Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom

Three national rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually – by The Complete University Guide, The Guardian and jointly by The Times and The Sunday Times. Rankings have also been produced in the past by The Daily Telegraph and Financial Times.

The primary aim of the rankings is to inform potential undergraduate applicants about UK universities based on a range of criteria, including entry standards, student satisfaction, staff/student ratio, academic services and facilities expenditure per student, research quality, proportion of Firsts and 2:1s, completion rates and student destinations.[1][2] All of the league tables also rank universities on their strength in individual subjects.

Each year since 2008, Times Higher Education has compiled a "Table of Tables" to combine the results of the 3 mainstream league tables. In 2015,[3] the top 5 universities were the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of St Andrews with the London School of Economics and Imperial College London tied for 4th place. The 5 universities also claim the top 5 positions in the ranking of British universities by national reputation.[4] In 2015, they were the only universities in the UK to have no places available in either clearing or adjustment[5] and in 2014, the 5 universities occupied the top 5 positions for the entry tariff of its students.[6]

Rankings

The following rankings of British universities are produced annually:

The Complete University Guide

The Complete University Guide is compiled by Mayfield University Consultants (which had previously compiled university rankings for The Times).[7] It was published for the first time in The Daily Telegraph in 2007, when it was known as The Good University Guide, and was produced in association with The Independent from 2008 to 2011.[8]

The ranking uses nine criteria, with a statistical technique called the Z-transformation applied to the results of each.[9] The nine Z-scores are then weighted (by 1.5 for student satisfaction and research assessment, and 1.0 for the rest) and summed to give a total score for each university. These total scores are then transformed to a scale where the top score is set at 1,000, with the remainder being a proportion of the top score. The nine criteria are:

The most recent league table (2016) ranked the top 50 (out of 126) British universities as follows:[11]

Rank (1-10)UniversityRank (11-20)University Rank (21-30)University Rank (31-40)University Rank (41-50)University
1 University of Cambridge 11 University of Bath 21 University of Sussex 31 Cardiff University 41 City University
2 University of Oxford 11 Loughborough University 22 University of Kent 32 Aston University 42 University of Dundee
3 London School of Economics 13 University College, London 23 King's College London 33QMUL 43 SOAS
4 Imperial College London 14 University of Southampton 24 University of Leicester 34 Royal Holloway, University of London 44 St George's, University of London
=5 Durham University 15 University of Bristol 25 University of Nottingham 35 Essex University 45 Swansea University
=5 University of St Andrews 16 University of East Anglia 26 Newcastle University 36 Queen's University Belfast 46 Keele University
7 University of Warwick 17 University of York 27 University of Sheffield 37 Heriot-Watt University 47 University of Stirling
8 University of Surrey 18 University of Birmingham 28 University of Manchester 38 Strathclyde University 48 Coventry University
9 University of Lancaster 19 University of Leeds 29 University of Reading 39 University of Liverpool 49 Brunel University
10 University of Exeter 20 University of Edinburgh 30 University of Glasgow 40 University of Aberdeen 50 Goldsmiths, University of London

The Guardian

The Guardian's ranking uses eight different criteria, each weighted between 5 and 17 per cent. Unlike other annual rankings of British universities, the criteria do not include a measure of research output.[12] A "value-added" factor is included which compares students' degree results with their entry qualifications, described by the newspaper as being "[b]ased upon a sophisticated indexing methodology that tracks students from enrolment to graduation, qualifications upon entry are compared with the award that a student receives at the end of their studies".[1] The eight criteria are:[1]

The most recent league table (2016) ranked the top 50 (out of 119) British universities as follows:[13]

Rank (1-10)UniversityRank (11-20)University Rank (21-30)University Rank (31-40)University Rank (41-50)University
1 University of Cambridge 11 Loughborough University 21 University of Edinburgh 31 University of Falmouth 41 University of Aberdeen
2 University of Oxford 12 University College London 22 University of York 32 University of Leicester 42 Keele University
3 University of St Andrews 13 London School of Economics 23 Leeds University 33 Aston University 43 University of Sheffield
4 University of Surrey 14University of Southampton 24 University of Glasgow 34 University of Strathclyde 44 University of the Arts, London
5 University of Bath 15 Coventry University 25 University of Reading 35 University of Bristol 45 Queen's University, Belfast
=6 Durham University 16 University of Kent 26 SOAS 36 King's College London 46 Robert Gordon University
=6 University of Warwick 17 University of Birmingham 27 University of Cardiff 37 City University 47 University of Essex
8 Imperial College London 18 Heriot-Watt University 28 University of Nottingham 38 QMUL 48 Oxford Brookes University
9 University of Exeter 19 University of Sussex 29 University of Manchester 39 University of Dundee 49 University of Portsmouth
10Lancaster University 20 University of East Anglia 30 Newcastle University 40 Royal Holloway 50 Goldsmiths, University of London

The Times/The Sunday Times

The Times/The Sunday Times university league table, known as the Good University Guide,[14] is published in both electronic and print format and ranks institutions using the following eight criteria:[15]

Other criteria considered are:

Summary of National Rankings

The following universities rank in the top 10 in the two national rankings reflected above:

University Complete (2016)[11] Guardian (2016)[13] #a
University of Cambridge 1 1
2c
University of Oxford 2 2
2c
Imperial College London 4 8
2
University of St Andrews 5 3
2b
Durham University 5 6
2
University of Warwick 7 6
2
University of Exeter 10 9
2
University of Surrey 8 4
2
London School of Economics 3 13
1
Lancaster University 9 10
2
University of Bath 11 5
1

Notes:
a Number of times the university is ranked within the top 10 of one of the two national rankings reflected above.
b The university is ranked within the top 5 of all two national rankings.
c The university is ranked within the top 3 of all two national rankings.

Disparity with global rankings

It has been commented by The Sunday Times that a number of universities which regularly feature in the top ten of British university league tables, such as St Andrews and LSE (in the case of LSE 3rd to 13th nationally whilst only 327th in the US News & World Report Rankings / 35th in the QS Rankings / 23rd in the THE Rankings), "inhabit surprisingly low ranks in the worldwide tables", whilst other universities such as Manchester and KCL "that failed to do well in the domestic rankings have shone much brighter on the international stage".[16] The considerable disparity in rankings has been attributed to the different methodology and purpose of global university rankings such as the Academic Ranking of World Universities, QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. International university rankings primarily use criteria such as academic and employer surveys, the number of citations per faculty, the proportion of international staff and students and faculty and alumni prize winners.[17][18][19] When size is taken into account, LSE ranks second in the world out of all small to medium-sized specialist institutions (after ENS Paris) and St Andrews ranks second in the world out of all small to medium-sized fully comprehensive universities (after Brown University) using metrics from the QS Intelligence Unit in 2015.[20] The national rankings, on the other hand, give most weighting to the undergraduate student experience, taking account of teaching quality and learning resources, together with the quality of a university's intake, employment prospects, research quality and dropout rates.[1][21]

The disparity between national and international league tables has caused some institutions to offer public explanations for the difference. LSE for example states on its website that 'we remain concerned that all of the global rankings - by some way the most important for us, given our highly international orientation - suffer from inbuilt biases in favour of large multi-faculty universities with full STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) offerings, and against small, specialist, mainly non-STEM universities such as LSE.'[22]

British Universities in Global Rankings

The following universities rank in the top 100 of at least two global rankings:[23]

University QS World (2015/16)[24] THE World (2015/16)[25] ARWU World (2015)[26] CWTS Leiden (2015)[27] #a
University of Cambridge 3 4 5 23
4c
University of Oxford 6 2 10 17
4c
University College London 7 14 18 32
4b
Imperial College London 8 8 23 33
4b
King's College London 19 27 55 35
4
University of Edinburgh 21 24 47 63
4
University of Manchester 33 56 41 152
3
London School of Economics 35 23 101-150 112
2
University of Bristol 37 69 66 43
4
University of Warwick 48 80 92 77
4
Durham University 61 70 201-300 90
3
University of Glasgow 62 76 101-150 96
3
University of St Andrews 68 86 301-400 45
3
University of Sheffield 80 97 101-150 160
2
Queen Mary University of London 109 98 151-200 87
2
University of Exeter 161 93 151-200 34
2

Notes:
a Number of times the university is ranked within the top 100 of one of the four global rankings.
b The university is ranked within the top 50 of all four global rankings.
c The university is ranked within the top 25 of all four global rankings.

Criticism

UK university rankings have been subject to criticism.

Accuracy and neutrality

There has been criticism of attempts to combine different rankings on for example research quality, quality of teaching, drop out rates and student satisfaction. Sir Alan Wilson, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds argues that the final average has little significance and is like trying to 'combine apples and oranges.'[28] He also criticised the varying weights given to different factors, the need for universities to 'chase' the rankings, the often fluctuating nature of a university's ranking, and the catch-22 that the government's desire to increase access can have negative effects on league table rankings.[28] Further worries have been expressed regarding marketing strategies and propaganda used to chase tables undermining Universities values.[29]

The Guardian suggests that league tables may affect the nature of undergraduate admissions in an attempt to improve a university's league table position.[30]

Roger Brown, the former Vice Chancellor of Southampton Solent University argues the limitations of comparative data when comparing Universities.[31]

Professor Geoffrey Alderman writing in the Guardian makes the point that by including the percentage of 'good honours' this can encourage grade inflation so that league table position can be maintained.[32]

The rankings are also criticised for not giving a full picture of higher education in the United Kingdom. There are institutions which focus on research and enjoy a prestigious reputation but are not shown in the table for various reasons. For example, the Institute of Education, University of London, is not usually listed in the undergraduate rankings despite the fact that it offers an undergraduate B.Ed and is generally recognised as one of the best institutions offering teacher training and Education studies (for example, being given joint first place, alongside Oxford University, in the 2008 Research Assessment 'Education' subject rankings, according to both Times Higher Education and the Guardian).[33][34]

Full-time bias

League Tables, which usually focus on the full-time undergraduate student experience, commonly omit reference to Birkbeck, University of London, and the Open University, both of which specialise in teaching part-time students. These universities, however, often make a strong showing in specialist league tables looking at research, teaching quality, and student satisfaction. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, according to the Times Higher Education, Birkbeck was placed equal 33rd, and the Open University 43rd, out of 132 institutions.[35] And the 2009 student satisfaction survey placed the Open University 3rd and Birkbeck 13th out of 153 universities and higher education institutions (1st and 6th, respectively, among multi-faculty universities).[36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Guardian University League Table 2011 – Methodology" (PDF). London: The Guardian. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  2. ↑ "The University League Table methodology 2011". The Complete University Guide. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  3. ↑ "University of Cambridge tops ‘Table of Tables’ for fourth year". Times Higher Education. Times Higher Education. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "University UK Reputation Index" (PDF). The Guardian (London).
  5. ↑ UCAS Clearing 2015
  6. ↑ . Retrieved 23 June 2014, Complete University Guide
  7. ↑ http://www.planning.ed.ac.uk/Management_Information/CompleteUniversityGuide2010.htm Archived July 16, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ League Table Methodology – Complete University Guide
  9. ↑ League Table Key – Complete University Guide
  10. ↑ "The Complete University Guide 2014 methodology". The Complete University Guide. 1 May 2013.
  11. 1 2 "The Complete University Guide 2016". The Complete University Guide. 11 May 2015.
  12. ↑ MacLeod, Donald (1 May 2007). "What the tables mean". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  13. 1 2 "University guide 2016: University league table". The Guardian (London). 26 May 2015.
  14. ↑ http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/gug/
  15. ↑ "How the guide was compiled". The Times (London). 11 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  16. ↑ Thomas, Zoe (11 October 2009). "UK universities top the league table in Europe". London: The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  17. ↑ "About ARWU". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  18. ↑ "QS World University Rankings 2010". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  19. ↑ "Global rankings system methodology reflects universities' core missions". Times Higher Education. 7 September 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  20. ↑ "QS World University Rankings: World Map Results (Filter by Institution Profile)". Quacquarelli Symonds Intelligence Unit. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  21. ↑ "The University League Table methodology 2011". The Complete University Guide. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  22. ↑ http://www.lse.ac.uk/aboutLSE/leagueTables/LSEinUniversityLeagueTables.aspx
  23. ↑ University Rankings: United Kingdom
  24. ↑ "QS World University Rankings 2015/16". Quacquarelli Symonds. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  25. ↑ "World University Rankings 2015-16". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2015". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "CWTS Leiden Ranking 2015". Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  28. 1 2 Reporter 485 | 28 October 2002 | University league tables
  29. ↑ McNamara, Adam. "BULL: A new form of propaganda in the digital age.". Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  30. ↑ MacLeod, Donald (19 April 2007). "Funding council to investigate university league tables". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  31. ↑ Brown, Roger (10 April 2007). "Tables can turn". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  32. ↑ Alderman, Geoffrey (24 April 2007). "League tables rule - and standards inevitably fall". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  33. ↑ Times Higher Education RAE tables
  34. ↑ Guardian RAE results for 'Education' subject area
  35. ↑ Times Higher Education RAE 2008 tables
  36. ↑ BBC league table of student satisfaction survey

External links

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