The annual QS World University Rankings released this week reveal that after two consecutive years in fifth place, Oxford’s new position at number six in the world equals its position of 2010.
Cambridge remains the highest ranked UK university in third position, with University College London (UCL) in fourth, Imperial in fifth, and Oxford in sixth place. Edinburgh is placed at 17th, up from 21st last year, whilst King’s College London has risen from 26th to its current position at 19th. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retains its position at number one.
Graduates of Oxford and Cambridge are also held to be the most employable in the world, as a poll of 27,000 global graduate employers illustrates.
“Clearly the prestige of a UK degree is recognised by employers around the world, and the brand-name value of Oxbridge has so far survived any negative publicity following the tuition fee hikes and student protests,” observed the head of research at QS, Ben Sowter.
“As the UK and governments around the world move towards the ‘student pays’ model on higher education funding, employability is increasingly crucial to graduates.”
Oxford and Cambridge also feature strongly in the QS World University Rankings by subject.
Oxford is ranked the top university in the world to study English Language and Literature, Philosophy, Modern Languages and Geography, whilst Cambridge leads for History, Linguistics, and Maths.
Overall, Oxford and Cambridge are ranked in the top ten for 15 and 27 subjects respectively, whilst Imperial gains top rankings for ten, LSE for seven, and UCL for three subjects.
The number of UK universities in the top twenty for at least one subject is “far in excess of the total achieved by any other country apart from the United States”, according to John O’Leary of the QS Global Academic Advisory Board.
However, Mr O’Leary warned that, “The UK invests below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in higher education, so it is unrealistic to expect its universities to continue to punch above their weight indefinitely.”
Indeed, universities minister David Willetts stated that, “We are not complacent, and know we must work hard to remain the best.
“Our reforms to undergraduate finance have put universities on a sustainable financial footing and sharpened incentives to deliver a world-class student experience.”
The success of UK universities in the rankings is welcome news to current students. Keble law student Andrew Hall commented, “That six British universities are ranked amongst the best in the world, despite the age-old reputation of America’s Ivy League as superior, just goes to show that a system politicians are so keen to meddle with does not need fixing.”
