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London has held its position as the world's top city for universities in the latest Times Higher Education world reputation rankings, although elsewhere British universities slipped down the global table.
Both Cambridge and Oxford dropped a place in the top 10, to fourth and fifth respectively, supplanted by Stanford University in third, while Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology stayed in first and second place respectively.
Overall, 10 British universities came in the top 100, making the UK the second-best represented country, although far behind the perennial powerhouse of the US, boasting 46 institutions.
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said: "This table, and other rankings, suggest that the UK continues to possess, by some margin, one of the strongest university systems in the world."
But she said that if the UK wanted to maintain its position, it must start matching its competitors' increased investment in higher education.
London had six universities in the top 100, the most of any city. Imperial College saw its ranking rise slightly, from 14th to 13th, followed by the London School of Economics in 24th. University College London suffered a sharp drop,fell from 20th to 25th, although its near-neighbour King's College London moved up to 43rd.
The University of Edinburgh was Scotland's sole entry in the rankings, at 46. Manchester University, the London Business School and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also cracked the top 100, replacing Bristol, which dropped out of the table.
Jo Beall, the British Council's director of education, said that national winners and losers in world rankings depended on universities being able to hire top-flight academics.
"It is vital that all of our institutions are able to enjoy the full support of government in being able to attract and nurture the best talent from around the world. This will enhance not just the reputation of our institutions, but the UK as a whole," Beall said.
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