The University of Oxford has topped its third league table of the year, beating the University of Cambridge into second place yet again. Oxford is ranked first in The Times Good University Guide, published in June — the seventh year in a row that Oxford has been ranked first by The Times. Its lead over Cambridge increased slightly this year.The table puts Imperial College London third, at odds with The Guardian and The Independent rankings, which both favoured the London School of Economics (LSE) for third place.

The Times top ten
1. Oxford
2. Cambridge
3. Imperial College London
4. London School of Economics
5. St Andrews
6. Warwick
7. University College London
8. Durham
9. York
10. Bristol

The Times top ten is completed by LSE, the University of St. Andrews, the University of Warwick, University College London (UCL), Durham University, the University of York and the University of Bristol. The Times newspaper is no longer formally linked with Times Higher Education, which was sold by News International, owner of The Times, in 2005.
Although the five top-ranked institutions have not changed since last year, UCL has fallen one place, swapping places with Warwick, while Durham has risen a place, Bristol has fallen two and York has ousted Kings College London from the top ten.
Although Oxford appears to have pulled away from Cambridge since last year, it is Cambridge that dominates The Times rankings for individual subjects. Of the 61 subjects on which universities are rated, Cambridge comes first in 37, while Oxford leads in only four.
According to The Times, Cambridge has the better record on research, entry standards and graduate destinations, but Oxfords lead in staffing levels, higher spending and a higher proportion of students awarded at least an upper-second-class degree has ensured that it pips its rival to the post.
Among new universities The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen is the best placed, at 54; one place below is Oxford Brookes, the top new university in England. The biggest climbers include York, up from 16 to nine, Leicester, from 21 to 14, and Lancaster, from 27 to 19 — all members of the 1994 group.
Among those falling fastest are Aston, from 15 to 28, and Bolton, from 93 to 111. The lowest ranked universities are London South Bank, followed by Thames Valley. John OLeary, the guides editor, says the table highlights the quality of previously underestimated universities such as York and Bath.

(Excerpted and adapted from Times Higher Education Supplement)