1st October 2014 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Cambridge University and Imperial College London have been ranked join second in the QS league tables of world universities. Considered the most rigorous university league table, QS has ranked four British universities in the top six, with Oxford and UCL coming joint 5th. Cambridge and Imperial came second overall to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which surpassed all other universities in terms of academic output. Harvard university dropped from second place to fourth, with American universities taking the remaining spots in the top ten.
British universities did well overall in the rankings with Kings College, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh all placed in the top 30, making this the most successful league table performance for British universities in 10 years. Overall the UK has 29 universities in the top 200, compared with 59 from the US. The table also revealed that graduates from Oxford and Cambridge universities are rated as the most employable, with Imperial and the London School of Economics also being very well regarded by employers. The results largely reflect the research output of the universities, with top British universities demonstrating that they are able to compete on the world stage even though they do not have the resources of wealthier American universities.
The head of research at QS said that the top 10 institutions in their table had excellent academic reputations, unparalleled staff-student ratios and research output that generated international acclaim for both staff and students. Imperial college London showed the most improvement, with increased research output allowing it to overtake Harvard and Oxford, institutions which usually dominate the top spots. The QS table for this year will have a significant impact on the prospects of British universities, especially those such as Imperial whose position has improved significantly. The results will help well placed universities to secure additional research funding, and attract the best students from all over the world.