The University of Oxford has been named as one of the most popular UK universities among international students by a new study.

According to research by Remitly, a digital financial services provider, the university came 17th in the global rankings with 1.6 million searches worldwide in the past year and second in the UK leader board.

The study analysed more than 380 universities, and excluded searches from each university's home country.

The University of Edinburgh was the other UK university to make the global top 20, ranking 15th with 1.7 million global searches as it topped the UK leader board.

The US dominated globally with seven spots in the top 10 and all of the top five, including first place, which was taken by Harvard University.

Three Canadian universities featured in the top 20 with Belgium's Vrije Universiteit in Brussels ranking at sixth place.

Australia's Monash University and University of Melbourne also made the top 20 in ninth and 18th respectively.

Ryan Riley, from Remitly, said: "Studying abroad can be an exciting opportunity as you can live in your dream country and city for a number of years, all while working towards your degree and shaping your future.

"For many, being an international student is the only way to experience a country’s culture for an extended period of time with visa restrictions differing per country."