24 Apr 08

Oxford University has come top of the national university league table, The Complete University Guide, for the sixth time in the last seven years. The table was published in association with the Independent newspaper.

The Complete University Guide judges institutions on nine measures: student satisfaction, research assessment, entry standards, degree results, completion rates, job prospects, student/staff ratio, spending on academic services such as libraries, and spending on facilities such as careers and health services.

This is the first year that a student satisfaction measure has been included in the subject tables. This new measure, together with research assessment, was accorded more importance than the other seven measures.

Bernard Kingston, former Careers Director at Sheffield University who compiled the table, said: ‘The introduction of the student satisfaction measure has helped to consolidate the positions of Oxbridge, St Andrews, Leicester, Loughborough and Exeter as first-class universities. In our continuing refinement of the methodology, next year we will have new material for Research Assessment and it will be interesting to see what effect that will have on the rankings of the various universities.’

The Vice-Chancellor for the University of Oxford said: ‘Oxford’s top position is the result of the commitment and enthusiasm of our outstanding scholars and students, assisted by committed administrative and support staff.’

Oxford also leads the subject tables in Geology, Middle Eastern and African Studies, Music and Politics.