes of higher education institutions.
According to the Times Higher Education ranking, Imperial College London has a ranking of #9 in 2025 and #8 in 2024. Though there is a decline in THE 2025 rankings of the college it still ranks among
Times Higher Education has been providing performance data on universities for students since 2004. It creates university rankings to evaluate university performance on the global stage and provides a resource for readers to know the different missions and successes of higher education institutions.
According to the Times Higher Education ranking, Imperial College London has a ranking of #9 in 2025 and #8 in 2024. Though there is a decline in THE 2025 rankings of the college it still ranks among the Top 10 Universities in the World in the current rankings. A few of the subjects of the college that rank well in THE subjects rankings are Clinical and Health, Engineering, Computer Science and Life Sciences etc.
| Ranked by | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| Engineering | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| Life Sciences | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| Medicine and Health | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| PG Computer Science | 8 | 8 | 9 |
Imperial College London Vs Other Universities: THE World University Ranking Comparison
According to the THE World Rankings 2025 Imperial ranks in one of the Top 10 Universities in the World. In 2024 and 2025, Oxford University and Cambridge University have managed to rank better than Imperial.
|
University |
2025 |
2024 |
|---|---|---|
|
University of Oxford |
#1 |
#1 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#5 |
#5 |
|
Imperial College London |
#9 |
#8 |
|
UCL |
#22 |
#22 |
|
University of Edinburgh |
#29 |
#30 |
Imperial College London THE World University Rank 2025: Ranking Criteria
In 2025 THE has ranked more than 2,000 universities in the world. The overall score that Imperial College London has received in THE rankings 2025 is 94.4. Other scores received by Imperial are mentioned below:
|
Particulars |
Scores in 2025 |
|---|---|
|
Teaching |
89.3 |
|
Research Environment |
94.9 |
|
Research Quality |
98.5 |
|
Industry |
90.8 |
|
International Outlook |
98.3 |
Imperial College London ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking 2024
ARWU is also called as Shanghai Ranking and is one of the annual publications for world rankings. This ranking is known as one of the three most influential and widely observed university rankings, alongside Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings. Over 2,500 universities are ranked by ARWU every year. Imperial College London ranks at #25 position in 2024 in Shanghai rankings.
| Ranked by | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 23 | 25 | 26 |
| Mathematics | 24 | 18 | 17 |
| Nursing | 151 | 151 | 201 |
| Physics | 39 | 43 | 43 |
Imperial College London Vs Other Universities: ARWU Ranking Comparison
A comparison of Imperial College London with other similar universities is mentioned below -
|
University |
2024 Rankings |
2023 Rankings |
|---|---|---|
|
University of Oxford |
#6 |
#7 |
|
University of Cambridge |
#4 |
#4 |
|
Imperial College London |
#25 |
#23 |
|
University of Bristol |
#97 |
#88 |
In comparison with the other UK universities such as Oxford University and University of Cambridge, Imperial ranks a little lower. It has been in the Top 50 Universities in the world.
Imperial College London ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking 2024: Ranking Criteria
The ranking parameters of ARWU are quality of education, quality of faculty, research output and per capita performance. The weightage that each parameter carries is mentioned below:
|
Parameter |
Weightage |
|---|---|
|
Quality of Education |
10% |
|
Quality of Faculty |
20% |
|
Research Output |
40% |
|
Per Capita Performance |
10% |
Imperial College London Bloomberg Rankings 2022
Bloomberg Businessweek’s B school rankings are based on graduating students, recent alumni and employers that hire MBAs to comment and assess on the programs ranked. The MBA rankings by Bloomberg Business Week are considered one of the most trusted ranking providers for business schools and MBA courses. Imperial College London ranked at #15 in Europe Bloomberg Business Week rankings in 2022.
Imperial College London Vs Other UK Universities: Bloomberg Businessweek Ranking Comparison
Imperial ranked at #15 in the Best Business Schools category – Europe for the year 2022-23 rankings by Bloomberg Businessweek. A comparison of Imperial College London with similar UK universities is mentioned below:
|
University |
2022 Rankings |
|---|---|
|
Imperial College London |
#15 |
|
London Business School |
#4 |
|
Cambridge University |
#8 |
|
University of Oxford |
#9 |
In comparison with the other UK Universities, the Imperial College London ranked at the #15 in the 2022 Bloomberg rankings. It ranked slightly lower than other UK universities, still it was in the Top 20 Best Business Schools category.
Imperial College London Bloomberg Business Ranking 2022: Ranking Criteria
Bloomberg Businessweek’s rankings are one of the most authentic and trusted rankings because it surveys directly to the MBA graduates and asks them about their study experience and companies about the professionals they employ from MBA universities or schools. The indicators that are used for ranking the B-schools are:
- Compensation
- Learning
- Networking
- Entrepreneurship
- Diversity
For the 2024-25 criteria the weightages for each indicator are Compensation Index (36.9%), Learning Index (25.2%), Networking Index (24.1%), and Entrepreneurship Index (13.8%).
Imperial College LondonStudents Ratings & Reviews
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Imperial College London
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Imperial College London offers Indian students a world-class study environment with top-tier STEM and Business programs. However, it also requires them to through a stringent admission process, and managing high tuition and living costs.
Pros:
- Elite Global Reputation (QS World Rank #2 in 2026)
- Unmatch
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Indian students do face competition for part-time work in London. However, it is gettable if students start early and use the right platforms. Networking with students on campus and applying heavily is key.
Retail Assistants, Cafe/Baristas staff, Event staff, and Library assistants are popular part-t
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Yes, Imperial College London grads earn higher average salaries than those from the Uni of Edinburgh. The premium salary earned by Imperial grads is down to the university's focus on STEM and Business courses, and strong partnerships with top global companies.
Average salary earned by MBA grads of Im
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, all the UG students from India are required to apply via the UCAS portal only at Imperial College London.
The students cannot apply directly via the applications or use alternative portals for UG degrees.
UCAS is the central portal and all UG students should apply via the same.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
ICL admissions have always been very academically selective rather than holistic. This approach is actually very different from most top universities in the US, where extracurriculars, essays and personal character of the student.
Given below are the factors on which an ICL application is assessed.
B
Contributor-Level 10
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| University City | London, London, UK |
| Size of city | Large |
| Population of City | 88,25,000 |
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