30th September 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
New university league tables for international rankings have been released, which suggest that British universities are failing to keep up with their American counterparts. This year only the University of Cambridge has made it into the top five institutions in the world, coming joint third with Stanford university. The list was dominated by American universities, with MIT coming first and Harvard second. Oxford University has slipped from 5th to 6th this year, while Kings College London barely managed to keep within the top 20, coming in at 19th.
The dramatic changes in international rankings have been attributed in part to a change in the methodology used to create the tables. In previous years, the rankings have focussed on research, much of which is generated by medical sciences. The new tables are designed to recognised institutions which are strong on arts and humanities but produce fewer citations. The changes have been good for some British universities, with the London School of Economics and political science climbing 36 places.
Overall the changes in the league tables have been welcomed, reducing a focus on scientific research to the detriment of arts and humanities. Whilst it has meant that some British universities have fallen in the tables, after America, Britain is still the best option for higher education, with many British universities improving their place in the tables significantly. London is the only city in the world to have four universities in the top ten, cementing its place as one of the educational capitals of the world.