England & UK University Rankings

England and UK University Rankings

The Times Good University Guide is the most easily understood rankings of English and UK university and college rankings. However, the Guardian University Guide and Times Higher Education provide vast insight into universities throughout this area as well. Methodologies are rigorous, and current rankings obtain data from public sources and previous rankings for public scrutiny.

The Times Good University Guide 2009
Methodology: The guide this year changed from the previous year (see below) The biggest development was in the 61 subject tables, which for the first time incorporate results from the National Student Survey (NSS). This year there is a change in the main table to entry standards, which were based on A and AS levels or “Highers and Advanced Highers.” Previously, entry standards included a wider range of qualifications, included in the tariff laid down by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. This change is for one year only.

The Times Good University Guide 2008
Methodology: This table was ranked by nine key aspects of activity including student satisfaction, research assessment, entry standards, student-staff ration, library and computing spend, facilities expenditure, good honors, graduate prospects and graduation rate. Student satisfaction was completed by survey, while all other data compiled from HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) and from a 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.

Guardian University Guide 2008
Methodology: These tables were compiled in association with EducationGuardian.co.uk by Campus Pi, an applied research department at Brunel University. The rankings are compiled from official information published on universities and HE colleges. The scores are derived from figures published or provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). They only ranked institutions which have ten or more students in the subjects. Universities also are ranked by subject.

Guardian University Guide Previous Years
Methodology: The links on this page will lead you to previous standings for UK colleges and to a 2005 student satisfaction survey - the survey that shook UK schools at the time. One addition to 2007 was the arrival of variable tuition fees, a category that was included in that year’s assessment. Other links will explain the methodology, both past and present, for this survey.

RAE 2008
Methodology: Times Higher Education has devised tables of excellence to rank institutions according to their subject successes and their overall quality. These tables are presented at the RAE (Research Assessment Exercises). Ranked by numerous factors, the ratings for each institution range from 4* for “world leading” to 1* for “nationally recognized. The previous rankings occurred in 2000 for 2001. Further information about the methodology is found at Times Higher Education.

4 International Colleges and Universities
Methodology: This site (4icu.org) ranks colleges simply by Web popularity, and the rankings change every six months depending upon universities added and algorithms at various Web ranking sites. The aim is to provide an approximate ranking of universities and colleges based on Web site popularity only. They do not claim to rank universities by reputation, quality of education or level of services provided.