St Andrews University has risen to an all-time high of third in a prestigious league table published today.
The results of TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk’s 2018 rankings means that the Fife institution lies below only Cambridge and Oxford in the list, up from fifth in last year’s table, and cements its position as Scotland’s highest-ranked university.
There was also good news for Dundee University, which climbed six places from 35th into 29th, while Abertay University stayed static in 86th.
Scotland’s second-highest ranked university, Edinburgh, fell four places to 23rd, exiting the top 20 in the process, while Glasgow dropped from 29th to 36th to be overtaken by both Heriot-Watt in 28th and Dundee.
West of Scotland recorded the biggest climb in Scotland, up 10 places to 100th, with Stirling, Aberdeen, Strathclyde, Robert Gordon, Glasgow Caledonian, Queen Margaret and Edinburgh Napier also making the top 100 from north of the border.
In separate listings covering 70 subjects, St Andrews also featured in the top 10 for 23 of the 25 subjects it teaches, occupying the top spot in two — namely business and management studies and Middle Eastern and African studies.
Dr Bernard Kingston, chairman of TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk, said: “It is 10 years since TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk launched its online university league tables, and they have proved their accuracy, independence and robustness over the decade.
“This year there is a considerable degree of stability at the upper end of the league table, as in the past.
“This stability, while it may not attract the headlines, demonstrates that the rankings fulfil our principal objective — to provide credible and freely accessible information for individuals seeking a university place.
“The Government has said that applicants need access to robust, timely and objective information, based on criteria that is straightforward and easily understood.
“We believe that TheCompleteUniversityGuide.co.uk meets these criteria and more and we intend that this will remain the case for the next decade — and beyond. Indeed, we use the same three metrics which the Government plans to include in its much-heralded Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).”
Edinburgh makes the top 10 for 20 of the 50 subjects it offers, topping the nursing categotry, while Strathclyde features in 34 subject tables, making the top 10 in 13 and finishing first in three — namely aural and oral sciences, medical technology, and social policy.
In addition, Glasgow features in nine top 10s; Dundee and Aberdeen in six; Robert Gordon and Glasgow Caledonian in five; Heriot-Watt and Stirling in three; Edinburgh Napier in two; and West of Scotland in one.
