The Times Good University Guide 2009
London, June 19 (ANI) : Oxford has secured top position for the seventh time among universities in United Kingdom's "The Times Good University Guide".
It stretched its lead marginally over its closest rival, Cambridge, helped by higher spending on student facilities, staffing levels and a larger proportion of students awarded at least a 2:1 degree.
But Cambridge has the better record on research, entry standards and graduate destinations, enabling it to dominate the guide's 61 subject tables, which for the first time include student satisfaction scores.
Only St Andrews, the top Scottish university, approaches the "golden triangle" of Oxford, Cambridge and London this year, ranking five in the table.
Cardiff is the leader in Wales, at No 29.
The top of the table is dominated by Russell Group research-intensive universities, which take 12 of the top 20 places, reasserting the dominance of Britain's older, more traditional institutions.
Among the generation of new universities, Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, is the best placed, at the rank of 54.
One place lower is the Oxford Brookes, a top new university in England.
The Guide Editor John O'Leary said: "Growing student numbers and fierce competition between all types of university in all aspects of higher education have meant the older universities have had to raise their game to stay ahead."
He said that the guide would be an invaluable tool for those applying to go to university in 2009.
"Oxford and Cambridge dominate the main league tables. But one of the strengths of this guide has been to highlight the quality of previously underestimated institutions and to celebrate the achievements of centres of excellence, wherever they may be," the Sun quoted him, as saying.
He added: "Courses that are perceived to offer a clear career path are becoming increasingly popular, while some traditional academic subjects are struggling."
The biggest movers in the top 30 of this year's tables are York (up from 16 to 9), Leicester (from 21 to 14), Lancaster (from 27 to 19) and Glasgow (from 31 to 20=). All except Glasgow are members of the 1994 Group of small research universities.
The Times Good University Guide 2009, published by HarperCollins, ranks 113 universities according to eight criteria, including student satisfaction and research quality.
ANI
1 Oxford
2 Cambridge
3 Imperial College
4 London School of Economics
5 St Andrews
6 Warwick
7 University College London
8 Durham
9 York
10 Bristol
11 King's College London
12 Loughborough
13 Exeter
14 Leicester
15 Bath
16 Nottingham
=16 Southampton
18 Edinburgh
19 Lancaster
20 Newcastle
=20 Glasgow
22 Sheffield
23 East Anglia
24 School of Oriental and African Studies
25 Birmingham
26 Aberdeen
27 Manchester
28 Aston
29 Cardiff
30 Royal Holloway
31 Leeds
=31 Reading
=31 Queen's Belfast
34 Liverpool
35 Strathclyde
36 Kent
37 Queen Mary, London
38 Sussex
39 Surrey
40 Stirling
41 Keele
42 Essex
43 Aberystwyth
44 Dundee
45 Hull
46 Goldsmiths College
47 Heriot-Watt
48 Swansea
49 Bradford
50 City
51 Bangor
52 Brunel
53 Ulster
54 Robert Gordon
55 Oxford Brookes
56 Nottingham Trent
57 Bournemouth
58 Gloucestershire
59 Chichester
60 Brighton
61 Portsmouth
62 Plymouth
63 Central Lancashire
64 Napier
65 West of England
66 Winchester
67 Staffordshire
68 Glasgow Caledonian
=68 Queen Margaret Edinburgh
70 Lampeter
71 Birmingham City
72 Bath Spa
73 Northumbria
74 Coventry
75 University of the Arts, London
76 Sheffield Hallam
77 Glamorgan
=77 De Montfort
79 Hertfordshire
80 Canterbury Christ Church
81 Worcester
82 Sunderland
83 Salford
84 Northampton
85 UWIC, Cardiff
86 Roehampton
=86 Chester
88 Teesside
89 Bedfordshire
90 Huddersfield
91 York St John
92 Manchester Metropolitan
93 Kingston
94 Liverpool John Moores
95 Derby
96 UWCN, Newport
97 Southampton Solent
98 Edge Hill
99 Cumbria
100 Abertay
101 Leeds Metropolitan
=101 Westminster
103 West of Scotland
=103 Lincoln
105 Middlesex
106 Anglia Ruskin
107 Wolverhampton
108 Bucks New
109 East London
110 Greenwich
111 Bolton
112 Thames Valley
113 London South Bank
Source: Times Online
It stretched its lead marginally over its closest rival, Cambridge, helped by higher spending on student facilities, staffing levels and a larger proportion of students awarded at least a 2:1 degree.
But Cambridge has the better record on research, entry standards and graduate destinations, enabling it to dominate the guide's 61 subject tables, which for the first time include student satisfaction scores.
Only St Andrews, the top Scottish university, approaches the "golden triangle" of Oxford, Cambridge and London this year, ranking five in the table.
Cardiff is the leader in Wales, at No 29.
The top of the table is dominated by Russell Group research-intensive universities, which take 12 of the top 20 places, reasserting the dominance of Britain's older, more traditional institutions.
Among the generation of new universities, Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, is the best placed, at the rank of 54.
One place lower is the Oxford Brookes, a top new university in England.
The Guide Editor John O'Leary said: "Growing student numbers and fierce competition between all types of university in all aspects of higher education have meant the older universities have had to raise their game to stay ahead."
He said that the guide would be an invaluable tool for those applying to go to university in 2009.
"Oxford and Cambridge dominate the main league tables. But one of the strengths of this guide has been to highlight the quality of previously underestimated institutions and to celebrate the achievements of centres of excellence, wherever they may be," the Sun quoted him, as saying.
He added: "Courses that are perceived to offer a clear career path are becoming increasingly popular, while some traditional academic subjects are struggling."
The biggest movers in the top 30 of this year's tables are York (up from 16 to 9), Leicester (from 21 to 14), Lancaster (from 27 to 19) and Glasgow (from 31 to 20=). All except Glasgow are members of the 1994 Group of small research universities.
The Times Good University Guide 2009, published by HarperCollins, ranks 113 universities according to eight criteria, including student satisfaction and research quality.
ANI
1 Oxford
2 Cambridge
3 Imperial College
4 London School of Economics
5 St Andrews
6 Warwick
7 University College London
8 Durham
9 York
10 Bristol
11 King's College London
12 Loughborough
13 Exeter
14 Leicester
15 Bath
16 Nottingham
=16 Southampton
18 Edinburgh
19 Lancaster
20 Newcastle
=20 Glasgow
22 Sheffield
23 East Anglia
24 School of Oriental and African Studies
25 Birmingham
26 Aberdeen
27 Manchester
28 Aston
29 Cardiff
30 Royal Holloway
31 Leeds
=31 Reading
=31 Queen's Belfast
34 Liverpool
35 Strathclyde
36 Kent
37 Queen Mary, London
38 Sussex
39 Surrey
40 Stirling
41 Keele
42 Essex
43 Aberystwyth
44 Dundee
45 Hull
46 Goldsmiths College
47 Heriot-Watt
48 Swansea
49 Bradford
50 City
51 Bangor
52 Brunel
53 Ulster
54 Robert Gordon
55 Oxford Brookes
56 Nottingham Trent
57 Bournemouth
58 Gloucestershire
59 Chichester
60 Brighton
61 Portsmouth
62 Plymouth
63 Central Lancashire
64 Napier
65 West of England
66 Winchester
67 Staffordshire
68 Glasgow Caledonian
=68 Queen Margaret Edinburgh
70 Lampeter
71 Birmingham City
72 Bath Spa
73 Northumbria
74 Coventry
75 University of the Arts, London
76 Sheffield Hallam
77 Glamorgan
=77 De Montfort
79 Hertfordshire
80 Canterbury Christ Church
81 Worcester
82 Sunderland
83 Salford
84 Northampton
85 UWIC, Cardiff
86 Roehampton
=86 Chester
88 Teesside
89 Bedfordshire
90 Huddersfield
91 York St John
92 Manchester Metropolitan
93 Kingston
94 Liverpool John Moores
95 Derby
96 UWCN, Newport
97 Southampton Solent
98 Edge Hill
99 Cumbria
100 Abertay
101 Leeds Metropolitan
=101 Westminster
103 West of Scotland
=103 Lincoln
105 Middlesex
106 Anglia Ruskin
107 Wolverhampton
108 Bucks New
109 East London
110 Greenwich
111 Bolton
112 Thames Valley
113 London South Bank
Source: Times Online
