A Scottish university has knocked Oxford and Cambridge off the top of a national league table for the second time in 30 years.
The University of St Andrews was named the best university in the UK and Scotland by The Times and the Sunday Times Good University Guide, while the University of Glasgow was named Scottish University of the Year.
The Prince and Princess of Wales met while studying at university in the early 2000s.
Good university guide
The annual The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide aims to provide the most comprehensive guide to higher education in the UK.
The guide assesses everything from satisfaction with teaching quality and student experience to graduation rates and graduates’ employment prospects.
Following St. Andrews in the Scottish university rankings is the University of Glasgow, which has moved up one place compared to the previous year.
First Minister Humza Yousaf attended the university, as did former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The University of Edinburgh came third, losing one place compared to last year.
Further north, the University of Aberdeen has moved up one place to fourth place after finishing fifth in the rankings last year.
It overtook Glasgow-based University of Strathclyde, which fell one place to fifth after finishing fourth last year.
The University of Dundee remained in sixth place.
Heriot Watts
Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Stirling swapped places in this year’s rankings, with the Glasgow-based university coming seventh and Stirling falling one place to eighth.
In Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University has moved up one place in the rankings to 10th, and Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh has also moved up one place to 11th.
But Heriot Watt University, also based in Edinburgh, has fallen three places in the rankings to 12th.
Both Abertay in Dundee and the University of the West of Scotland retained their positions of 13th and 14th respectively.
The ranking did not include the University of the Highlands and Islands.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, said: “Making history by reaching the top of both the Times and Guardian University Guides in the same season is a special way to mark a new academic year at St. Andrews to begin.”
“This success is entirely due to our fantastic staff and hard-working students.
“World-leading research and teaching”
“It reflects a deep institutional commitment to a critical balance between world-leading research and teaching and the way St Andrews students respond to this.”
“While positive external validation is always welcome, no vice-chancellor ever aspires to be at the top of a league table and what matters most to me is the individual and collective experiences of those who study and work at this great university.
“St. Andrews never stands still; We are always looking for ways to improve our work.
“I think everyone who works and studies here will be delighted to see this culture reflected in where St Andrews now takes a leading position in the industry.”
“The higher education landscape has never been tougher”
Helen Davies, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “The higher education landscape has never been more difficult.
“It is more competitive to get into many of our top institutions; The cost of attending college has skyrocketed, leaving graduates with extraordinary amounts of debt. and in many cases, life on campus still bears the scars of the pandemic. The lecturers are now on strike and the grading crisis is an ongoing scandal.
“This means that all prospective students, parents and carers need to think carefully about whether university is the right choice and where and what subject they want to study.
“This is where this guide will help you – our 30th edition. In our online version you can find out much more about how universities compare subject by subject, a guide to life on campus and what scholarships are available.
“We are here to support the ambitious work of our world-class universities and the aspirations of all students of all ages who want to continue learning.”
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Source : www.thelondoneconomic.com