Merton College has topped a revised version of the Norrington Table, pushing Oriel into second place.
Oxford University adjusted the table according to the results of various appeals that have occurred since the provisional version of the table was released in August.
Having topped the table in 2014, Merton plummeted to 27th place last year, with Magdalen coming in first place.
Meanwhile, Brasenose has risen to 7th place, overtaking Balliol, whilst Pembroke have taken 13th place from Jesus.
The two most significant rises were Somerville from 20th to 16th place and Hertford from 23rd to 20th place.
St Edmund Hall dropped 6 places from 15th to 21st and Lady Margaret Hall fell from 21st to 23rd. Queen’s remained in bottom place.
A spokesperson for Oxford University commented, “The original table was only provisional and was based on interim data, which was correct for the time. The final table is based on complete results after any re-marking or other changes have been undertaken and entered – this may affect the change in college rankings between the publication of provisional and final versions.”
Dr. Simon Smith, a senior tutor at Brasenose, told Cherwell, “Brasenose is naturally delighted by the academic success of last year’s graduating cohort, which reflects the efforts of our students and tutors in a supportive social environment. At the same time, it should be remembered that the Norrington table is simply an ordering of Oxford’s mixed colleges and that all of them offer an exceptional undergraduate experience.”
Natasha Gibbs, a third-year student at Merton, commented, “Naturally we’re all very pleased to have taken back our position at the top of the table after the slight slip up recently. If we’re going to have a reputation as being where fun goes to die, we might as well have the results to show for it.”
The Norrington Table, an unofficial academic ranking of colleges, is calculated using a points system for the degrees undergraduate students were awarded in that year. A First Class degree gains the college five points, with three points for an Upper Second, two for a Lower Second and none for a Third or a Pass. The total score is expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible score, which is all Finals candidates multiplied by five.
Merton college declined to comment, whilst Oriel are yet to respond to request for comment.
The updated version of the table can be found here. The provisional table released in August can be found here.
