There are three major league tables for UK universities: Complete University Guide (CUG), Times and Sunday Times (Times), and Guardian University Guide (Guardian). They use different metrics hence results for a same university differ a lot in these league tables.
I found CUG is the most useful, not only because its metrics are comprehensive, taking teaching, research, and graduate prospects into consideration, but also it is freely available. Although Times league table's metrics are similar, it is usually behind a paywall. Having digged around, I found a free version of Times 2024 league table available here. Guardian league table does not including research metrics. It might be useful for students to choose their undergraduate study, but is less useful for postgraduate students and academics.
In terms of comprehensiveness and openness, I would rank these leagues tables below.
- CUG
- Times
- Guardian
