SCOTTISH universities have soared in the international rankings with Edinburgh at the top spot in Scotland and fifth place in Europe.

Six Scottish universities feature in the 49 British institutions now ranked among the 500 best in the world, according to the league table produced by THES-QS World University Rankings for The Sunday Times .

The rankings, published online today, shows Cambridge and Oxford are joint top of the European university league table, followed by Imperial and University College London.

Britain dominates the European top 10, with Manchester and Bristol just behind two Parisian universities, Ecole Normale Supérieure and Ecole Polytechnique. All Scotland’s top seats of learning, apart from Glasgow, have made significant strides up the global ranking this year.

In world terms, Edinburgh ranks 23rd, up 10 places on last year. St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university, makes it into the world’s top 100 for the first time, up 33 places to 76th.

This ranks St Andrews at 26 in the European table, sandwiched between York and Leeds.

Glasgow has fallen two places to 83rd in the world and is ranked 29th in Europe. Aberdeen has risen 58 places from 195th to joint 137th in the world and 52nd in Europe.

Strathclyde is just outside the European top 100 at 107. It has risen 55 places in the world ranking to 252nd.

Dundee has made the biggest leap by a Scottish institution in the world league, up 67 places to make its debut in the top 200 at joint 171st. It is ranked 69th equal in Europe.

“We are delighted that the quality of Dundee’s teaching and research has been recognised,” said Sir Alan Langlands, the university’s vice-chancellor. “This comes at a very good time for the university’s investment programme.”

For the fifth consecutive year Dundee has also been voted one of the best scientific workplaces in the world.

David Caldwell, director of Universities Scotland, said: “This is a really exceptional performance. In population terms we may be a small country, but we have a disproportionate reputation for learning and discovery.”

The universities were ranked using measurements such as peer assessments, international impact and academic citations.

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