New takes Norrington top spot

New has been declared Oxford’s most academic college as it topped the preliminary Norrington table for this year. St. John’s came in second, up from 4th, whilst Merton, which has a strong record in the table despite a hiccough last year, took third place. Magdalen, the previous table-toppers, were pushed down into 6^th.

At the other end of the table, LMH brought up the rear, followed by Somerville and Exeter, whilst Pembroke leapt up 15 places to 15th. Harris Manchester also rose dramatically, moving from 25^th to 5^th.

The Norrington Table was originally created in 1962 and ranks colleges according to finalists’ results, awarding 5 points for a 1^st class degree, 3 to a 2:1 degree, 2 to a 2:2 degree, 1 to a 3rd class degree. The percentage expressed is calculated by dividing the total college score by the total possible score the college could attain (ie number of degrees awarded per college x score of 5).

Pembroke’s JCR Domestic rep told Cherwell he is “absolutely delighted by the new table, which finally reflects just how hard Pembrokians have been working to get those top degrees. From here, I can only see us heading in one direction: to the top!”

In the past, however, Oxford has advised that the results be taken with a pinch of salt, commenting, “It should be noted when interpreting the data that the number of students per college is relatively small and the rankings are therefore of limited statistical significance.”

The table in full is as follows:

1. New 78.02%                  

2. St John’s 76.30%                  

3. Merton 76.05%                 

4. Trinity 75.86%                  

5. Harris Manchester 73.60%                  

6. Magdalen 73.58%                  

7. Lincoln 72.67%                  

8. Brasenose 72.63%                  

9. Oriel 72.44%                  

10. Balliol 72.34%                  

11. Worcester 72.17%                 

12. St Anne’s 71.79%                  

13. Jesus 71.15%                  

14. Mansfield 71.00%                  

15. Pembroke 70.93%                 

16. St Edmund Hall 70.86%                  

17. Christ Church 69.52%                  

18. Wadham 69.37%                  

19. Hertford 69.33%                  

20. St Peter’s 69.05%                  

21. St Hilda’s 68.62%                  

22. St Catherine’s 68.59%                  

23. University 68.08%                  

24. St Hugh’s 67.93%                  

25. Corpus Christi 67.78%                  

26. Queen’s 67.13%                  

27. Keble 66.72%                  

28. Exeter 66.29%                  

29. Somerville 65.83%                  

30. Lady Margaret Hall 64.63%