Oxford University is in first place in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 rankings, the first time in 12 years it has made the top spot, despite always remaining in the top three. In second place this time around is St Andrew’s University, followed by the University of Cambridge. The University of Oxford heads up this year’s league table due to the global recognition of its pioneering work on developing the Covid vaccine. As well as claiming the top spot, Oxford University received a gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework and came in fourth place for research quality.  

The Good University Guide
The Guide is a definitive ranking of universities in the UK to provide an overview of the country's higher education institutions. It includes profiles on a total of 135 universities and they’re rated on several factors such as graduate employment and teaching quality. Winner, Oxford came first for 2:1 and Firsts with 94.5%; came joint first for a 99% completion rate; and the staff to student ratio was also in first place at 10.5. In addition, Oxford came fourth for graduate prospects, with 91.6% of grads in professional jobs or doing graduate study. 

Why did Oxford claim first place?
According to author of The Guide, Zoe Thomas: "The reason that Oxford edged it this year in particular is its extremely low staff to student ratio. At Oxford there are 10.5 students per member of academic staff, and that's staff with responsibility for teaching. That's way above anybody else. It speaks very clearly of their tradition of having a don and up to two other students." She went on to say that unlike other institutions that continue to grow, Oxford is declining an increasing number of students, and therefore able to maintain its "intimate" atmosphere. Ms Thomas added: "The extraordinary work on the Astra Zeneca Covid vaccine cannot be overlooked but it was not part of our methodology. Still, it is part of the rich profile that it brings to everything that it does."

Check out The Guide here.