Why is Oxford top again? Is there a widening gap betweeen established and new
universities? John O'Leary, Editor of The Times Good University Guide
2006 answers your questions, below.
Oxford is top again! Is it really the best university? Carl
Fuller, Leeds
It has the best score ranked on the criteria included in The Times table.
There has never been much between Oxford and Cambridge since the tables were
first published, in 1993. Readers will make their own judgement on which is
the "best".
Why isn't the Open University (the UK's largest in number of students)
included? Its independent teaching quality assessment is 5th in the country,
above Oxford. Louis De La Foret, Milton Keynes
Because it caters entirely for distance learners, several of the measures in The
Times table - notably those which measure spending on libraries and
other facilities - do not apply to the Open University. Its size would also
put the OU at a considerable disadvantage in comparisons of staffing levels.
Why doesn't International Relations and European Studies appear in
your tables? Jacopo Spadoni, London
The categories are those used by the higher education funding councils and the
Quality Assurance Agency for their assessments. International Relations is
included in the politics ranking. European Studies will vary according to
the content of the course; most are classified as politics or geography, but
some are entered for assessment with language degrees.
I am aware that one can enhance one's chances of gaining a place at
Cambridge by studying the "form" of the various colleges. Where
does one find the information? Andrew Wilkins, London
The Cambridge prospectus gives detailed information on the number of
applicants per place in each subject at each college. The Tompkins Table
(which ranks colleges on their students' degree classifications) and the
applications and acceptances in each subject for the whole university are in
the book of The Times Good University Guide.
There is constantly the debated issue of private versus state schools
with respect to Oxbridge, which isolates me. I have been at a state school
my whole life, received 9 A* and then went to a private college. Now, due to
the close scrutiny on the number of private sector pupils that are taken by
Oxbridge, will they be less willing to take me, as I will have the statistic
of a private school student? Alexander Odysseos, Edgware,
Middlesex
Both Oxford and Cambridge insist that they select on merit alone, although
they have been trying (successfully) to encourage more applications from
state schools and colleges. Almost half the places at each university go to
applicants from the independent sector so - particularly having achieved
such good results at a state school - you should stand a good chance.
My daughter is keen to apply to Durham University to study Maths in
2006. I was surprised to note that this appears to be the one subject area
in which this otherwise prestigious university does not make the top twenty
listings. Is it possible to identify the specific area of weakness that gave
rise to this outcome? Linda Mullen, Newcastle upon Tyne
Durham is only just outside the top 20 for maths (23rd). The universities
above it did better in the teaching quality assessment, where it scored 21
points and those above it managed 22, 23 or in two cases 24 out of 24. It is
still a good score and Durham does as well as most on the other indicators.
Indeed, only Oxford and Cambridge students have higher entry qualifications.
There don't seem to be any dedicated league tables for postgraduate
study. Do you know of any? Chris Wells, Sheffield
No - only for MBAs. Some of the measures in The Times tables are relevant to
postgraduates - the teaching assessments cover taught postgraduate courses,
the research grades will be important and the spending measures benefit all
types of student - but some of the others are only available for
undergraduate courses.
My son is currently sitting AS's in Maths, Physics, DT and Art and
wants to go on to a Product Design degree outside London. There are so many
courses available but many seem to be at the ‘new’ universities and their
entry requirements seems to suggest they are perhaps not as prestigious as
the more traditional ones. Am I being an old-fashioned snob directing him
more towards the established universities? Amanda Popeck,
Edgware, Middlesex
For subjects like product design, new universities are often the best choice.
Many incorporated colleges of art and design, and have greater expertise in
specialist fields than more prestigious universities. Employers in such
fields are generally well aware of which are the leading courses.
Is there still a clear distinction between the red brick universities
and the former polytechnics? Is the gap widening between the establish
Russell group unis and the rest? Sarah Longthorn, Oxford
The league tables suggest that some former polytechnics are competing
successfully with some older universities, but most would see a continuing
distinction between the two types of institution. Red brick universities
tend to place more emphasis on research; the former polytechnics' stress
their mission to widen participation in higher education. More selective
research funding has widened the gap between the top universities (most but
not all of which are in the Russell Group) and the rest.
How will tuition fees transform the landscape of higher education in
England? Penelope Webster, Liverpool
No one can be sure, but most observers expect students to become more
conscious of the subjects and universities that give them the best chance of
repaying their debts and securing a good job. Some institutions may struggle
to fill places at £3,000 a year. Students should be better off since they
will not have to pay fees upfront, although some will be deterred by the
prospect of higher debt.
Do you think league tables unnecessarily devalue degrees by placing
too much emphasis on things like what A-level grades students achieved and
how many went on to study in a field connected to their degree, what about
the transferable skills that are often more important in life and also
gained at university? David Merrill, Southampton
There are all sorts of benefits from taking a degree that cannot be included
in league tables. Rankings are merely a guide to the standing of different
universities and courses in the areas that can be measured. Prospective
students need to know whether a degree is likely to lead to a graduate job,
even if they decide that other considerations are more important to them.
How to you assess teaching quality and research? Jennifer
Lane, Plymouth
Both have been assessed, subject by subject, by teams of academics. The way in
which teaching standards are assessed has been controversial among
academics. Different methods have been used in England, Scotland and Wales,
and some of the assessments are now ten years old. The older grades are no
longer included in The Times tables. The last research assessment exercise
was in 2001 and universities are working on their submissions for the next
one, in 2008.
How do specialist art colleges figure in the rankings? I am
particularly interested in the Glasgow school of Art- it does not figure in
your top 20- is that because it isn't a university or due to poor
performance? Hilary Graham, Hexham, Northumberland
The Times guide is primarily a comparison of universities, although
university colleges are included in the subject tables. Glasgow School of
Art does not have this status, but it has done well in quality assessments.
I saw the rankings for science in Wednesday’s Times and was surprised
and disappointed at those for Scottish universities. The inclusion of UCAS
tariffs for entrants gives a distinct bias towards English universities.
Your tables will undoubtedly adversely affect applications to Scottish
universities, even though several are ranked 'excellent' in teaching and
research and indeed have higher percentages of graduates going on to greater
things than some English universities of 'higher rank'. Perhaps you should
include a column giving the official rankings for teaching and research
excellence? Heather Young, Stirling
The UCAS tariff covers Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers, and the switch
to its use does not seem to have disadvantaged universities in Scotland. The
main table, published today, which ranks whole institutions, shows the
scores for both teaching and research.
