Which? analysed comparative claims made by UK universities and found that at least six make unverifiable claims on their website, in likely breach of advertising standards.

Ulster University is the only Northern Ireland institution on the list, which also includes three Scottish institutions and two in England.

A ‘comparative claim’ in this context is where a university compares its performance with competitors by saying, for example, that it is world-leading in a certain field or more prestigious than rival institutions.

Ulster University states on its profile page that it is “in the top three per cent of universities in the world” and includes a “top two per cent” claim elsewhere.

It came 501st-600th out of 1,103 institutions in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 601st-650th in the QS Rankings.

Alex Hayman, managing director of Which? University, said: “It is critical that prospective students can trust the facts that higher education institutions are putting forward. However, we’ve found numerous examples of universities falling short.”

Responding to the report, Ulster University said that its top two per cent figure was based on the total number of higher education institutions worldwide (using an estimate of 26,000), rather than its position within rankings.