Oxford University the 1st UK university to top world university rankings

David Kugonza | September 22, 2016

Oxford University has come top of the Times Higher Education world university rankings – a first for a UK university.

Oxford knocks California Institute of Technology, the top performer for the past five years, into second place.

But there are warnings the vote to leave the European Union could destabilise UK higher education and hinder work with academics abroad.

The rankings show a mixed picture for European universities, while Asian institutions continue to rise.

The Times Higher tables rank universities worldwide on measures including teaching, research and international outlook – for example, numbers of overseas students and staff.

The latest university rankings for Africa released in April had Makerere University as the only institution outside South Africa to make the top five in fourth place.

Best universities in Africa 2016: top 15

Rank	Institution	Country
1	University of Cape Town	South Africa
2	University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa
3	Stellenbosch University	South Africa
4	Makerere University	Uganda
5	University of KwaZulu-Natal	South Africa
6	University of Pretoria	South Africa
7	University of Ghana	Ghana
8	University of Nairobi	Kenya
9	Suez Canal University	Egypt
10	Alexandria University	Egypt