The UK university sector may be braced for the effects of government spending cuts in the coming year but as the 2010 QS University Rankings show, the very best universities in the UK remain some of the finest in the world.
1. University of Cambridge Cambridge hit the headlines this year by becoming the first non-US university to top the QS World University Rankings, breaking Harvard's six-year winning streak. Having come first in the 2009 academic peer review, Cambridge remained top in this year's poll; it also headed the subject ranking for natural sciences, and was the only university to make the top four in all five subject areas. Cambridge edged ahead of Harvard in the overall ranking largely due to improved scores for research citations, and greater stability in student/faculty ratio and international staff (read a more detailed analysis here).
4. University College London (UCL) UCL repeats last year's eyebrow-raising performance by retaining its fourth-place position, two places ahead of the University of Oxford. The key to UCL's success is strength across the board rather than table-topping excellence in one particular area. The largest of the University of London constituent colleges, UCL combines a strong academic reputation with low student-faculty ratios for a university of its size (it comfortably beats Harvard in this measure). It is also second in the UK for research citations behind Cambridge, and ahead of Oxford and Imperial.
6. University of Oxford Oxford may have been narrowly out-performed by UCL for the past two years, but it remains one of the most recognizable university names around the world, and its pedigree and across-the-board quality are again reflected in this year's rankings. Oxford tops the individual subject ranking for arts and humanities, an area in which it has traditionally excelled; it also performs outstandingly in all areas of the academic peer review, coming third overall and finishing in the top ten in all five subject areas. Oxford also boasts one of the lowest student/faculty ratios among large, comprehensive universities, reflecting the traditional tutorial system it shares with Cambridge, in which undergraduates often receive one-on-one tuition.
7. Imperial College London Imperial may have dropped slightly in the overall ranking this year (from 5= to 7), but it actually improved its performance in all but one of the measured criteria. Although it has been muscled out of the top five, this reflects improved performances by MIT (which leapfrogged it) and Oxford (with which it tied last year), rather than any discernable decline in its own standards. As in 2009, Imperial's strongest performance was in the employer review, an indication that its focus on STEM subjects produces highly-skilled graduates who are esteemed by employers. Imperial also boasts small class sizes and high levels of international students and staff, though it falls behind the UK's top three universities in research citations.
21. King's College London King's College moved up two places from its 2009 position to finish 21st, overtaking the University of Edinburgh, which dropped from 20= to 22nd. The two universities remain closely matched, with Edinburgh favoured by academics and employers, while King's boasts a lower student/faculty ratio, higher research citation rates, and performs better in the international indicators. The main factor that led King's to edge ahead of its Scottish counterpart this year was a significant improvement in its score for research citations, alongside an increased intake of international students and staff.
Around the UK Other leading UK universities that improved their rank in 2010 include the University of Bristol (which jumped from 34 to 27), the University of Warwick (up five places to 53) and the University of Birmingham (up seven places to 59), while the University of Manchester ranked eighth in the UK, dropping four places to 30. Meanwhile, the excellence of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in its specialist academic field is reflected in another outstanding performance in the social sciences and management table, in which it ranks fourth, up one place from 2009.
Overall, the UK continues to punch well above its weight. Only the US has more universities in the Top 50, Top 100 or Top 200, and there are 51 UK universities in the Top 500, the same number as in 2009. These rankings underline the excellent international standing of the UK's leading universities. However, government cuts to university funding, alongside the wider issues affecting the sector in the wake of the global recession, mean there will be even greater pressure on the UK's universities to maintain their high standards in next year's QS World University Rankings.
