Sunday Times University of the Year


The Sunday Times University of the Year is an annual award given to a British university or other higher education institution by The Sunday Times. The current University of the Year for 2026 is Durham University.
The award is given as part of the annual Times and Sunday Times University Guide since the second supplement's second edition in 1999. Though the guide contains a league table of UK universities compiled from various statistics, the award is not necessarily given to the university at the top. Instead, a university is chosen by a panel of experts based on all round academic excellence.
In addition to the winner, shortlisted universities are also named. A runners-up position was introduced in 2006.
From 2009 onwards, the University Guide took the year of its name from the following year
Although similar in name, this award has no connection to the "University of the Year" award given by Times Higher Education.

List of winners

Universities with multiple appearances

UniversityShortlists
University of Bath4
Edge Hill University4
University of St Andrews4
University of Birmingham3
Coventry University3
Durham University3
University of Exeter3
London School of Economics and Political Science3
Loughborough University3
University of Nottingham3
Oxford Brookes University3
University of Surrey3
University of Warwick3
University of York3

UniversityRunner-Ups
University of Exeter4
University of Leeds2
University of Leicester2
University of St Andrews2

UniversityWins
University of Bath2
Durham University2
Loughborough University2
University of Oxford2
University of St Andrews2
University College London2