The University of St Andrews and Dundee University have both had cause to celebrate after being named in the world’s top 200 universities.
St Andrews climbed 25 places in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015-16 to reach 86th in the list, while Dundee, after falling out of the top 200 last year, has bounced back into the world’s elite at number 185.
The league table, which features 800 universities from 70 countries worldwide, uses 13 measures of performance, grouped into teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income,
The result is St Andrews’ highest ever placing and puts the Fife institution inside the top 0.5% of the 20,000 universities known to exist across the globe, while Dundee has built on being named Scottish University of the Year in The Ties and Sunday Times Good University Guide last month.
St Andrews principal and vice-chancellor Professor Louise Richardson described the ranking as “another very gratifying result”.
“World rankings by their nature have tended to favour large institutions close to major population centres,” she added.
“For a relatively small university in a quiet corner of Scotland to establish itself among the top 0.5% of universities in the world is a significant achievement.
“Our continuing improvement in the rankings is a testament to the talent of our staff and students and the extent to which all who work and study here are committed more than ever to the pursuit of excellence in research and teaching.”
Phil Baty, editor of the THE World University Rankings, said: “The results are trusted by students and their families, academics, university leaders and governments.
“For the University of St Andrews to make 86 in the world is an outstanding achievement to be celebrated.”
Meanwhile, Professor Sir Pete Downes, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee, said: “To be named as one of the world’s top 200 universities is something that institutions across the globe covet and we are determined to build on this success and fulfil our ambition to become Scotland’s leading university in all the fields in which we choose to work.
“We operate on a worldwide stage and this ranking, being named as Scottish University of the Year and other hugely positive recent surveys will help further bolster our reputation internationally.
“Our aim as a university is to transform lives, locally and globally, through our top-class research, innovative teaching and a student experience that is being increasingly recognised as the best in Scotland.”
The UK boasts nearly one in 10 of the top 800 institutions in the rankings, with The University of Oxford in second place and the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London also making the top 10 in fourth and eighth places respectively.
The university rated number one in the world is California Institute of Technology for the fifth year in a row.