List of Top British Universities

University of Oxford

• The University of Oxford is the oldest university for English-speakers in the world. It is also the number-one ranked school on the 2010 "Times Online Good University Guide." While there is no exact date of its founding, instruction began as early as 1096 and the school's growth escalated in 1167 when King Henry II banned his country's scholars from attending the University of Paris. Oxford's long list of notable facts include maintaining the United Kingdom's oldest museum, having the world's largest repository of historic scientific tools and being home to the world's most diverse collection of plants in its botanical garden. Twenty-six British prime ministers are graduates of Oxford. There are over 20,000 students enrolled in the highly selective university, including approximately 11,800 undergraduates and 8,700 graduates. Undergraduates study in 30 colleges, and there are eight graduate colleges.

  University of Oxford
  University Offices
  Wellington Square
  Oxford OX1 2JD
  United Kingdom
  011-44-1865-270000
  ox.ac.uk

University of Cambridge

• Founded in 1209 by a breakaway group of scholars from Oxford, the University of Cambridge is the second oldest university in Great Britain. Its famous Cambridge University Press began printing in 1584, making it the oldest printer and publisher in the world. The school is known for its place in the history of math and science with alumni and faculty such as Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Francis Bacon (inventor of the scientific method), Charles Darwin and physicist Stephen Hawking. There are 31 colleges and 150 departments, schools and centers at Cambridge. There are over 12,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduates at Cambridge. It is ranked second on the 2010 "Times Online Good University Guide."

  University of Cambridge
  The Old Schools
  Trinity Lane
  Cambridge CB2 1TN
  United Kingdom
  011-44-1223-337733
  cam.ac.uk

Imperial College London

• While Imperial College London does not have multiple centuries of tradition like Oxford and Cambridge, it is still considered among the best universities in the world. Founded in 1907, it is a science research institution with highly-regarded medicine and engineering programs. Faculty members include Nobel Prize winners and fellows in Great Britain's most prestigious science societies. It has rigorous entrance requirements and a dropout rate of less than three percent. There are approximately 8,500 undergraduates and 4,500 graduates. Imperial College London is ranked third on the 2010 "Times Online Good University Guide."

  Imperial College London
  South Kensington Campus
  London SW7 2AZ
  United Kingdom
  011-44-2075-895111
  imperial.ac.uk