Cambridge has topped the Guardian
University Guide
league table for the second year running, while Oxford has come second
and the London School of Economics has climbed a place to third.
St
Andrews, rated third last year, is now in fourth place, while Warwick
rises a place to fifth. University College London (UCL), Durham,
Lancaster, Bath and Exeter make up the top 10.
The guide is
accompanied by rankings showing how universities perform across the main
subject areas, published in full on Tuesday. Cambridge dominates across
the board, coming top in 16 out of 47 subjects including biosciences,
chemical engineering, computer science, maths, medicine and veterinary
science.
Oxford came top in seven subjects including business studies, chemistry, economics, law and physics.
In
the subject tables, there was a strong performance by UCL, which ranked
top in six subjects including archaeology, architecture and English.
But UCL dropped a place in the overall table to sixth due to a poor
ranking in mechanical engineering and a few other subjects.
Universities
are ranked according to spending per student; their student/staff
ratio; graduate career prospects; what grades applicants need; a
value-added score that compares
students'
entry qualifications with their final degree results; and how happy
final-year students are with their courses, based on the annual
National Student Survey.
The tables are compiled by an independent consultancy, Intelligent Metrix.
Brian
Oldham, a financial analyst at King's College London and a member of
the review group for the tables, acknowledged that the NSS is
subjective. He said: "Students at a university that generally has a high
reputation may be more demanding in the quality of teaching they
expect.
"On the other hand, students that are at a university that
it is lower down in the pecking order may receive teaching that exceeds
their prior expectations and give marks higher than would be achieved
under any objective measure."
The use of entry grades implies that
students with the strongest qualifications will go to the university
that is best for their subject. It also means that some institutions
with access programmes – admitting lower-performing candidates on the
basis of potential – score less highly. The use of a value-added score,
measuring the impact of teaching, offers a counterweight.
Most of
the shifts in this year's league table are due to changing levels of
student satisfaction. Sussex dropped to 27th place from 11th after
students in English and geography became significantly less happy with
their departments. Stirling dropped from 44th to 67th after value-added
scores in business and law declined.
Aberystwyth fell in six subjects, with declines in all performance measures. It drops from 50th place to 81st.
Among
the climbers is Brunel, up from 82nd to 44th, taking the top spot for
social work. Chester went from 80th to 52nd, with student satisfaction
results driving improved ratings in biosciences, history, law and
psychology. The career prospects of its biosciences graduates also
improved. Coventry rose from 63rd to 46th, with student survey results a
major factor.
Bolton, the University of Abertay, Dundee and
London Met are the lowest ranked universities in the overall table.
Bolton will charge a range of fees up to a maximum of £8,400.
Cambridge
is not listed in the tables for physics or chemistry because it offers a
natural sciences tripos, and the data could not be adequately split
according to the constituent parts of this inter-disciplinary course.
All
of the public English universities in the Guardian's top 20 will charge
the maximum fee of £9,000 for new undergraduates from this September,
except for the LSE, which will charge £8,500.
Dr Wendy Piatt,
director general of the Russell Group, said: "Our universities do well
in these and other tables but students should remember all league tables
have their limitations and should look beyond rankings when choosing a
degree course.
"Russell Group universities excel at research but
even though this is not measured in these tables our universities have
still performed well. Teaching is one of our top priorities and we
believe the combination of world-class teaching and research excellence
in our universities creates the ideal learning environment. Our
universities offer a broad range of study options from Arabic to Zoology
and Mechanical Engineering to Medicine.
"Our students work with
their field's leading experts, have access to first-rate libraries and
facilities, are part of a highly motivated and talented peer group and
often engage in cutting-edge research themselves.
"Employability
is particularly important to potential students in the current climate.
Employers rank six Russell Group universities in the top 13 universities
in the world, and Russell Group graduates receive on average a 10 per
cent salary 'top-up' over those from other universities.
"Our
universities have higher than average levels of student satisfaction and
the lowest drop-out rates – and we are constantly working to improve
the student experience."
There are 16 English universities in the
top 20: Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, Warwick, UCL, Durham, Lancaster, Bath,
Exeter, Loughborough, Surrey, Imperial College, Buckingham, York,
Bristol and Leicester.
Buckingham is a private university, which
will charge £22,500 for a two-year degree. Students eligible for a
government-backed loan will be able to borrow up to £12,000 over the two
years.The
Guardian University Guide 2013 league table of universities is published today. Subject tables will be available from Tuesday morning.
• For more details on the methodology used for the Guardian University Guide tables,
please read our methodology guide. Individual queries should be sent to data@intelligentmetrix.co.uk
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