Cambridge named best university in UK for 2018

28 Apr 2017

Cambridge University is the best university in the UK for 2018, with University of St Andrews rising to an all-time high in the newly released The Complete University Guide League Tables.

According to The Independent, the top 10 overall scores in the table are dominated by Oxbridge and the elite London higher education institutions. The table analysed the schools based on four criteria – Entry Standards, Student Satisfaction, Research Quality and Graduate Prospects.

“It is ten years since TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk launched its online tables and they have proved their accuracy, independence and robustness over the decade,” TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk chairman Dr Bernard Kingston told Cambridge News.

Kingston pointed out in the upper end of the table, there is “considerable degree of stability”, which shows his organisation’s rankings have done its part to provide “credible and freely accessible information for individuals seeking a university place”.

OFFICIAL: Our BRAND NEW university tables are here! See comprehensive rankings for 140+ unis in 70 subjects https://t.co/YGPyQ5m4bz #cug2018 pic.twitter.com/7Wjte6M0O5

— Complete University Guide (@compuniguide) April 26, 2017

In this year’s rankings, Scotland’s St Andrews takes third place, up two spots from their fifth in last year’s table. This makes the school the highest-ranked university in the country, beating University of Edinburgh which is at 23rd place this year. St Andrews is in the top 20 in all four categories analysed.

“This all-time high is a great endorsement of what St Andrews stands for,” the school’s principal, Professor Sally Mapstone said.

”Our values are those of a small, Scottish and highly international university. We are outward-looking, inclusive and focused on excellence.”

St Andrews looking very pretty today #standrews #university #fife #Scotland pic.twitter.com/IcfIrUa0kf

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The Oxbridge institutions topped the Entry Standards category, which looks at the average UCAS tariff score of new students joining the schools.

Both universities also scored well in terms of the quality of research undertaken as well as producing employable graduates.

The Independent notes Cambridge’s success in this table reflects Times Higher Education‘s table last year which revealed graduates from the prestigious school were among the most employable in the country and around the world.

But in terms of Student Satisfaction, where it is based on how satisfied students are with the teaching quality, Cambridge was ranked at 35th place while Oxford is placed at 47th spot.

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In this regard, University of Buckingham is top, followed by the Liverpool Hope University – a result that Buckingham’s school officials say boils down the school’s tight-knit community.

“Our enviable staff-to-student ratio, which is among the best, and continually leading the way in graduate employability means our students rank their experience at Buckingham very highly,” University of Buckingham vice-chancellor Sir Anthony Seldon said.

“Our students recognise the fact they are taught by leading academics who care for them and know how to teach; it helps build the uniquely friendly learning community which is the secret of the Buckingham success story.”

Here are the top 10 universities in the University League Tables 2018:

Rank	University Name	Entry Standards	Student Satisfaction	Research Quality	Graduate Prospects	Overall Score
1	Cambridge University	592	4.14	3.33	87.8	1000
2	Oxford University	570	4.13	3.34	83.7	998
3	St Andrews University	525	4.38	3.13	83.3	962
4	London School of Economics	537	3.75	3.35	84.4	952
5	Imperial College London	552	3.99	3.36	90.3	925
6	Durham University	519	4.16	3.14	83.2	920
7	University College London	501	3.97	3.22	87.2	909
8	Warwick University	478	4.12	3.22	80.3	896
9	Lancaster University	402	4.17	3.15	82.6	889
10	Loughborough University	400	4.18	2.95	85.1	883