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The leading universities in The Times league table are well established. Oxford and Cambridge have practically monopolised the top two positions throughout the 15 years in which the guide has been published. This year Oxford tops the list with the academic powerhouses of the University of London never far behind.

Only St Andrews interrupts the hegemony of the “golden triangle” of Oxbridge and London this year — and King’s College’s spectacular rise into the Top Ten will be some compensation for the capital’s federal university. Warwick, Bristol and Durham complete the Top Ten.

Other universities celebrating substantial rises this year include Exeter, which enters the Top 20 for the first time; City University, which is up 17 places; the University of the Arts London; and the new university of Bedfordshire, which is judged on the performance of its predecessor institutions, Luton University and the Bedford campus of De Montfort University.

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BACKGROUND

• University statistics

• Cambridge closes gap on Oxford

• Earning versus learning

There are many impressive performances, too, in the 32 subject tables this year. Although Cambridge dominates, leading 21 of the tables, the exercise demonstrates that there are pockets of excellence in a range of universities. Sheffield, for example, tops the dentistry table, while Loughborough leads in the portfolio category of hospitality, leisure, sport, recreation and tourism.

Even at some of the Top Ten universities, a few clearing places for 2007 will be available this week, although Oxford and Cambridge never enter this round and others prefer not to. Any vacancies that do become available will be in a limited range of subjects, such as modern languages or engineering.

But there is no time to lose for those hoping to enter a leading universities in 2008. The deadline for applications to Oxford and Cambridge — and for degrees in medicine, dentistry or veterinary science anywhere — is October 15.

Although prospective students have until mid-January to apply to the other universities and colleges, admissions officers advise against leaving it to the last moment. In theory, no one should be disadvantaged by applying after Christmas. Applications are scrutinised as they come in and latecomers run the risk of seeming less impressive than those already on a list of likely recruits.

At Oxford and Cambridge, applicants face the additional complication of choosing a college, since they, rather than the university, select undergraduates. An “open application” is possible at either, leaving admissions staff to allocate a college that has fewer applications than the norm in any particular subject. But this tends to rule out the most prestigious colleges and most schools prefer the direct route.

The ancient universities try to play down the importance of choosing the “right” college on their admissions websites. Apart from their size, there is little difference between colleges, the universities insist, and invariably students end up believing that their college is the best. For those who suspect that there is a reason that most students apply to a single college, there is plenty to go on in making a choice. The official prospectuses describe the individual colleges, applications per place in each subject and the breakdown of state and independent school admissions. There are also “alternative prospectuses”, written by students, on the universities’ student union websites.

The pecking order of colleges for undergraduate courses is established by two rankings: the Norrington Table, for Oxford, and the Tompkins Table, for Cambridge, both of which rate colleges by the degree classifications of their most recent graduates. This year (and last), Merton was top in Oxford and Emmanuel in Cambridge.

Even Oxbridge colleges have good and bad years, so it is as well to look at several years’ results, but the leading colleges are fairly consistent. Emmanuel has been top in five of the past six years, as has Merton. Christ’s was second in Cambridge this year and has been out of the top five only once since 2000. Magdalen was this year’s runner-up in Oxford, although St John’s has the better record throughout the current decade.

Like The Times league table, the Oxbridge rankings should be taken as an aid to further research, rather than the last word in academic prestige. Taken together with advice from teachers and, where possible, a visit to the chosen institution, the rankings should help to narrow down the field.

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