The University of Oxford has been ranked the second-best university in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2027, placing just behind Cambridge in the latest national table for students planning ahead for 2027 entry.
The guide is designed to help prospective applicants compare universities before they start next year, and Oxford's numbers remain strong even in second place. It scored 977 out of 1,000 overall, with 80% for student satisfaction, 87% for research, 88% for graduate prospects and 95% for entry standards.
That sits in an awkward contrast for Oxford. The university is second in this UK guide, yet it has also been named the best in the world for 10 consecutive years in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Cambridge, meanwhile, topped the Complete University Guide 2027 with a perfect score of 100.
The result also lands against the reality of Oxford's own admissions pressure. The university has more than 26,000 students, including 12,460 undergraduates and 13,755 postgraduate students, but says there are usually only around 3,300 undergraduate places. It said over 23,000 people applied to start in 2024, or about seven applications for each available place.
Elsewhere in the same guide, Oxford Brookes University came in 45th place, up three places from last year's rankings. The Complete University Guide covers the UK's best universities overall and across 74 subject areas, so its release gives applicants a fresh set of numbers to weigh before choosing where to apply for 2027.
For students, that leaves Oxford in a familiar position: elite, hard to get into and still near the top of every table that matters. The gap that matters now is not whether Oxford is highly regarded, but whether the ranking they trust most is the one they use when applications open.
