The UK's best-ranked university has changed - and it isn't Oxford or Cambridge

A Scottish university has knocked Oxford and Cambridge off the top spot in a national league table for the second time in 30 years.

St Andrews has been ranked No 1 in the UK by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The rankings show that Oxford fell from first to second place, with Cambridge remaining in third.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met while studying at St Andrews in the early 2000s.

Published annually, the table aims to provide the most comprehensive guide to higher education in the UK.

It evaluates everything from satisfaction with teaching quality and the student experience through to degree completion rates and graduate employment prospects.

The London School of Economics and Political Science came in fourth, while Imperial College London placed fifth.

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University College London (UCL) won the guide’s University of the Year 2024 award, having moved up to sixth place in the league table this year.

The guide said its performance has improved in many measures in the past year – including graduate prospects and honours degrees awarded.

Following St Andrews in the Scottish university rankings is the University of Glasgow, which has jumped one place from last year.

First Minister Humza Yousaf attended the university, as did his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon.

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The University of Edinburgh came in third, dropping one place since last year.

Further north, the University of Aberdeen has jumped one place to fourth.

It leapfrogged Glasgow-based University of Strathclyde, which has dropped from fourth to fifth.

The University of Dundee has remained in sixth place.

Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Stirling switched places in this year’s rankings – and were seventh and eighth respectively.

In Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University has jumped one place in the rankings to 10th – with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh also rising one place to 11th.

But fellow Edinburgh-based university, Heriot Watt, has fallen three places in the rankings to 12th.

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Abertay in Dundee and the University of the West of Scotland retained 13th and 14th place respectively.

The rankings did not include the University of the Highlands and Islands.

St Andrews principal and vice chancellor, Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, said: “To make history by coming top in both The Times and Guardian university guides in the same season is a special way to start a new academic year in St Andrews.

“This achievement belongs completely to our fantastic staff and hard-working students.

“It reflects a deep institutional commitment to a critical balance of world-leading research and teaching, and the ways in which St Andrews students respond to that.

“While positive external validation is always welcome, no vice chancellor ever sets out to top a league table, and what matters most to me are the individual and collective experiences of those who study and work at this great university.

“St Andrews never stands still; we are always looking for ways to improve what we do.

“I think everyone who works and studies here will be delighted to see that culture reflected in where St Andrews now sits as a sector leader.”

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