Cambridge University has retained its top spot on the Guardian undergraduate university league table for the third year in a row. Oxford University and the London School of Economics (LSE) are in second and third place respectively, unchanged from the 2013 rankings.
St Andrews remains at fourth place, whilst UCL and Durham have each climbed one position taking them to fifth and sixth place respectively. Bath are up two places to seventh and Imperial climbs an impressive four places to return to the top ten.
A new addition to the top ten is Surrey university coming in at eighth beating Imperial at ninth and Warwick at tenth place. Richard Adams writes:
Surrey's rise above the likes of Imperial College and Warwick University – in ninth and tenth places respectively – is a remarkable effort for an institution whose origins go back to the Battersea Polytechnic Institute of 120 years ago. Some 56% of its student population are women, while more than 90% of its young applicants come from state schools
It's not such good news for Lancaster though, dropping to 11th. Exeter also failed to make the top ten after dropping two places to 12th.
So who have been the biggest climbers on this year's league table? If we don't take into account St Mark and St John, which dropped off the list last year and are now back in at 101st, Northampton have seen the biggest increase in their ranking.
Northampton have increased their position by an impressive 39 places bringing them up to 47th from 86th. Portsmouth are up 30 places to 48th. Liverpool John Moores, Swansea and Winchester have all also recorded significant changes in their positions since last year.
The chart above shows the universities with the biggest improvements in ranking and also those that have had the largest drop from the previous year's position.
Cardiff Met has fallen 39 places since last year, down from 66th to 105th. Sussex tumbles down from 27th place to 50th with the second biggest decrease since last year.
The University of the Arts London, Gloucestershire and Robert Gordon have also witnessed noticeable decreases in position since the 2013 rankings.
In other news, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama tops the specialist institutions rankings, followed by the Courtauld Institute.
Cambridge dominates the subject rankings, coming top in 14 out of 47 including medicine, veterinary science, biosciences, chemical engineering, maths, sociology and modern languages and linguistics. Oxford came top in eight subjects including economics, politics, psychology, chemistry and physics.
Although it's not exactly new that Oxbridge dominate the majority of the subject league tables, what is notable however is how their grip seems to be loosening on certain subjects. For example, once top for law, Oxford has been trumped by UCL which also comes top for civil engineering, archaeology, architecture, English and art and design.
Birmingham are ranked top for computer sciences and IT and LSE have overtaken Cambridge for Philosophy. Imperial have replaced Southampton as number one in mechanical engineering, Durham are ranked first for sport science beating Lougborough to the top spot and Sussex have jumped from 17th to first for social work.
The tables were compiled by independent consultancy firm Intelligent Metrix. It's based originally on information collected by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the National Student Survey, published by Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce). The Guardian university guide is a ranking at undergraduate level only.
The Guardian undergraduate university guide can be explored below alongside information such as spend per student, student to staff ratio and institutions' value-added score.
Click on the downloadable spreadsheet to view the individual rankings by subject. We'd love to read your comments in the thread below.
• If you want to pose any questions regarding the league table, the compiler of the tables, Matt Hiely-Rayner from Intelligent Metrix, will be online from 1-3pm today, to answer your questions and explain the lengthy process of consultation, categorisation and number-crunching that goes into putting these figures together each year.
• The Guardian university guide league tables were amended on 11 June 2013 to include scores inadvertently omitted from the first version. The downloadable data on this article has been corrected. You can read a full explanation of the changes here.
• The table on this article was amended on 11 June 2014 to correct the 2013 rankings for Imperial College and Surrey university. An earlier table had the 213 position for the universities as 3 and 2 respectively, which should have been 13 and 12.
2013 Ranking
|
2014 Ranking
|
Institution
|
Average Teaching Score
|
Expenditure per student / 10
|
Student:staff ratio
|
Value added score/10
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Cambridge | 100.0 | 9.74 | 11.6 | 6.5 |
2 | 2 | Oxford | 96.2 | 9.67 | 11.1 | 7.3 |
3 | 3 | London School of Economics | 90.7 | 8.22 | 11.1 | 6.2 |
4 | 4 | St Andrews | 88.3 | 7.86 | 12.6 | 8.0 |
6 | 5 | UCL | 85.5 | 9.03 | 10.0 | 7.1 |
7 | 6 | Durham | 82.3 | 6.38 | 15.1 | 6.2 |
9 | 7 | Bath | 82.0 | 6.7 | 16.8 | 6.5 |
12 | 8 | Surrey | 81.1 | 7.8 | 16.6 | 6.7 |
13 | 9 | Imperial College | 80.6 | 8.28 | 11.7 | 6.7 |
'5 | 10 | Warwick | 80.2 | 8.56 | 14.3 | 5.8 |
'7 | 11 | Lancaster | 80.0 | 6.7 | 15.4 | 4.7 |
10 | 12 | Exeter | 78.1 | 6.03 | 18.7 | 6.7 |
19 | 13 | Leicester | 77.5 | 7.88 | 12.9 | 5.3 |
11 | 14 | Loughborough | 76.3 | 6.74 | 16.9 | 5.7 |
30 | 15 | Birmingham | 75.4 | 8.36 | 14.8 | 5.8 |
17 | 16 | York | 75.3 | 7.21 | 15.5 | 5.4 |
24 | 17 | UEA | 74.7 | 6.94 | 13.5 | 6.0 |
20 | 18 | Heriot-Watt | 74.5 | 6.97 | 18.3 | 5.5 |
15 | 19 | Edinburgh | 74.2 | 9.07 | 13.9 | 6.4 |
22 | 20 | Kent | 73.9 | 6.39 | 14.6 | 6.6 |
14 | 21 | Glasgow | 71.3 | 6.05 | 16.4 | 4.8 |
29 | 22 | SOAS | 71.1 | 7.03 | 11.8 | 7.2 |
18 | 23 | Bristol | 71.0 | 5.93 | 14.2 | 6.0 |
22 | 24 | Southampton | 70.9 | 6.49 | 13.7 | 5.9 |
16 | 25 | Buckingham | 70.6 | 3.75 | 11.4 | 1.9 |
34 | 26 | Strathclyde | 70.5 | 6.56 | 18.3 | 5.5 |
33 | 27 | Newcastle | 69.6 | 5.78 | 15.3 | 5.9 |
26 | 28 | Nottingham | 69.5 | 6.83 | 14.0 | 5.5 |
40 | 29 | Cardiff | 68.7 | 6.65 | 14.2 | 5.3 |
27 | 30 | Aston | 68.6 | 6.5 | 16.2 | 6.1 |
41 | 31 | Manchester | 68.1 | 7.88 | 14.8 | 4.6 |
31 | 32 | King's College London | 68.0 | 7.16 | 11.7 | 5.9 |
46 | 33 | Coventry | 67.0 | 3.91 | 14.6 | 7.1 |
37 | 34 | Leeds | 66.3 | 6.54 | 16.8 | 6.2 |
48 | 35 | Oxford Brookes | 66.2 | 5.89 | 17.3 | 6.8 |
36 | 36 | Queen Mary | 65.8 | 6.74 | 12.2 | 5.1 |
21 | 37 | City | 65.6 | 7.99 | 18.6 | 5.9 |
25 | 38 | Reading | 65.5 | 6.08 | 15.6 | 5.6 |
39 | 39 | Royal Holloway | 65.5 | 4.63 | 16.2 | 5.7 |
42 | 40 | Sheffield | 65.5 | 5.13 | 15.5 | 5.7 |
43 | 41 | Dundee | 65.0 | 5.92 | 14.4 | 5.2 |
48 | 42 | Huddersfield | 64.5 | 4.3 | 18.4 | 6.0 |
38 | 43 | Aberdeen | 64.2 | 5.2 | 16.4 | 6.0 |
44 | 44 | Brunel | 63.4 | 6.65 | 17.5 | 5.6 |
50 | 45 | Keele | 62.2 | 3.8 | 16.5 | 6.6 |
52 | 46 | Chester | 62.1 | 4.08 | 16.3 | 5.4 |
86 | 47 | Northampton | 62.0 | 5.86 | 20.0 | 7.1 |
78 | 48 | Portsmouth | 61.9 | 5.55 | 19.2 | 7.0 |
53 | 49 | Queen's, Belfast | 61.9 | 4.99 | 15.6 | 4.9 |
27 | 50 | Sussex | 61.4 | 4.81 | 17.1 | 6.3 |
65 | 51 | Goldsmiths | 61.3 | 3.16 | 19.2 | 6.6 |
55 | 52 | Bournemouth | 61.2 | 6.48 | 21.5 | 7.2 |
31 | 53 | University of the Arts London | 61.1 | 9.02 | 22.4 | 6.0 |
45 | 54 | Liverpool | 60.4 | 7.17 | 13.3 | 5.0 |
35 | 55 | Robert Gordon | 59.9 | 3.98 | 19.7 | 4.6 |
47 | 56 | Lincoln | 59.1 | 3.81 | 19.4 | 4.4 |
67 | 57 | Stirling | 59.1 | 4.72 | 18.3 | 4.5 |
55 | 58 | Northumbria | 59.0 | 5.13 | 17.7 | 5.0 |
61 | 59 | Plymouth | 58.1 | 5.95 | 16.8 | 6.0 |
88 | 60 | Swansea | 57.5 | 5.09 | 16.1 | 4.9 |
60 | 61 | Birmingham City | 57.3 | 5.56 | 21.0 | 5.9 |
69 | 62 | Hull | 57.1 | 4.46 | 19.8 | 4.4 |
50 | 63 | Essex | 56.8 | 5.2 | 16.4 | 4.1 |
54 | 64 | UWE Bristol | 56.5 | 3.22 | 21.7 | 7.8 |
57 | 65 | Sunderland | 56.3 | 6.94 | 17.0 | 5.7 |
87 | 66 | Winchester | 56.2 | 2.74 | 17.7 | 6.3 |
77 | 67 | Anglia Ruskin | 55.2 | 7.83 | 20.2 | 5.2 |
64 | 68 | Brighton | 54.9 | 4.5 | 19.0 | 5.8 |
98 | 69 | Liverpool John Moores | 54.6 | 4.22 | 21.6 | 6.9 |
75 | 70 | Edge Hill | 54.3 | 3.3 | 17.2 | 4.4 |
88 | 71 | Greenwich | 54.3 | 4.68 | 21.3 | 6.5 |
83 | 72 | Sheffield Hallam | 54.1 | 4.35 | 20.0 | 7.2 |
80 | 73 | Nottingham Trent | 53.7 | 4.61 | 20.0 | 5.2 |
63 | 74 | Bangor | 53.5 | 5.37 | 17.9 | 4.4 |
78 | 75 | Teesside | 53.4 | 5.03 | 20.1 | 4.8 |
57 | 76 | Falmouth | 53.1 | 5.85 | 23.9 | 5.0 |
61 | 77 | Chichester | 52.4 | 3.27 | 18.8 | 3.7 |
71 | 78 | Bath Spa | 51.8 | 3.92 | 21.8 | 6.0 |
70 | 79 | Derby | 51.2 | 4.79 | 18.8 | 4.7 |
59 | 80 | Gloucestershire | 50.9 | 5.08 | 22.3 | 6.8 |
73 | 81 | Queen Margaret | 50.8 | 2.79 | 20.5 | 6.9 |
76 | 82 | Hertfordshire | 50.6 | 4.2 | 19.5 | 7.0 |
85 | 83 | De Montfort | 50.3 | 3.23 | 20.2 | 5.6 |
68 | 84 | West London | 50.1 | 6.13 | 21.6 | 4.5 |
73 | 85 | Edinburgh Napier | 49.9 | 3.63 | 23.8 | 7.5 |
84 | 86 | Salford | 49.9 | 3.89 | 17.6 | 4.6 |
71 | 87 | Central Lancashire | 49.7 | 5.84 | 19.3 | 3.7 |
81 | 88 | Aberystwyth | 49.5 | 4.79 | 19.4 | 3.3 |
97 | 89 | St Mary's UC, Twickenham | 49.3 | 3.01 | 25.0 | 4.8 |
91 | 90 | Bradford | 49.2 | 5.6 | 19.4 | 3.6 |
101 | 91 | Newman University | 49.1 | 3.23 | 18.4 | 4.1 |
96 | 92 | Staffordshire | 48.6 | 5.73 | 20.3 | 3.8 |
108 | 93 | Manchester Met | 48.2 | 3.01 | 19.4 | 5.3 |
98 | 94 | York St John | 47.8 | 5.88 | 20.9 | 4.5 |
98 | 95 | Worcester | 47.7 | 4.48 | 23.6 | 6.5 |
91 | 96 | Glasgow Caledonian | 47.3 | 4.26 | 21.4 | 5.7 |
88 | 97 | Ulster | 46.3 | 3.79 | 18.6 | 4.9 |
114 | 98 | UC Suffolk | 46.2 | 20.7 | 2.5 | |
93 | 99 | Westminster | 46.0 | 4.15 | 20.8 | 6.4 |
95 | 100 | Kingston | 44.9 | 4.38 | 20.4 | 4.3 |
na | 101 | St Mark and St John | 44.8 | 2.14 | 20.5 | 3.6 |
'109 | 102 | Roehampton | 44.8 | 3.3 | 20.0 | 4.8 |
94 | 103 | Middlesex | 44.5 | 7.42 | 23.0 | 5.7 |
'105 | 104 | Canterbury Christ Church | 44.2 | 3.2 | 19.5 | 5.4 |
66 | 105 | Cardiff Met | 43.8 | 3.58 | 23.4 | 5.8 |
'107 | 106 | West of Scotland | 43.8 | 3.5 | 21.7 | 4.1 |
'112 | 107 | Leeds Met | 43.5 | 3.09 | 20.7 | 4.5 |
'106 | 108 | Glyndŵr | 43.3 | 3.52 | 23.2 | 4.1 |
'102 | 109 | Cumbria | 41.1 | 3.11 | 18.6 | 5.9 |
'103 | 110 | Bedfordshire | 40.3 | 5.58 | 23.3 | 4.6 |
'113 | 111 | Leeds Trinity | 40.2 | 2 | 23.3 | 1.8 |
'117 | 112 | Southampton Solent | 40.2 | 3.5 | 20.5 | 4.1 |
'104 | 113 | London South Bank | 39.4 | 3.91 | 23.7 | 4.1 |
'119 | 114 | Abertay Dundee | 34.5 | 1.84 | 24.0 | 5.0 |
'120 | 115 | Bolton | 33.1 | 3.4 | 20.6 | 3.2 |
'118 | 116 | London Met | 31.7 | 2.09 | 21.7 | 4.9 |
'115 | 117 | East London | 31.2 | 3.49 | 24.8 | 4.4 |
'110 | 118 | Trinity Saint David | 31.2 | 4.05 | 21.3 | 2.0 |
'116 | 119 | Bucks New University | 30.1 | 3.85 | 24.1 | 2.3 |
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