Oxford top UK university

Oxford has come joint second in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the second year running and has topped the Clinical, Pre-Clinical and Health table for the third consecutive year.

The University has also improved its position in the other five subject tables. In Social Sciences, Oxford rises from joint 4th to joint 2nd in the world, retaining its top place in the UK. In Arts and Humanities the University moves from 6th to 3rd in the world, retaining the top UK spot. In Life Sciences, Oxford rises from 4th to 3rd overall, becoming the best university in the UK in this area. In Engineering and Technology the University moves from 11th to 7th place in the world, while in Physical Sciences Oxford rises from 10th to 8th place overall.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Professor Andrew Hamilton, said: 'It is always pleasing to see the hard work and dedication of colleagues across the disciplines at Oxford recognised, and it is particularly gratifying to see our world-class work in medical sciences once again acknowledged as the best in the world.'

Professor Alastair Buchan, Dean of the Medical School and Head of the Medical Sciences Division at Oxford University, said: 'We are delighted that once again Oxford University is ranked best in the world for medicine. It's the third year in a row that we've sat at the top of the table. It's testament to the efforts of all those involved in medicine at Oxford, our researchers, our students and our staff. With such people and the truly fantastic facilities we have here, Oxford really is leading the world in advancing our understanding of humans in health and disease and training the next generation of leading scientists, researchers and clinicians.'

Oxford University's Medical Sciences Division is one of the largest biomedical research centres in Europe, with over 2,500 people involved in research and more than 2,800 students. From the genetic and molecular basis of disease to the latest advances in neuroscience, Oxford is at the forefront of medical research. It has one of the largest clinical trial portfolios in the UK and great expertise in taking discoveries from the lab into the clinic. Partnerships with the local NHS Trusts enable patients to benefit from close links between medical research and healthcare delivery.

A great strength of Oxford medicine is its long-standing network of clinical research units in Asia and Africa, enabling world-leading research on the most pressing global health challenges such as malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and flu. Oxford is also renowned for its large-scale studies which examine the role of factors such as smoking, alcohol and diet on cancer, heart disease and other conditions. The rankings, produced in association with Thomson Reuters, are based on 13 performance indicators grouped into five areas: teaching (worth 30% of the overall ranking score); research (worth 30%); citations (worth 30%); industry income (worth 2.5%); and international outlook (worth 7.5%).