After eight years of League Table frustration, Oxford finally toppled Cambridge from first place in The Times rankings in 2002, and has maintained its grip ever since.

The university also moved up to join Cambridge in second place in world rankings published by The Times Higher Education and QS in 2007.

A package of far-reaching organisational reforms designed to safeguard Oxford’s supremacy and compete more effectively on the international stage were rejected by the dons, but the university will not stand still.

Gradually, there may be more research students and marginally fewer UK undergraduates, as well as changes in the relationship between the university and its fiercely independent colleges.

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Oxford is the oldest and probably the most famous university in the English-speaking world, and it remains almost inseparable from Cambridge in terms of overall quality. Like Cambridge, it attracts world-class academics and takes its share of the brightest students. The pair are head and shoulders above the other non-specialist universities in The Times ranking and in the view of most experts. Yet Oxford briefly slipped to third place in our table at the start of the decade, partly because of comparatively low central spending on facilities such as careers and sport.

College system

The college structure, which produces an enviable student environment, acted as a handicap. However, a fairer reflection of overall spending, endorsed by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, had a dramatic effect. Applications held steady with the introduction of top-up fees and increased by more than the national average in 2007, although they were down marginally in the following year. The university is still struggling to broaden its intake and shake off allegations of social elitism. The long-term growth in demand for places (which is concentrated in the more job-oriented subjects) is due, at least partly, to more systematic attempts to get the message through to teenagers that Oxford is open to all who can meet the exacting entrance requirements.

Access

Student visits to comprehensive schools have been supplemented by summer schools, recruitment fairs and colleges’ own initiatives, as well as tireless public statements of intent by the university. For all the university’s efforts to shed its “Brideshead Revisited” stereotype, however, official figures still show 46 per cent of Oxford’s students coming from independent schools – the largest proportion at any university. Fewer than 12 per cent come from working-class homes, despite the introduction of £3,150 bursaries for all undergraduates who are eligible for full fee remission – well before the advent of topup fees. Still higher bursaries introduced in 2006 may help broaden the mix. Only about one student in 70 drops out, the lowest proportion in the country.

Applying

Applications must be made by mid-October – a month earlier if you wish to be interviewed overseas. There are written tests for some subjects and you may be asked to submit samples of work. Selection is in the hands of the 30 undergraduate colleges, which vary considerably in their approach to this issue and others. Sound advice on academic strengths and social factors is essential for applicants to give themselves the best chance of winning a place and finding a setting in which they can thrive. Only a minority of candidates opt to go straight into the admissions pool without expressing a preference for a particular college. The choice is particularly important for arts and social science students, whose world-famous individual or small group tuition is based in college.

Development

Science and technology, which have benefited from Oxford’s phenomenally successful fundraising efforts, are taught mainly in central facilities. All subjects operate on eight-week terms and assess students entirely on final examinations – a system some find too pressurised. The development of a major new campus on the site of the Radcliffe Infirmary is likely to be the first fruit of a £1-billion fundraising campaign. Recent developments include a £60-million building to house the western world’s largest chemistry department, as well as new premises for economics.

A £21-million social sciences library followed, while animal facilities drew bitter (often illegal) protests from animal rights campaigners. There was never much doubt about the strength of Oxford’s research but, with 25 out of 46 subject areas rated internationally outstanding and 96 per cent of those entered for assessment placed in the top two categories, the latest grades confirmed the university’s high standing. The university had the largest number of top-rated researchers and also attracts the largest amount of research income, at more than £200 million. Most teaching assessments were similarly impressive.

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