St. John’s College have jumped to the top of this year’s Norrington Table, the college rankings for undergraduate academic performance.
60 of the 109 Finalists at the College achieved Firsts, with a Norrington score of 82.0%. All but one Finalist received at least a 2.1.
Last year’s table-toppers New have fallen to fifth place in the rankings, with a score of 77.52%. Magdalen, St. Catherine’s and Merton make up second, third and fourth places respectively.
Harris Manchester have come bottom of the college rankings, with a score of 64.35%. St. Edmund Hall, St. Hugh’s and Hertford make up the bottom four.
The results also reveal that 94% of Finalists across the University achieved at least a 2.1 classification, while just under 37% graduate with Firsts.
St. Catherine’s has dramatically jumped to third from 26th place last year, when it scored 68.68%. Only St. Catz and St. John’s achieved more Firsts than any other classification.
Cherwell analysis last term suggested there is a significant link between the wealth of an applicant’s choice of college and their likelihood of academic success.
St. John’s is Oxford’s richest college with assets totalling £592,346,000. This is over twenty times greater than Harris Manchester, the college with the least net assets according to most recent financial reports.
Cherwell analysis of Norrington Table data between 2006-2017 shows that seventeen of the top twenty best academically performing colleges are also among the top twenty richest colleges.
The Norrington Table ranks Colleges and PPHs by academic performance among undergraduate Finalists. Percentages are calculated based on the classifications of undergraduate degrees awarded.
5 points are awarded per First class, 3 for a 2.1, 2 per 2.2 and 1 point for a 3rd. 0 points are awarded for a pass, Honour Pass and Unclassified Honours.
The percentage is then calculated by dividing the total score by the total maximum score each College could possibly obtain, when total student numbers are considered.
The full results table can be viewed here.
The results so far are still to be treated as interim, as appeals by some Finalists are still pending.
