Oxford University has been listed as number two in the Times Higher Education World Rankings performance table for 2012-13. The university drew with Stanford University, both gaining a score of 93.7. Oxford rose by two spots to secure this position, beating renowned universities such as Harvard, which slipped to fourth, and Cambridge, which dropped by one place to seventh position. California Institute of Technology retained its top spot, scoring 95.5.
Commenting on the university’s success, Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andrew Hamilton, said, “We are delighted with this indicator of Oxford’s continued commitment to excellence in all areas of activity. World-class excellence cannot survive without proper funding, so we will continue to look to friends and alumni for support, as well as to argue for strong public funding of research and higher education.
“It is particularly pleasing to have our world-leading medical science recognised. From fundamental science to treating patients, Oxford medicine is changing scientific understanding and changing human health– both locally, through our partnership with the Oxford University Hospitals Trust, and all over the world.”
The Times ranking body assesses over 700 universities across each of their ‘core missions’, using 13 calibrated performance indicators to generate a combined score. 90 per cent of this score is calculated through evaluating the quality of teaching, research and citations at each institution. Other factors considered include the international outlook of the university, represented by staff and students, and the industry income, which is used as a measure of its innovation.
The United States was the most successful country in the table, with 76 of its universities gaining a place in the top 200. Britain was the second most represented nation and France increased its presence on the list from consisting of five institutions to seven.
Universities in China, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea appear to have undergone a surge in their performance following huge investments into their top research universities. As a result, many US and British institutions are being challenged by Asian establishments, such as the University of Tokyo which ranked in the top 30 worldwide this year. A spokesperson for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) surmised that the UK and US “face a severe loss of total position’ as despite still dominating the top 200 list, the proportion of their representation is decreasing.
