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For the first time, UK is home to the world’s top two universities

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By Boluwatife Ezekiel Olaleye

The United Kingdom is home to the world’s top two universities for the first time, after [champs1] took first and second places in a prestigious ranking.

Oxford took the top spot in the Times Higher Education’s 2018 World University Rankings for the second year in a row, having knocked the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) off the top spot last year after it held the position between 2012 and 2016. Cambridge jumped from fourth to second place.

Meanwhile, Caltech came joint third with Stanford University.

Times Higher Education (THE) said one of the reasons Oxbridge had jumped was thanks to an increase in both institutions’ total income, which rose 24 per cent for Oxford and 11 per cent for Cambridge.

Imperial College took third place in the UK and eighth overall, while University College London came fourth in the UK, and 16th globally.

InstitutionRank 2018Previous year
University of Oxford11
University of Cambridge24
Imperial College London88
University College London1615
London School of Economics2525
University of Edinburgh2727
King’s College London3636
University of Manchester5455
University of Bristol7671
University of Glasgow8088
University of Warwick9182
Durham University9796
University of Sheffield104109
Queen Mary University of London121113
University of Southampton126121
University of Exeter130126
University of York137129
University of Leeds139133
University of Birmingham141130
University of St Andrews143110
University of Nottingham147147
University of Sussex147149
Lancaster University150137
University of Leicester159172
Cardiff University162182
Newcastle University175190
University of Liverpool177158
University of Aberdeen185188
University of Dundee187180
University of East Anglia188165
Royal Holloway, University of London197173

Although the UK’s top institutions showed impressive performances, there were signs of a gap between the UK’s most elite establishments and other universities, with the University of Warwick falling nine places to 91st, while the University of St Andrews fell 33 places, to joint 143rd. Just over half of UK institutions represented in the top 200 fell, THE said.
“The UK higher education system is facing intense political pressure, with questions over the value for money provided by £9,250 tuition fees in England, our continued attractiveness to international students, the flow of research funding and academic talent post-Brexit, and even levels of vice-chancellors’ pay,” said Phil Baty, editorial director of global rankings at THE.

But one thing this new data makes absolutely clear is that the UK has many of the very best universities in the world and it has one of the world’s strongest higher education systems

He added: “The data show UK universities are consistently producing ground-breaking new research which is driving innovation, they are attracting international student and academic talent and are providing a world-class teaching environment. They are a huge national asset, and one that the country can ill afford to undermine at a time when its place in the global order is under intense scrutiny.”

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