The two universities in Essex either maintained or improved their position in the prestigious league table.

The University of Essex’s strengths in research and education alongside its international outlook meant the university achieved its highest ranking for four years (the 251-300 category).

Deputy vice chancellor, Professor Jules Pretty, said: “We strive for excellence in education and research and as a truly international university, with students and academic staff from over 140 countries, it is wonderful to receive this recognition for our global reputation.”

Zoe Garshong, president of the students’ union, added: “As a Students’ Union, we are really pleased to see Essex enter the top 300 universities globally, which is clear recognition of the world-class work the University and Students’ Union is doing every day.

“We are extremely proud of Essex’s international community, having over 5000 international students within our community, and it is so important to us that both we and the University provide an amazing experience for all students.”

Elsewhere, Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford maintained its 301-350 rank. Professor Iain Martin, vice chancellor, praised the “outstanding achievement”. The university is the highest-ranked higher education institution established after 1992, when former polytechnics were given university status under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992,

He said: “Our strong showing in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings is something we can all be proud of and is testament to the hard work of our staff.

“Simply being included in this list of the top 1,000 universities in the world is very pleasing but to yet again feature in the top 350 is an outstanding achievement.”