Universities UK said other more established global rankings regularly put the UK system second to top.
The Universities UK report also says that graduates are less likely to be unemployed.
Meanwhile Universities UK, the umbrella body for UK universities, said it regretted "the BBC's approach in this matter".
Other countries already accept this, he will add when he addresses the vice-chancellors' group Universities UK at Warwick University.
But Universities UK said that it was too early in the application cycle for an "accurate picture of final demand".
Nicola Dandridge of Universities UK said the tables were just a snapshot but showed that the UK had outstandingly good universities.
Professor Steve Smith, President of Universities UK, said there would be another "challenging admissions period" this summer for applicants and institutions.
Universities plan to offer financial incentives to attract the brightest students regardless of family income, the president of Universities UK says.
Universities UK issued guidance to all universities on the subject in 2011.
Universities UK also warned that Mr Cable risked sending the wrong message.
Universities UK - formerly the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals - is made up of the executive heads of all UK universities.
Universities UK, representing university leaders, remains hostile to essay-writing services, saying it is "absurd" to think that they are not misused by students.
Universities UK's chief executive, Diana Warwick, said it had never claimed the government's proposals for a graduate contribution scheme would meet the funding gap.
These sentiments were reflected by Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, who said recruitment of international students operated "entirely outside these domestic limits".
BBC: Willetts warns universities over foreign student grades
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, says that, in the UK, occupations requiring a degree will continue to grow over the next decade.
The report was carried out on behalf of Universities UK (UUK), which represents vice-chancellors, and the Conference of Principals, representing heads of higher education colleges.
BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | Degree grades 'in need of update'
Universities UK, the representative body for universities, welcomed the extra places.
Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of Universities UK, said she was very encouraged that the government was using these visits to promote the UK's world-leading university system.
The chief-executive of the vice-chancellors' organisation Universities UK, Diana Warwick, said anxious students and their parents would be relieved to know the end was in sight.
BBC: NEWS | UK | Education | University pay talks reach deal
"Universities UK has supported the introduction of greater flexibility into the system which should allow universities to respond better to student demand, " said chief executive, Nicola Dandridge.
As an appetiser, at 11am, the committee has a short session on the roots of radicalisation with witnesses from Universities UK and Federation of Student Islamic Societies.
BBC: Viewing guide: The pick of the week ahead in Parliament
Universities had previously expressed fears about the loss of overseas students from tighter visa rules - but Universities UK said that their concerns had been taken into account.
Sir Steve, the outgoing president of Universities UK - the body representing UK universities - said the government had introduced a market for A-level students with the best grades.
"Given the government's policy on a cap on immigration, you will be aware Universities UK and many others right across the sector are worried about the impact this will have, " he said.
The vice-chancellors' organisation Universities UK said the higher education sector understood the current pressures on public spending and was playing a key role in tackling many of the long-term challenges facing the economy.
The "seismic shifts" in population will have a "noticeable effect on day-to-day life in the city", but universities' influence cannot be "consistently predictable and positive", she told a conference run by Universities UK in London.
Universities UK (UUK), which represents university leaders, says it supports the "broad thrust" of the plans, but that universities do not want to "take ownership" of the qualifications and that the timetable for change is "too ambitious".
Universities UK also said the institutions set entry requirements for courses, but these could be relaxed in certain circumstances - for both home and overseas students - for example, if a student showed potential to succeed on the course.
BBC: Willetts warns universities over foreign student grades
Last month, the incoming head of Universities UK, Roderick Floud, speaking on behalf of university chiefs, added his voice to the criticism of the present system, saying that it was too complex and could deter applicants to higher education.
The academic, who is on the executive of the umbrella body Universities UK, suggested that allowing the public purse to continue to pay the full costs of higher education was not sustainable unless the sector became a higher priority for funds.
BBC: Glasgow University principal says consider graduate tax
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