Oxford is world’s second best university but rest of UK falls
THE UNIVERSITY of Oxford is the world’s second best university but other UK institutions are struggling, according to data released last night.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings show Oxford just pipped Harvard and Stanford to take second place on the list. It is joined in the top ten by Cambridge and Imperial College London.
However there were substantial falls for other leading British universities, such as Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle.
“Outside the golden triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge, England’s world-class universities face a collapse into global mediocrity,” said Times Higher Education editor Phil Baty. “Huge investment in top research universities across Asia is starting to pay off.”
David Willetts, universities and science minister, said: “In future, any country that stands still will find itself slipping down the international league as other countries try harder, invest more and improve their research.”