Six of world's top 20 universities are in UK

By Rahul Jain

admissionXpert education reporter

Edinburgh and King's College London have edged into the top 20 of the QS World University rankings.The UK now boasts six of the world's top 20 universities, according to a new global table.

Cambridge, UCL, Imperial and Oxford all made it into the top 10.

But John O'Leary, of QS, warned that unless the UK puts more funding into higher education its leading position could slip.

Edinburgh rose to 17th place from 21st last year and King's College London to 19th from 26th in 2012.

US domination

The top UK university was Cambridge in third position, behind Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the top of the table and Harvard in second.

University College London (UCL) and Imperial occupied fourth and fifth places, with Oxford in sixth.

Universities in the United States made up the rest of the top 10.

There were eight UK universities in the top 50 and 18 in the top 100, with graduates from Oxford and Cambridge rated as the world's most employable by 27,000 global graduate employers polled for the ranking.

"Clearly the prestige of a UK degree is recognised by employers around the world, and the brand-name value of Oxbridge has so far survived any negative publicity following the tuition fee hikes and student protests," said Ben Sowter, head of research at QS.

However the rankings also suggest that UK universities struggle to keep up with the US when it comes to cutting-edge research.

Of UK universities, only Cambridge made the top 30 for research citations, with UCL, Oxford and Imperial in the top 50.

'Not complacent'

"The UK invests below the OECD average in higher education, so it is unrealistic to expect its universities to continue to punch above their weight indefinitely," said John O'Leary, of the QS global academic advisory board.

"The current success of leading institutions shows how vital it is that the government matches the investments being made by other countries in order to maintain their world-class status."

UCL's new president and provost, Professor Michael Arthur, said the university's high place in the rankings reflected its efforts both in the UK and overseas.

But he said: "As pleasing as it is, rankings success will not divert us from focusing on our core mission of educating and inspiring our students and delivering world class research."

Dr Wendy Piatt of the Russell Group noted that all six UK universities in the top 20 and 17 of the 18 in the top 100 were members of the group.

"Their focus on research excellence and high-quality teaching means the UK performs formidably well against other nations in spite of its size", said Dr Piatt.

However, she warned: "If our universities are to compete in the future they need the government to provide light-touch regulation and continued investment, and to be welcoming to genuine international students.

"It is worth again highlighting that the process of ranking universities is fraught with difficulties and they should not be used alone in judging the quality of an institution."

Universities minister David Willetts said the rankings were "fantastic news for the universities, their academics, and their students, who are some of the most employable in the world - however we are not complacent, and know we must work hard to remain the best".

He added: "Our reforms to undergraduate finance have put universities on a sustainable financial footing and sharpened incentives to deliver a world-class student experience.

"We have protected research funding, encouraging universities to invest in cutting-edge research and we are helping our universities make the most of the growing opportunities globally through our international education strategy."

Top 20 universities

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2. Harvard University

3. University of Cambridge

4. University College London (UCL)

5. Imperial College London

6. University of Oxford

7. Stanford University

8. Yale University

9. University of Chicago

10. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

10. Princeton University

12. Eth Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)

13. University of Pennsylvania

14. Columbia University

15. Cornell University

16. Johns Hopkins University

17. University of Edinburgh

17. University of Toronto

19. Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

19. King's College London

Most UK students satisfied with courses, poll suggests

This year's national student survey found satisfaction
scores inseveral key areas were better than in 2012

UK students are very satisfied with their colleges and universities, an annual survey suggests.

The National Student Survey (NSS) of 304,000 final-year students found 85% were happy with their courses.

Scores for assessment and feedback, academic support and management were all higher than in 2012.

"It is encouraging to see that the student experience is continuing to improve", said Toni Pearce, president of the National Union of Students.

The high ratings among final-year undergraduates came a year after tuition fees trebled for new students.

The Ipsos-Mori poll for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) showed that 7% of students were unsatisfied and 7% said they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

High ratings

Students from some 319 further education colleges and universities responded to the survey from across the UK - the highest response rate since the poll was first carried out in 2005.

Some 86% of students said they were happy with the teaching on their course, unchanged from last year.

Assessment and feedback were deemed good by 72% of students, up from 70% last year.

About 84% said that learning resources such as libraries and IT were good, up from 82% last year.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

These strong results continue to demonstrate the high-quality student experience provided by universities and colleges in the UK”

Sir Alan LanglandsChief executive, Higher Education Funding Council for England

The rating for student unions also rose, with 67% saying they were happy with the service provided, against 66% in 2012.

The survey revealed that students at the University of Bath were most satisfied, with 94% saying they were happy with their courses.

St Andrew's University had the happiest students in Scotland, and, with a satisfaction score of 93%, shared overall second place with the universities of Buckingham and Keele.

The Open University scored 92% and was joint fifth overall with Cambridge.

Several smaller specialist institutions were also rated highly by students, among them the Institute of Education (97%), Medway School of Pharmacy (97%) and Brighton and Sussex Medical School (95%).

The institution with the lowest satisfaction rate was Ravensbourne, a specialist design and communication college in south-east London, at 64%.

Ashton-under-Lyne Sixth Form College, in Greater Manchester, and Herefordshire and Ludlow College in Hereford, which both offer degrees, had satisfaction rates of 100%.

Sir Alan Langlands, chief executive of HEFCE, said: "These strong results continue to demonstrate the high-quality student experience provided by universities and colleges in the UK.

'Very encouraging'

"However, institutions must continue to enhance what they offer and respond effectively to the diverse needs of their students."

Dr Wendy Piatt, of the Russell Group, which represents 24 research-based universities, welcomed the survey's finding that 88% of the group's students were satisfied with their courses.

"All our universities work hard to make sure they have high levels of satisfaction and low drop-out rates. We have some of the best university completion rates in the world and we are pleased with this strong endorsement from students themselves".

Universities Minister David Willetts described the rise in student satisfaction as "very encouraging".

Source: BBC News

Northern and Scottish universities 'Top for Nightlife'

Students seeking an active nightlife from their university days should head to institutions in the north of England or Scotland, a survey suggests.

Those wanting an active political scene may do better in London and south-east England, Which University suggests.

Analysis of some 17,500 student ratings of extra-curricular university life reveals which campuses are best for the arts, sport, nightlife and politics.

The ratings were made by UK undergraduates in 2013 and 2012.

The consumer group said the lists were not ranked in order and the scores of the universities within the groups were not necessarily significantly different.

Start QuotWith increased tuition fees, it's never been more important for prospective students to weigh up all the options”
With increased tuition fees, it's never been more important for prospective students to weigh up all the options”

Jenni AllenWhich University

Music venues and demos

Eight universities in the north of England and Scotland were among the top-rated by students for their diverse nightlife in terms of pubs, clubs and music venues.

These were Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, Northumbria, Leeds, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian.

The only university in the south of England to make it into this top group was Sussex.

Continue reading the main story

Would-be politicians may want to head to London, with the School of Oriental and African Studies, the London School of Economics and Political Science, Goldsmiths, and University College London among those considered the best for a political experience. 

This meant that they offered many different political groups and activities, such as meetings and demonstrations, and that politics was a visible part of university life.

But Oxford, Cambridge, Sussex, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Sheffield and Queen's University Belfast also made it into the top-ranked group for political activities.

Students were quizzed over whether sport was a large part of university life, with a wide range of organised sports teams, clubs and facilities open to those of all levels.

Unsurprisingly, Loughborough - well known for its sporting facilities - was considered among the best universities, alongside St Mary's University College, Bath, Stirling, Brunel, Durham, Leeds Metropolitan, Cardiff Metropolitan, Harper Adams, Birmingham, Chichester and Northumbria.

Which University also asked undergraduates if music, theatre, dance, choirs and the visual arts were a large part of university life, with lots of arts societies, events and facilities open to all students.

A number of specialist institutions, including the Arts University Bournemouth, University of the Arts London and University for the Creative Arts, scored well in this category.

They were joined in the top group by Oxford, Cambridge, Goldsmiths, Falmouth, Bath Spa, De Montfort, St Andrews, Southampton Solent, Buckinghamshire New University, Huddersfield and Dundee.

Which combined the results of a survey of 8,053 UK undergraduates in the summer of 2013 and 9,604 questioned in 2012 to reach its conclusions.

Related Stories

• Students 'satisfied' with courses
• Six UK universities in world top 20

Course satisfaction

The consumer group study also surveyed around 8,000 students for their views on their experience of higher education.

The findings showed the vast majority (85%) of students said they were satisfied with their university, with the same proportion happy with their course.

But more than a quarter (26%) said they wished they had done more research, and one in 10 regretted the university they had chosen. Around 11% had regrets about the course they had picked.

Jenni Allen, head of Which University, said: "The academic and extra-curricular experience at university varies widely.

"With increased tuition fees, it's never been more important for prospective students to weigh up all the options and make sure they make the right choice for them."

Since last autumn, UK universities have been allowed to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year.

Source:

BBC News education reporter

World university rankings: Harvard pushes Cambridge into third place

Massachusetts Institute of Technology heads list, Oxford slips to sixth, while Edinburgh and King's College London join top 20

Top 200 QS World University Rankings 2013 in full

Coventry University, which has been named for the first time as one 

of the world's leading universities in the QS rankings. 

Cambridge has slipped down an authoritative list of international university rankings in a league table of top universities published on Tuesday.
It was ousted from second place in the QS World University Rankings by Harvard University; both were behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the list of the world's leading universities.

The UK was represented in the top 10 by Cambridge in third and Oxford slipping back one place to sixth, with London's University College and Imperial College sandwiched between them. Stanford and Yale trail the British quartet in seventh and eighth, with Cal-Tech and Princeton completing the top 10.

The QS rankings included a record number of UK institutions in the top 20, with Edinburgh and King's College London entering for the first time at 17th and 19th respectively.
Coventry was among 15 UK institutions named as a leading university in the QS rankings, which represent the top 4% of international higher education institutions and take into account subject range, research output and academic reputation of more than 3,000 universities around the globe.

David Willetts, the universities minister, said it was fantastic news for UK universities, academics and students, but warned the sector not to get complacent as universities still needed to work hard to remain world class.

He said: "Our reforms to undergraduate finance have put universities on a sustainable financial footing and sharpened incentives to deliver a world-class student experience. We have protected research funding, encouraging universities to invest in cutting-edge research. And we are helping our universities make the most of the growing opportunities globally through our international education strategy."

According to the table, graduates from Oxford and Cambridge were rated as the most employable in the world, with London School of Economics also included in the top five.
While UK universities retain a strong reputation among employers, the rankings suggest they are struggling to keep up with the US when it comes to producing cutting-edge research.

Cambridge was the sole UK institution to make the top 30 for research citations – while only UCL, Oxford and Imperial joined it in the top 50.
John O'Leary, member of the QS global academic advisory board, said: "The UK invests below the OECD average in higher education, so it is unrealistic to expect its universities to continue to punch above their weight indefinitely.
"The current success of leading institutions shows how vital it is that the government matches the investments being made by other countries in order to maintain their world-class status."

Of the 45 UK universities that make the top 400 in the world, 29 rank lower now than they did at the time of the financial crisis. A total of 21 UK institutions have dropped more than 10 places since the recession, while just five rank more than 10 places higher than in 2007.
For Coventry University, the ranking was a further sign of its recent rise. This year it achieved its highest ranking yet in the Guardian's UK university guide of 33rd overall.

There were 14 other UK newcomers to the top 800, including the universities of Kingston, Keele, Stirling, Ulster, Middlesex, London Metropolitan, Plymouth, Hertfordshire, Manchester Metropolitan, Robert Gordon, Greenwich, Northumbria, East London and Nottingham Trent.

- Rahul J
careercounselor.bng@gmail.com

Oxford University axes 'wealth test' for post-grads

The university has abandoned its 'financial guarantee' and now only asks for proof that first-year course fees can be met

Following Damien Shannon’s challenge,the

 university has changed its admissions policy.

Oxford University has abandoned its "wealth test" for postgraduate students applying to its colleges after a student sued on the grounds of discrimination against the poor.

The university has rewritten its admissions policy under which colleges had selected students not just on academic merit, but on their ability to prove that they had liquid assets sufficient to cover £12,900 a year in living costs, in addition to potentially tens of thousands of pounds in tuition fees.

From this year, applicants merely need to show they can meet their tuition fees for their first year. There is no need to provide any financial evidence that living costs can also be met.
The change follows a legal challenge made this year by 27-year-old Damien Shannon, who sued Oxford's St Hugh's College on the grounds that people without wealth were being unlawfully excluded from the university. It was claimed that, along with other Oxford colleges, St Hugh's had been "selecting by wealth" in asking students with a conditional place at the university to demonstrate that they had access to considerable funds for their living costs, above and beyond the already significant cost of fees. The university had also been refusing to take into account projected earnings from students who plan to carry out paid work during their course.
Shannon's case was initially challenged by St Hugh's, whose alumni include the home secretary, Theresa May, and the college hired Peter Oldham QC to fight its case in court at a potential cost of at least £60,000 to the loser, according to documents seen by the Observer.
However, the college and university decided to review their position after the dispute was revealed in this newspaper.
The university has now abandoned what was previously called the "financial guarantee" in favour of a watered-down "financial declaration". It asks students to provide evidence of funds to cover fees for the first year of a course and asks applicants merely to "give your assurance that you are able and willing to meet your living costs for the duration of your course (no financial evidence is required)".
Hazel Blears, the former Labour cabinet minister who is Shannon's constituency MP for Salford and Eccles, said she was delighted by the development. "Damien has worked incredibly hard in pushing for this because, like me, he believes that insisting students must prove they have £13,000 towards living costs is deeply unfair, especially for those from poorer backgrounds," she said.

"It means that hugely intelligent men and women who have been offered places on academic merit are being denied the chance to make the most of their potential. Our country as a whole also misses out if their talent is not nurtured and the university must cease making proof of living costs a condition of entry."

Blears said she hoped the university would install a fair policy and establish means-tested scholarships for students from less affluent backgrounds.
It is understood that Shannon will attend St Hugh's in October to read for the one-year MSc in Economic and Social History course to which he originally applied last March.
A spokesman for Oxford university: "The financial declaration aims to ensure that students are fully aware of the expected fees and living costs associated with their graduate study at Oxford, and is still intended to prevent students dropping out during their course, which is in the interest of both the welfare of individual students and of the institution."