Oxford is still the best university in the world despite the worst performance in a decade from the UK overall, according to new rankings. A total of 28 UK universities lost ground in the ranking, more than double the 13 that made improvements, while 64 retained their positions. The UK had 11 universities in the global top 100, including University College London, Edinburgh and King’s College London. Mr Baty said that while UK universities were losing ground, ‘East Asian nations, led by China, continue to thrive and surge up the table’. A Universities UK spokesman said: ‘The UK’s universities are world leading, and continue to punch above their weight in global league tables and research partnerships.