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Globally sought UK universities:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, University of Edinburgh was the most searched among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with an estimated 301K branded searches and 20.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. University of Edinburgh20.3%
  2. University of Oxford14.4%
  3. London School of Economics13.6%
  4. University of Manchester13.6%
  5. University of Cambridge11.1%
  6. University of Warwick11.1%
  7. University of Bristol7.4%
  8. UCL6.8%
  9. Imperial College London0.91%
  10. King's College London0.82%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Internationally recognized universities in the United Kingdom, compared through worldwide branded search interest using English-curated terms. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, University of Warwick, University of Bristol, UCL. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthUniversity of EdinburghUniversity of OxfordLondon School of EconomicsUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of CambridgeUniversity of WarwickUniversity of BristolUCLImperial College LondonKing's College London
Oct 202517.4%12.4%14.2%14.2%9.5%17.4%7.8%5.8%0.74%0.57%
Nov 202520.1%14.2%13.4%13.4%11%13.4%7.3%5.5%0.73%0.81%
Dec 202520.1%14.3%13.5%13.5%11%11%9%6%1%0.66%
Jan 202616.9%14.7%13.8%13.8%11.4%13.8%7.6%6.2%0.88%0.83%
Feb 202618.4%13.1%15.1%15.1%10.1%12.4%8.2%6.2%0.82%0.61%
Mar 202617.6%15.3%14.4%14.4%9.7%11.8%7.9%7.2%0.97%0.71%
Apr 202618.3%15.7%15%15%10.1%10.1%6.7%7.5%0.82%0.74%
May 202621.7%15.2%14.5%11.9%9.7%11.9%6.5%7.3%0.79%0.71%
Jun 202617.9%15.4%14.6%14.6%9.8%12%8%6%0.93%0.59%
Jul 202618.6%15.8%15.2%15.2%10.2%10.2%6.9%6.3%0.83%0.61%
Aug 202620.3%14.4%13.6%13.6%11.1%11.1%7.4%6.8%0.91%0.82%
Sep 2026——————————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.University of Edinburgh

    20.3%

    held 1st · 301K estimated branded searches · +22.4% vs prior month · +1.7 points

  2. 2.University of Oxford

    14.4%

    held 2nd · 213K estimated branded searches · +1.9% vs prior month · -1.5 points

  3. 3.London School of Economics

    13.6%

    held 3rd · 201K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · -1.7 points

  4. 4.University of Manchester

    13.6%

    held 4th · 201K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · -1.7 points

  5. 5.University of Cambridge

    11.1%

    held 5th · 165K estimated branded searches · +22.2% vs prior month · +0.9 points

  6. 6.University of Warwick

    11.1%

    held 6th · 165K estimated branded searches · +22.2% vs prior month · +0.9 points

  7. 7.University of Bristol

    7.4%

    held 7th · 110K estimated branded searches · +21.5% vs prior month · +0.6 points

  8. 8.UCL

    6.8%

    held 8th · 101K estimated branded searches · +22.3% vs prior month · +0.6 points

  9. 9.Imperial College London

    0.91%

    held 9th · 13.5K estimated branded searches · +22.7% vs prior month · +0.1 points

  10. 10.King's College London

    0.82%

    held 10th · 12.1K estimated branded searches · +49.4% vs prior month · +0.2 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among globally sought UK universities worldwide?

In August 2026, University of Edinburgh was the most searched among globally sought UK universities worldwide, with an estimated 301K branded searches and 20.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. University of Oxford is in 2nd place, 5.9 percentage points behind at 14.4% Share of Search.

Global globally sought UK universities, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
University of Edinburgh17.4% → 20.3%21.7%May 202616.9%Jan 20261st
University of Oxford12.4% → 14.4%15.8%Jul 202612.4%Oct 20255th → 2nd
London School of Economics14.2% → 13.6%15.2%Jul 202613.4%Nov 20253rd
University of Manchester14.2% → 13.6%15.2%Jul 202611.9%May 20264th
University of Cambridge9.5% → 11.1%11.4%Jan 20269.5%Oct 20256th → 5th
University of Warwick17.4% → 11.1%17.4%Oct 202510.1%Apr 20262nd → 6th
University of Bristol7.8% → 7.4%9%Dec 20256.5%May 20267th
UCL5.8% → 6.8%7.5%Apr 20265.5%Nov 20258th
Imperial College London0.74% → 0.91%1%Dec 20250.73%Nov 20259th
King's College London0.57% → 0.82%0.83%Jan 20260.57%Oct 202510th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Edinburgh’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide increased from 17.4% to 20.3%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Oxford’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide increased from 12.4% to 14.4%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, London School of Economics’ estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide decreased from 14.2% to 13.6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Manchester’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide decreased from 14.2% to 13.6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Cambridge’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide increased from 9.5% to 11.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Warwick’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide decreased from 17.4% to 11.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCL’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide increased from 5.8% to 6.8%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Edinburgh’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 21.7% in May 2026 and was lowest at 16.9% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Oxford’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 15.8% in July 2026 and was lowest at 12.4% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, London School of Economics’ estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 15.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 13.4% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Manchester’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 15.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 11.9% in May 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Cambridge’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 11.4% in January 2026 and was lowest at 9.5% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Warwick’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 17.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 10.1% in April 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Bristol’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 6.5% in May 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCL’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide peaked at 7.5% in April 2026 and was lowest at 5.5% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Oxford rose from 5th to 2nd among globally sought UK universities worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Cambridge rose from 6th to 5th among globally sought UK universities worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Warwick fell from 2nd to 6th among globally sought UK universities worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, University of Bristol, Imperial College London and King's College London held steady: their estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for globally sought UK universities worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, University of Edinburgh gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 18.6% to 20.3%.

  2. In August 2026, University of Cambridge gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 10.2% to 11.1%.

  3. In August 2026, University of Warwick gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 10.2% to 11.1%.

  4. In August 2026, University of Bristol gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 6.9% to 7.4%.

  5. In August 2026, UCL gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 6.3% to 6.8%.

  6. In August 2026, London School of Economics lost estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 15.2% to 13.6%.

  7. In August 2026, University of Manchester lost estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 15.2% to 13.6%.

  8. In August 2026, University of Oxford lost estimated Share of Search among globally sought UK universities worldwide, from 15.8% to 14.4%.

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