Cambridge tops ranking, but Oxford drops to third behind LSE

The University of Cambridge remains in top place in The Complete University Guide to the UK’s 116 universities, which was published this week. But Oxford drops to third, narrowly beaten by the London School of Economics and Political Science.

It is the first time since 2000 that Oxford and Cambridge have not shared the top two spots – in that year Imperial College London knocked Oxford into third place.

In separate listings for the leading universities and higher education institutions covering 62 subjects, Cambridge is in the top 10 for all 46 subjects it offers, and top in 30. Oxford is in the top 10 for all 32 of its subjects, and is placed first in 12. The LSE is in the top 10 for all 12 subjects offered, and top for three.

There are two new entrants to the Top 20 – the University of Glasgow (17th) and Leicester (19th). They have replaced Sussex, which just missed out in 21st place, and the School of Oriental and Asian Studies, which fell from 15th to 30th position.

Oxford Brookes University, in 45th place, is the highest-ranking ‘new’ university (former polytechnic). One of the strongest climbers is the University of Bedfordshire, up 21 places to 82nd.

Dr Bernard Kingston, principal author of the guide, said league tables carry a health warning for good reason – and the order at the top of the ranking should be treated with some discretion.

“What is beyond dispute is that all three institutions – Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Oxford – are outstanding in their fields. The LSE’s range of disciplines is less broad than Oxford’s, and it has a better record for graduate prospects,” he said.

The interactive guide ranks universities on nine factors: student satisfaction; research assessment; entry standards; student-to-staff ratio; spending on academic services; spending on student facilities; good honours degrees achieved; graduate prospects; and completion.

The subject tables are based on four factors: student satisfaction; research assessment; entry standards; and graduate prospects.

Nationally the top 10 universities are Cambridge, LSE, Oxford, Imperial College London, Durham, Warwick, St Andrews, University College London, Lancaster and Bath.

The impact of the economic downturn on graduate employment prospects continues to be reflected in many of the changes in relative positions in the table.

The proportion of UK-domiciled first-degree graduates going on to graduate-level employment or further study appears to be stabilising after a steady fall over the past few years, from 68.7% in the 2010 tables, to 63.9% last year and 63.7% in the current tables.

This has resulted in steep ranking decline for some universities, while others have bucked the trend by devoting extra resources to employability.

Kingston said: “The employment market for graduates remains challenging and this is reflected in the rankings. Some universities have been more successful than others in adapting to the new conditions.”

A key feature is the steady rise in entry standards, with average entrance points (aggregate of points corresponding to A-level grades and AS grades) rising from 314.9 in the 2010 guide to 324.4 last year and 336.7 in the current tables.

The likely explanation from the definite upward trend in entry standards is universities applying tougher criteria in the face of reduced funding for places. For its rankings the guide uses entry data taken from official sources and checked with the universities themselves.

Since 2007, the rankings have appeared online, enabling users to tailor the tables for their personal use by choosing the criteria that are directly important to them.

They can freely review the People and Planet Green League Table data (measuring commitment to environmental sustainability), more detailed university profiles with visitor reviews, details of bursaries and scholarships, career profiles, and a section on fees and finance.

The online guide is produced by a partnership between publishers Constable & Robinson and Mayfield University Consultants. The Complete University Guide became an independent entity in 2007 – previously the data were compiled by Mayfield and published in The Times.