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http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/09/internationaleducationnews.highereducation
British universities slide in annual world ranking list
Thursday October 9 2008
British universities have slipped in an annual ranking of the world's leading universities with the country's top institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial, losing out to American rivals.
Vice-chancellors said the UK was still punching far above its weight, but that underfunding now threatens their ability to compete against America's Ivy League institutions. Harvard, which ranks No 1 for the fifth year running, charges undergraduates £18,662 a year in tuition fees while English and Northern Irish universities are capped at £3,145.
The global league table, compiled by the Times Higher Education magazine and QS World University Rankings, reveals that 22 of the 29 British universities in the top 200 in the world have moved down the table in the past year.
Yale cemented its position above Oxford and Cambridge. The three last year shared joint second place but this year Cambridge fell to third and Oxford to fourth. Imperial slipped one place to sixth while University College London was the only UK institution to improve its position in the top 10, moving from ninth to seventh.
The figures sparked a fierce debate about university funding on both sides of the Atlantic: in the UK vice-chancellors claimed it showed they were in need of more money to cement their position. In the US the figures were used to suggest that the most able students should consider a British university as a high-quality and relatively cheap alternative to the Ivy-league institutions for American students who are pressed for cash in the credit crunch.
Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of leading UK research universities, welcomed the strong presence of British institutions towards the top of the list, but added: "We are very concerned about our ability to sustain this level of success in the face of fierce global competition.
"In terms of GDP, the US invests over twice as much as the UK on higher education, and their major research-intensive universities are amongst the largest beneficiaries. For example, the endowment fund of the University of Harvard alone is greater than the total public funding for all universities in England in any given year."
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and Colleges union, said: "That so much is delivered with less funding makes the achievements of our universities and, in particular, their staff all the more impressive."
China, India, the Middle East, Brazil and Australia are also investing more in universities. "Without increased investment there is a real danger that the UK's success will not be sustained," Hunt said.
A separate analysis of the figures showed the universities assessed by the value for money they offer compared with Harvard. Oxford is at number four in the table but is 31% cheaper - including fees and living costs - than Harvard, while the University of Tokyo, ranked 19th, is 85% cheaper.
Ann Mroz, editor of Times Higher Education, said: "Harvard may be No 1 in the world, but it costs 50% more [in fees] to attend than the No 4-ranking University of Oxford.
"In these troubling economic times, American college applicants would be wise to at least consider foreign universities, which have been steadily climbing in our annual world rankings."
The rankings are based on interviews with 6,354 academics and 2,339 universities and on other factors including the staff-to-student ratio found in each institution.
David Lammy, minister for higher education, said: "Having four English universities in the global top 10 is further evidence that our higher education system is world-class.
"But we are not complacent. Excellence today is no guarantee of excellence in 10 to 15 years' time. There are plenty of countries both developed and emerging that will want to challenge our position and that is why we are having a debate on the challenges we will need to overcome to have a world-class system into the future.
"Higher education is more important to the future of our country than ever before, which is why by 2011 we will have increased funding by 30% in real terms since 1997, spending £11bn a year."
British universities slide in annual world ranking list
Thursday October 9 2008
British universities have slipped in an annual ranking of the world's leading universities with the country's top institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial, losing out to American rivals.
Vice-chancellors said the UK was still punching far above its weight, but that underfunding now threatens their ability to compete against America's Ivy League institutions. Harvard, which ranks No 1 for the fifth year running, charges undergraduates £18,662 a year in tuition fees while English and Northern Irish universities are capped at £3,145.
The global league table, compiled by the Times Higher Education magazine and QS World University Rankings, reveals that 22 of the 29 British universities in the top 200 in the world have moved down the table in the past year.
Yale cemented its position above Oxford and Cambridge. The three last year shared joint second place but this year Cambridge fell to third and Oxford to fourth. Imperial slipped one place to sixth while University College London was the only UK institution to improve its position in the top 10, moving from ninth to seventh.
The figures sparked a fierce debate about university funding on both sides of the Atlantic: in the UK vice-chancellors claimed it showed they were in need of more money to cement their position. In the US the figures were used to suggest that the most able students should consider a British university as a high-quality and relatively cheap alternative to the Ivy-league institutions for American students who are pressed for cash in the credit crunch.
Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of leading UK research universities, welcomed the strong presence of British institutions towards the top of the list, but added: "We are very concerned about our ability to sustain this level of success in the face of fierce global competition.
"In terms of GDP, the US invests over twice as much as the UK on higher education, and their major research-intensive universities are amongst the largest beneficiaries. For example, the endowment fund of the University of Harvard alone is greater than the total public funding for all universities in England in any given year."
Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and Colleges union, said: "That so much is delivered with less funding makes the achievements of our universities and, in particular, their staff all the more impressive."
China, India, the Middle East, Brazil and Australia are also investing more in universities. "Without increased investment there is a real danger that the UK's success will not be sustained," Hunt said.
A separate analysis of the figures showed the universities assessed by the value for money they offer compared with Harvard. Oxford is at number four in the table but is 31% cheaper - including fees and living costs - than Harvard, while the University of Tokyo, ranked 19th, is 85% cheaper.
Ann Mroz, editor of Times Higher Education, said: "Harvard may be No 1 in the world, but it costs 50% more [in fees] to attend than the No 4-ranking University of Oxford.
"In these troubling economic times, American college applicants would be wise to at least consider foreign universities, which have been steadily climbing in our annual world rankings."
The rankings are based on interviews with 6,354 academics and 2,339 universities and on other factors including the staff-to-student ratio found in each institution.
David Lammy, minister for higher education, said: "Having four English universities in the global top 10 is further evidence that our higher education system is world-class.
"But we are not complacent. Excellence today is no guarantee of excellence in 10 to 15 years' time. There are plenty of countries both developed and emerging that will want to challenge our position and that is why we are having a debate on the challenges we will need to overcome to have a world-class system into the future.
"Higher education is more important to the future of our country than ever before, which is why by 2011 we will have increased funding by 30% in real terms since 1997, spending £11bn a year."
