Imperial and UCL make the world top 20 of universities

Two London universities are among the 20 most highly regarded in the world, research shows.

Imperial College and University College London came 11th and 19th in the Times Higher Education's list.

Harvard came first, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology second, Cambridge third, Oxford sixth and LSE 37th.

It is the first time universities have been ranked on their reputation, to reflect global competition for students and academics. A total of 13,388 academics in 131 countries were asked which universities were the strongest in different fields, and gave each university a ranking based on reputation for research and teaching.

Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, said: "In an ever more competitive global market for students, academics and university administrators, and at a time when the answers to the world's most pressing problems will come from putting together the best brains wherever in the world they may be based, a university's reputation for academic excellence is crucial."

American universities dominate today's league table with seven of the top 10 places going to its institutions.

Britain has 12 universities in the top 100.